“The archives from this family will be a great contribution. Not only about history itself, but some issues that are now important," director general of culture at the ministry Hilmar Farid said at an exhibition on “Reading Soedjatmoko from Home and Memories,” which was accessed from here on Monday.
This is because the figures' thoughts and ideas contained in family archives could initiate conversations about the past among the public and also make them draw comparisons with current circumstances.
Family archives also differ from formal archives or government reports, he added. Although they do not touch upon topics such as economic growth, profit, and loss, they can invite people to take a closer look at the characters of important figures, or even provide a glimpse into the era they lived in.
Like the archives of Soedjatmoko Mangoendiningrat, a politician and diplomat, for example. Documents from his lifetime, which were collected by his family, were introduced to the public recently. Through some of the documents in the archive, people can learn about his perspective and life journey, particularly during the period from the 1940s to the 1980s.
Farid said that the archive manages to illustrate history through the politician's writings, which paint Indonesia as a big country with a desire for nation-building.
The archive, which has been neatly preserved, reflects his thoughts on the importance of investing in education for future development and his perspective on giving importance to culture in efforts to advance Indonesia, he added.
He said that the community must follow the journey of national development through his life story as he made many contributions, both domestically and overseas, by taking part in many well-known organizations of the time.
"Archives must ultimately be informed to others, must be used, must be utilized by as many (people) as possible," he stressed.
He said he expects the exhibition of Soedjatmoko's archives from January 10 to 14, 2023, at Gondangdia, Central Jakarta, to encourage people to reflect on current problems based on history and create good solutions that will prove useful in the future.
Soedjatmoko was a well-known Indonesian diplomat and politician in the 1940s, the era of struggle for national independence. He was sent as one of Indonesia's representatives to the United Nations, being the Indonesian Ambassador to the United States. He was also an advisor to the Foreign Affairs Minister, Adam Malik.
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Translator: Hreeloita DS, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
