Description of "Our Community"

Located on the Northwest coast of Java at the end of the Ciliwung River on Jakarta Bay, Jakarta is the economic center and cultural capital of Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago and the 4th most populous nation in the world. With about 10 million people claiming it as their home, Jakarta struggles to find itself in the era of globalization.

 

Towering skyscrapers occupied by influential business people, luxurious malls and high-rise apartments are sprouting everywhere. These progressive images are contrasted by numerous stalls frequented by the masses and sardine-packed kampungs or villages. It is said that there is considerable religious and ethnic tolerance in the Muslim-dominated city but there are still clashes among groups who do not share the same belief. The current governor of Jakarta has an appeal that can unify the people but the task may be too much for one person.

 

The Monumen Nasional or Monas, which was originally built to commemorate the struggles of those who were bonded together to achieve independence, is one of the most identifiable landmarks of Jakarta. As a symbol of unity, it is therefore important that the people of Jakarta look at the Monas with new lenses for inspiration. For no matter who you are, the moment you enter the hallowed grounds of the Merdeka Square where the Monas stands, everyone is equal.

 

Our school, Sekolah Lentera Inonesia, is a national plus school located in South Jakarta. The word lentera means lantern or light. Though we are located several kilometers away from the Monas, we share similar values in that we strive to be a light and inspiration for everyone.

 

Summary of Our Project

40 years after the Monas first opened its gates to the public, people have been divided on how they view Indonesia’s National Monument. Ironically, the monument was supposed to be a symbol of unity and independence. Moreover, the meaning is somehow lost to many people especially the youth and tourists simply see it as an unremarkable spot.

 

It is for those aforementioned reasons why we, the Grade 9 students of Sekolah Lentera Indonesia made a project about the Monas, researching its history, architecture and symbolisms. Furthermore, we created a website which tries to evaluate the importance and relevance of the Monas to the current generation.

 

With the national elections in Indonesia drawing near, the people needed to be reminded of the ideals and sacrifices of those who joined the Indonesian Revolution. The Monas, therefore, remains relevant.

 

Finally, just as Parisians are proud of the Eiffel Tower as a symbol of industrial success and New Yorkers are proud of the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of freedom, we hope that the website will not only promote Monas to the rest of the world, it will also remind us of the values of which the Monas was originally built and to inspire us to make new meanings in this era of globalization.

 

Problems We Had to Overcome

Since it’s our first time to join the competition, we had to familiarize ourselves with the rules and instructions. We always had to refer to our checklist to see whether we’re on the right track. Fortunately, there are several reference materials provided by Globalschoolsnet.

 

Studying the websites of past winners also gave us a lot of ideas.It took us a while to brainstorm on which topics we should research. Conducting the research efficiently was also challenging because we had to coordinate different assignments. Sometimes, our topics would overlap. We had to address this during our ‘project time’ in class to sort out our ideas. Most of the available information about the Monas came from travel websites and online encyclopaedias. While they are helpful, they are far from definitive and a lot of the views are biased or opinionated. There were also not a lot of books and other printed materials.

 

Even with the lack of time, we fortunately managed to visit the Monas to see the monument for ourselves and listen to the different perspectives of the people in the area. At first, we were especially excited to go to the very top of the monument but the elevator to the viewing platform was still not available for the public. Though the outcome of the interviews we did with the workers was productive, we had the impression that they were careful to say very positive things about the Monas, Sukarno and Indonesia. Some topics are probably still considered taboo. Being first timers, we were mostly shy and experienced some language barriers.

 

We experienced a lot of technical difficulties in finishing our articles and in building the website. We had to make special sessions after classes and request for a separate wi-fi access just to finish our tasks. 

 

Our Project Sound Bite

As a small school, we are limited in terms of our physical resources and social interaction. Through this project, however, we were able to go out of our comfort zones and connect with people with different backgrounds and status. Not only that, we now look at the Monas and other landmarks in a more meaningful way. More importantly, we were able to share our experiences, research and reflection with the rest of the world through the internet. We could consider our project as our humble contribution in the promotion of awareness and appreciation of the Monas, our city, Jakarta, and country, Indonesia.