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I’ve been to Museum Bank Mandiri for many times now. This morning I went there again to have a meeting with the Berburu Center team. And just like always, going to Museum Bank Mandiri gave me a very unique sensation I can’t describe with words.
But first, let me make it clear. Going to Museum Bank Mandiri and Kota Toea is not an easy journey. The traffic that you have to pass is like crazy. You all know how bad the traffic in Glodok and Kota can be, don’t you? So I suggest you wake up early and get going real soon in the morning.
Museum Bank Mandiri is not the world’s best museum, for sure. The condition outside the museum is a big factor why this museum is less attractive than it should be. Kota Toea is indeed a very hot place to be. If you come at 12 noon, you’ll probably think you’re 5 minutes away from hell. It’s damn hot and the air is so polluted. The sound of bajaj, angkot, buses, and people just makes everything so perfectly frustrating. If you want to commit suicide (a memorable one for people you love), I suggest not to do it in this area.
So, it’s so wonderful to know that you can still find peace inside the building of Museum Bank Mandiri. The old building offers us a very “adem” atmosphere. Its old furnitures and displays give us a very peaceful feeling. The fact that the museum is a melting point of a lot of communities and organizations makes it even more special.
I spent most of the time with the team at the library which is managed by Forum Indonesia Membaca; a very inspirational organization who seeks to educate people that reading is important.
We talked about our programs and strategies. The meeting was not too long but very effective, although we could still hear the sound of bajaj from inside.
One important thing we all agreed on was that we are going to conduct a training on living values very soon. We feel that the famous 12 living values rhyme perfectly with the 5 themes/values that we have in Berburu. We’re hoping the training can be conducted next month during the holy month ramadhan.
Back to Museum Bank Mandiri. We managed to take some good pictures. The museum got plenty of great spots for camera posing. I’m not a professional photographer, but taking a great angle may not be that hard for me.
It seems that I’ll be visiting Museum Bank Mandiri even more in the future, since we’re planning to launch Berburu Center’s so-called office (sekretariat, to be exact) at the museum. Hopefully, we can conduct many creative events and programs and together with other organizations we can create a better Kota Toea.
Note: We’re changing Jakarta Butuh Revolusi Budaya (JBRB) to Berburu Center: The Research Center for Human Positive Behavior.
Salam Berburu!
Berburu Training for Facilitators
Posted on: July 10, 2009
- In: Event | Obrolan Santai
- 2 Comments
Dengan semakin tingginya minat publik terhadap program Berburu, maka JBRB memulai sebuah program yang dinamakan “Berburu Training for Facilitators”. Pelatihan Batch 1 diadakan bekerja sama dengan Inner Voice Institute; sebuah lembaga pelatihan yang menyediakan berbagai macam bentuk pelatihan khususnya yang berhubungan dengan self-awareness.
Acara diadakan di kantor Inner Voice Institute yang terletak di Jl. Kyai Maja No.13 (depan RS Pertamina) pada tanggal 20 dan 21 Juni, 2009. Pelatihan ini dimaksudkan menjadi sebuah sarana bagi JBRB untuk mendapatkan calon-calon pengajar Berburu yang baru seiring dengan rencana pengembangan program Berburu di awal tahun ajaran nanti.
Alhamdulilah, minat yang datang dari berbagai kalangan cukup tinggi. Ada 30 orang yang hadir pada pelatihan tersebut. JBRB mendatangkan beragam trainer selama pelatihan, yaitu Pardamean (Inner Voice Institute), Edward (Psikologi UI), A.R. Lendy (Inner Voice Institute), dan Atty Budiharti (Brain Booster Management).
Pelatihan tidak berhenti sampai di situ. Demi mengembangkan potensi para calon pengajar, JBRB mengadakan pelatihan bagian kedua di Museum Bank Mandiri pada tanggal 4 Juli, 2009. Kali ini JBRB bekerja sama dengan Forum Indonesia Membaca (FIM). Pelatihan terasa sangat istimewa karena Museum Bank Mandiri menawarkan nuansa romantis era jaman kemerdekaan. Kali ini para peserta mendapatkan materi tentang Children’s Positive Discipline yang diberikan oleh Mita Abidin dari Cikal.
Apabila kamu tertarik bergabung dalam program Berburu, hubungi Dela Dwinanda di 0817 807644 atau kirim e-mail ke Ika di revolusibudaya@gmail.com
Salam Berburu!
Jakarta’s forgotten celebration
Posted on: July 6, 2009
Did you know that last June 22 was the birthday of our beloved city Jakarta? Some of you were probably aware of that fact, but I’m sure most of us didn’t care at all; that is exactly what happened in my office, everything went just like any other day. No one mentioned the fact that Jakarta was having its 482nd birthday.
Compared to our country Indonesia, Jakarta turns out to be so much older. But it is too bad that despite the fact that our capital is so old, the condition doesn’t show the kind of maturity that a city as old as Jakarta should have. Perhaps that is why we Jakartans don’t really care whether or not it’s a birthday. Because it’s always the same kind of Jakarta we all have: bad traffic, bad public transportation, pollution, flood, and poverty.
With all those problems, we don’t feel like celebrating it. I even forgot that last Monday was Jakarta’s birthday until I heard, accidentally, the news on the radio reporting that our local government had been conducting cultural events in several areas.
Our ignorance of this special occasion definitely reflects our attitude towards this city of ours. Admit it, most of us don’t like it here. Admit it, most of us always curse at this city every single day and always think that if not for the money we would have left this city so long time ago.
Am I being too much on this? I don’t think so. I was driving my car a few days ago from my office to a friend’s house in Blok M when suddenly a metromini cut me off. This bus came from nowhere and stubbornly stopped right in front of me. I was going to curse but decided not to when I saw the people’s faces on the bus. I felt sorry for them.
They all looked sad. None of them were crying, but I could tell they were all unhappy. Their bodies were squeezed against each other and they were all sweating. Suddenly I felt guilty for being inside my comfortable car. I felt guilty for having my air conditioner and radio on. I looked at those people and I realized that not all people in this great city of ours can enjoy Jakarta’s luxurious malls and nightclubs.
The funny part was the fact that the condition of the bus was no better than the people’s condition inside. Just like any other Jakarta’s public transportation system, this bus in front of me looked like the ugliest bus in the whole world. At that very moment, I was so ashamed of being an Indonesian. I couldn’t imagine what I would have said if there had been a foreigner sitting next to me; trying to mess his or her concentration from this very embarrassing sight, I would probably have said, “By the way, have you tried our busway?”
It seems to me that Jakarta is run to please the rich. Look at our big malls. Our malls are so luxurious that even my American friend, Bill, admitted that our malls are better than the ones in the United States. While walking inside a famous mall in Central Jakarta, he pointed at those branded items being displayed at various outles, and said, “Isn’t it amazing, there are actually many people in this city who buy all those unreasonably-priced products?”
But it is interesting to know that even the rich are not actually happy living in Jakarta. If you don’t trust me, ask them to describe Jakarta in one word. I bet most of them will say macet. In other cities, people probably have positive words like: beautiful, traditional, or peaceful. And that is why they always go somewhere far every time they have a chance. We shouldn’t be surprised to know that Jakarta’s rich people are among the main tourist sources for cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok; and not the other way around.
So, what now? Did 482nd birthday mean anything? It still did and should mean something.
I think it is time for all of us to look at Jakarta differently. It is time for us to treat Jakarta wisely and start doing small but real actions to this city. I remember I didn’t really like Jakarta in the past. But living in the United States for 2 years made me realize that Jakarta was not as bad as I had thought before. It was the first time when I realized that Jakarta had so many great things I couldn’t find in America. And one thing for sure, I missed those things so badly.
So when I came back, I decided I would treat Jakarta differently. I made a vow that I would start doing the things that I never had done before. It was not easy, but I managed to survive. First, for the very first time in my life I went to Monas. Then, I went to other cultural and historic attractions. I began to find out that Jakarta is more than just about malls and cafes. Second, I started trying all kinds of food that this city offers. I found out food in Jakarta is not mainly about nasi uduk or soto betawi. You will be surprised to know that the choices are unlimited. Third, I now use the traffic as a perfect therapy on patience.
At the end, we can always have thousands of excuses not to like Jakarta and all its elements. But, we all should know that there is a second choice to like this city, although it might only be just a little bit more; and to do it, it will need some efforts.
It’s a bless that JBRB has been awarded “2008 Young Changemakers Initiative” by Ashoka Indonesia. I hope this achievement will make us stronger.
This is not the end. This is a start.
I thank everyone out there who has been supporting our movement and never given up hope. Let’s build this city together because we believe that Jakarta deserves a second chance.
These pictures were taken by Siti Nurandini.
I feel so proud of being part of this one great organization. We are small and young; but we have a big faith that we could do something to make this city a better place to live in.
What we do may be small and unnoticed, but we believe even small changes can give big impact to others. We believe it’s time for us to start doing and stop complaining.
We believe we have a city with millions of potentials; we just don’t realize that we could be great like other cities in this world. JBRB is here to remind you all.
C’mon, join us and let’s make a revolution. This is JAKARTA BUTUH REVOLUSI BUDAYA COY!
JBRB at ICE
Posted on: October 29, 2008
JBRB akan turut bertartisipasi dalam sebuah acara yang diadakan oleh Prasetiya Mulya. Acara yang dinamakan The 2nd Indonesian Consumunity Expo ini adalah sebuah pameran Komunitas dan Produsen terbesar di Indonesia!
JBRB akan menampilkan berbagai macam hiburan dan simulasi Berburu. Ada kemungkinan JBRB juga menjual berbagai macam merchandise; seperti kaos dan pin. Jadi jangan ketinggalan untuk datang dan lihat aksi JBRB.
Acara akan diadakan pada tanggal 8 & 9 November di Plaza Utara Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta Pusat.
Hubungi Oky di sipembururusa@yahoo.com untuk informasi lengkapnya.
Should we love dangdut too?
Posted on: October 29, 2008
This article was published by The Jakarta Post on October 27, 2008. Read the article on The Jakarta Post, here.
Don’t forget to join the “What do you think of dangdut?” poll below.
It may sound funny but I do have a theory that one of the reasons why our young people are losing their national identity is because they hate dangdut.
It’s so obvious, no young and educated Indonesians like dangdut. And I’m not just pointing my finger at my fellow young Indonesians, I have to admit I don’t like it too.
We young Indonesians don’t like it so much that we have been making it as one of the best laughable topics for so many years.
We feel sorry for people who actually dance to the rhythm of dangdut; we feel sorry for people who like Rhoma Irama. We laugh at them so happily knowing that their music is so kampungan and our music is so much cooler.
We can sing any famous American singer’s song perfectly and we know the lyrics by heart.
Modern music concerts are common in this country, and it seems to me that every single one of them can easily attract a large number of young and educated Indonesians.
The Java Jazz Festival, for example, has always been packed with young and educated Indonesians for 4 years although when the festival was first introduced many people thought the ticket prices were unreasonable; but young Indonesians came anyway.
The same organizer just conducted an R&B festival called Soulnation which was successful in drawing a lot of young Indonesians; they paid tickets worth at least Rp 200,000 and didn’t complain. They came in dressing up themselves with the latest R&B outfits copying their idols like Akon and Ashanti.
What’s wrong with not liking dangdut one may ask. Well, it’s not wrong as one of my best friends pointed it out to me that you can’t blame someone for liking one type of music as you can’t blame someone for liking nasi goreng.
But what we don’t realize is that dangdut is our national treasure; It’s part of our national heritage. What we don’t realize is that dangdut is the music of our country; just like Project Pop said through their song “Dangdut is the music of my country” a few years ago.
What we don’t realize is that when we laugh at dangdut thinking that it’s a stupid music, it’s like laughing at keroncong or any other Indonesia’s traditional music genre.
Sometimes I wonder why we can’t fall in love with dangdut while young African Americans can be so proud of their R&B and rap music.
One of the reasons may lie on the fact that we are too arrogant to like the same kind of music that low-income Indonesians like; that we don’t want to put ourselves on the same level with mas-mas and mba-mba.
If that is the kind of mentality that we all share, then I think we should feel sorry for ourselves for thinking that dangdut is so kampungan and that those people who like it just don’t have taste in music. We should feel sorry for ourselves for not realizing how music, like language, could be a very effective medium to unite us all.
Imagine if all young Indonesians, whether poor or rich, could at least agree that dangdut is something we all could enjoy together. We would be more united.
Apparently it’s the responsibility for anyone working in the dangdut industry to find a way to make the music more attractive to young and educated Indonesians, such as my friends and myself.
At the end, I’m not encouraging you to like dangdut. Music is about one’s personal preference, after all. But what I’d like to encourage us all is that instead of mocking those who like dangdut, we all should respect them for being able to express their “Indonesianity” a little bit more than we can.
Picture above taken from here.
Berikut adalah salah satu video yang diberikan oleh tim Jakarta Butuh Revolusi Budaya (JBRB) kepada para murid Berburu. Video ini menampilkan Vena Anisa dan Desta Club Eighties. Belum sempurna, but it’s a start.
Salam Berburu!
Let’s say no to malls
Posted on: September 22, 2008
This article was published by The Jakarta Post on September 29, 2008. Read the article on The Jakarta Post, here.
I was having a conversation with a friend from Jakarta over the Internet several days ago. When I asked her if there are some new places in Jakarta that young people go to, she said, “What kind of places do you mean? One thing for sure we have lots of new malls.”
She explained there are some new malls in the city. Some of them are Senayan City, Grand Indonesia, and Pacific Place.
She suddenly reminded me of how Jakartans are so much in love with malls and shopping centers. What is a mall, anyway? A mall is simply a big modern building where people can go to shop. Unlike any traditional market, a mall is very convenient; it is an air-conditioned building and it is clean and safe.
Having lived for 6 years in Jakarta I know how much people in Jakarta love their malls. I was one of them. While I never visited Monas, not even once, my friends and I would go to malls at least once a week for various purposes.
I went to malls for shopping. I went to malls for eating with friends on special occasions. I went to malls to watch movies. I went to malls to have a business meeting. I even went to malls just to use their bathroom.
And just like other people of Jakarta I was proud of having those big malls in my city. I remember a friend of mine from the Netherlands was so amazed to see how malls in Jakarta could be so big and beautiful. He said, “This city has the greatest malls.”
But now I know I’m not a big fan of malls anymore. Read the full article!
This article was published by The Jakarta Post on August 15, 2008 as part of a special report celebrating Indonesia’s 63rd Independence Anniversary. Read the article on The Jakarta Post, here.
I’m a proud young Indonesian who spent almost 16 years in Indonesia’s education system. I studied Indonesian history, its values and Pancasila. But if you ask me what Indonesia’s 63rd anniversary of independence means my answer will probably be, “I don’t know.”
I’m not proud of having such a notion but I don’t think I should feel guilty because many of my young friends have the same impression of this celebration. Some even say, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” Yes, they don’t care.
For many young Indonesians, including me when I was in school, the anniversary of our country’s independence only means another boring flag ceremony. Some may like the ceremony but that’s only because they can skip class.
Have we really lost the true meaning behind the most important celebration of our country? Can we blame the older generation for not encouraging the younger generation to love our country more?
What does it really mean to be 63 years old, anyway? What should the government do to energize the people and make them appreciate their country a little bit more? Read the Full Article!
Jakarta Butuh Revolusi Budaya! 
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