Over the years I tried looking for books about the complete history of Indonesia. I’d been around Bali, Yogyakarta, Bandung, and several cities famous for their old book markets and I hadn’t found any.
In July 2017, when I was at Periplus Grand Indonesia, I found “A Brief History of Indonesia by Tim Hannigan”, on a bestseller shelf. Curious about the contents, I bought it for $16.95 at that time. To date, I think this is the only book that explains the complete history of Indonesia from the era of Hinduism to the rise of democracy. Top-level analysis written by a non-Indonesian.
When I got home and opened the book, I was surprised that they put a complete map of Indonesia on the first two pages, without a single island left out. From Rondo Island, Indonesia’s outermost island in the Aceh region to Merauke. From Miangas Island in the north to Rote Island in the south. All 17,508 islands are in the picture.
As a geologist, I have worked with maps for more than 10 years, from satellite scale used for remote sensing to creating several thematic map products at various scales from different regions in Indonesia. But at that time when I saw the map I asked myself, how much do I understand about Indonesia, a country as big as this? After thousands of times of zooming in and out the map in my work, how much have I understood exactly?
In May 2022, my mother and I left for Palangkaraya from Soekarno Hatta International Airport. At the Domestic Terminal, I asked the officer about the departure gate because at that time it was not printed on my boarding pass. Likewise, the departure information screen had not been updated. She asked “And your destination, miss?”, I answered “Palangkaraya.”
The next dialogue surprised me.
“Oh, Sulawesi is over there.”, she said.
“No, Palangkaraya, ma’am.”, I replied.
“Yes, Palangkaraya. Sulawesi is over there.”
“Palangkaraya is in Central Kalimantan, ma’am.”
“Really? Since when?”
I fell silent.
What surprised me was that this answer came from an officer of Angkasa Pura, an official agency under the government, whose job is to serve millions of people and thousands of destinations every year. Most of them are even outside Java. What if she knew that Palangkaraya was the only city that had been declared the new capital of Indonesia twice, in 1957 and 1965? The master plan was made and its resonance was even heard long before Jakarta became as big as it is today. Nobody talked about Kalimantan when the country was reaping its coal and gold. Now the world is looking at it when most people talk about carbon and its potential for tackling emissions.
On a flight to Stockholm from Doha last year, I sat next to an elderly woman. We didn’t talk much at first, but when she unlocked her phone, I accidentally saw the wallpaper of a very familiar view, Bromo. So I tried initiating the conversation.
“Is that Bromo?”
“Oh yes,” she answered. She immediately smiled and looked enthusiastic. “I just came from there a few months ago. It’s beautiful.”
“I’ve been there two times. I’m Indonesian,” I answered.
She then shook my hand and tried to speak a few sentences in Indonesian. We laughed together. Later I found out that she had traveled to more than 90 countries and among all, Indonesia is the country closest to her heart.
“Your country is very beautiful and rich in culture. I have been to Bromo, Bali, Lake Toba and Tanjung Puting. I spent two weeks in Indonesia but there is still so much that needs to be seen.”
I smiled. I’ve never even been to Tanjung Puting, even though it’s still in the same province as my hometown. She explained her experiences while being in Indonesia and even from this conversation there were many new things about Indonesia that I learned from her. I was astonished when she said that she even learned the history of Majapahit and the colonialism period of Indonesia, turned out that she also had Hannigan’s ‘A Brief History of Indonesia’.
She knew that Palangkaraya is the capital of Central Kalimantan and even mentioned the names of several sub-districts I had never heard of. Maybe she knows better than some of us Indonesians.
On this seven-hour flight, we discussed a lot about Indonesian culture, geography, and even some socio-political issues that even many Indonesian students are not interested in. This was my first experience meeting someone who was very enthusiastic about finding out more about Indonesia who was not an Indonesian herself. Engaging in this conversation allowed me to see things from different perspectives and broaden my understanding. There is always room to receive input even from the perspectives of outsiders.
Approaching knowledge with a new perspective enables breakthroughs in the ways we encounter the world.
One of the best unexpected conversations I’ve ever had.
