Black and White at the Aceh Museum: Monomad |
Museums are synonymous with memories, with the past that we want to look back on. If then the photos in the museum are displayed in black and white frames, then the aroma of the past will be more pronounced.
That's how it was when we visited the Aceh Museum in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh Province, Indonesia. We, the performing arts judges, were taken on a tour of the Aceh Museum, which has been established since July 31, 1915.
According to references from the Aceh Government website, the establishment of the Atjeh Museum was led by F.W Stammeshous and inaugurated by the Dutch Civil and Military Governor General H.N.A Swart.
At the Aceh Museum, visitors can see 5,328 collections of cultural objects of various types and 12,445 books of various titles. These books not only concern history, but also science and culture of the Acehnese people in the past.
Due to limited time, we didn't have time to tour the entire building to see all the collections. I focused on the traditional houses of the Acehnese people and photographed several existing collections of objects. I had to ask a dance judge, Raisa Agustiana, to take photos and be a model in the photos that I displayed specifically in black and white frames.
One of the objects that impressed me was the Cakra Donya bell which is located in the museum yard. Cakra Donya is the name of a bell or bell shaped like a stupa. This bell was a gift from Admiral Cheng Ho to the Kingdom of Aceh during one of his expeditions in the 15th century.
The bell has several symbols that are strongly attached to its existence in Aceh's history. The first is as a symbol of diplomatic harmonization between the two kingdoms, namely Samudera Pasai and China during the Ming Dynasty. Second, a symbol of the unification of several kingdoms in Aceh to become the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam during the leadership of Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah in the 16th century.
Third, Cakra Donya became a symbol of the maritime power of Aceh's war with the Portuguese during the leadership of Sultan Iskandar Muda in the 17th century.
To enter the Aceh Museum, visitors only need to pay IDR 5,000 or around 1 Hive. With a value equivalent to 1 Hive, visitors can see the entire collection of objects at the Aceh Museum.[]
