The Indonesian Heritage Society, Jakarta is a non-profit organization offering the opportunity to learn more about the rich cultural heritage of Indonesia. The varied activities of the society, including tours, lectures and study groups, provide a stepping stone to discovering the culture, life, history and art of this vast archipelago. The society has a large multinational following that includes many Indonesians and, while most activities are conducted in English, the French, Japanese and Korean sections provide the opportunity to participate in projects and lectures conducted in their own languages.
EVENING LECTURE SERIES SPRING 2012 - Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.
FLOODING IN JAKARTA
Tuesday, February 7 - Fook Chuan Eng & Peter D. Ellis
Floods are a crippling fact of life in Jakarta, and the situation is getting steadily worse. Virtually any sustained rain now creates some form of flooding and, depending on the time of day, gridlock.
Join Fook Chuan Eng and Peter D. Ellis from the World Bank in Jakarta to hear about the challenges facing Jakarta in a changing climate, why it floods, the probability of worsening floods, and what the city is proposing to do about it.
WELCOME RECEPTION AT 6 P.M. PLEASE JOIN US
HOW INDONESIA FOUND AN INCOME: Stamp Duty and Taxes
Tuesday, February 14 - Bryant E. Korn
Developing revenue streams for the fledgling Indonesian government set up in 1945 was paramount and became critical as the country grew. Key taxes of both national and local governments were revenue stamps, or Stamp Duty.
Bryant Korn will discuss and illustrate the economic development of Indonesia through colorful examples of tax revenues from 1945 to the present.
HERITAGE OF BANDA: Exploring the Spice Islands
Tuesday, February 21 - Tanya Alwi
Banda, part of the Spice Islands, lies lush and green at the center of Indonesia’s Coral Reef Triangle. Tanya Alwi, who grew up surrounded by fragrant nutmeg groves and the rich Banda Sea, today combines environmental activism with historic preservation. Her dream and current focus is to have Banda recognized as a World Heritage Site based on both its architecture and biodiversity. Join the ‘princess of Banda’ for a personal and fascinating introduction to these fabled islands of nutmeg and pearls.
CONSERVATION IN THE LAND OF WALKING SHARKS: The Bird’s Head Seascape of West Papua
Tuesday, February 28 - Mark Erdmann
Bird's Head Seascape in West Papua is renowned as the global epicenter of marine biodiversity - with more than ten times the number of coral species as the entire Caribbean Sea, and three species of endemic "walking sharks." The current development paradigm in the region threatens to undermine the food security of coastal villages and destroy this unique global heritage.
Dr. Mark Erdmann, Senior Advisor for Conservation International's Indonesia Marine Program, will provide an in-depth look at this region and the efforts of Papuan coastal communities and their NGO partners to ensure healthy, sustainable economic development while preserving the seascape's biological riches.
THE DILEMMA: A Free Press in a Transitional Society
Tuesday, March 6 - Yuli Ismartono
There was great rejoicing when the new Press Law was enacted in 1999 following the resignation of President Suharto. It was intended to herald an era of reforms toward a more democratic society. But in the following years, it became clear that a free press alone, without the proper structural and institutional changes, faced tremendous barriers in carrying out its function as society’s watchdog.
Yuli Ismartono, eminent Indonesian journalist with over three decades of experience in highly-respected national and international communications media, focuses on the growing role of media, the challenges of disseminating news and information, and how it is impacting Indonesian society.
THE KAMORO OF PAPUA
Tuesday, March 13 - Kal Muller
The Kamoro inhabit a stretch of coastline on the southern shore of central Papua bordering the Arafura Sea.
The western part of Kamoro-land became the furthest outreach of an eastern Indonesian trade network around the 17th century, but the eastern sector had little contact with the outside world until 1926 with the establishment of a Dutch colonial administrative post.
Today, the Kamoro still live along the Arafura coast with a foot in both traditional and modern worlds. Join author and award-winning photographer Kal Muller, who has lived many years among the Kamoro, to learn more about their rich land, history and customs, and increasingly respected woodcarvings.
For details of the program, please read more from this poster or visit the Evening Lectures page.
