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Chapters: 

00:25 • Jakarta • Java

00:31 • the port

03:20 • Fatahillah Square

04:38 • Bandung

05:31 • Saung Angklung Udjo, angklung school

06:36 • Angklung Oberbayern?

07:24 • angklung making workshop

08:06 • the tea fields at the foot of the volcano

08:40 • the Tangkuban Perahu volcano

Jakarta

Jakarta  is a huge sprawling city with an extraordinary level of car traffic. For ages, Jakarta residents who can afford it have tried to escape this big city as often as possible by going to Bandung, located about 150 kilometers away. The trip usually lasts several long hours. To help solve this problem, Indonesia is busy building a new, raised highway, much like a 150-kilometer bridge. While this will certainly help to smooth traffic between the two cities by removing all the crossroads where gigantic traffic jams form, but it will not solve all the problems, in particular entering the city of Bandung or, on the way back, of Jakarta. 

The port

Indonesia being a vast archipelago made up of around 17,000 islands, of which a little less than a thousand are inhabited, it is normal that the port of the capital is quite lively. If Jakarta has a modern port (Tanjungg Priok) being enlarged to accommodate current and future giant container ships, some parts of this port are more reminiscent of the adventures of Tintin and Captain Haddock in search of the ship Karaboudjan. .. Old wooden boats loaded and unloaded by dockworkers transport goods to the surrounding islands.

Fatahillah Square

Before taking the name of Jakarta, the city was called Batavia. Batavia was founded by the Dutch colonizer, or more exactly by the East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC) (at the time a real state within the state) on the ruins of an old port named Jayakarta in 1619.

The current Fatahillah Square was the heart of the city and housed the first Town Hall of Batavia. This square also has certain shops that have become historic, such as the large Batavia café. Originally, this square was called "Townhall square" and after independence, it took the name of a heroic general who took over the city of Jayakarta from the Portuguese, before the arrival of the Dutch, Commander Fatahillah.

Bandung

Located some 150 kilometers from Jakarta, at an altitude of over 700 meters, Bandung offers a more bearable climate than Jakarta, and has become a sought-after vacation spot by the notables of Jakarta. Also a university town, local fashion capital and with colonial art-deco architecture, Bandung was built near several volcanoes on the sides of which thrive tea plantations.

Angklung school

The angklung is a musical instrument, belonging to the rattle family, quite unique since it produces only one note. All the art of Angklung therefore lies in the talent of groups of musicians, each playing their note, all giving a harmonious result. This traditional musical instrument is part of the culture of Java and as such the authorities encourage the transmission of this cultural element to young Javanese. An angklung school has been established in Bandung, and a daily concert, intended for tourists, is organized. After a concert given by the children, the public is invited to participate, each receiving an angklung to form the ensemble. And it ends up sounding like Oberbayern, probably because until quite recently German tourists were plentiful in Java.

the Tangkuban Perahu

The fumaroles of the Tangkuban Perahu volcano which continuously escape from it remind us that this volcano is very active, even if its last few eruptions have been minor eruptions. The last one dates back to 2019. It is a place that attracts tourists who can see the fumaroles and hot springs from the rim of the crater.

Spoken comments in the film: 

The angklung is a musical instrument originating in Indonesia. It is made of a series of bamboo tubes and gives only one note. To create melodies, you therefore need several angklungs.

Angklung is classified as an oral and intangible heritage of humanity.

The Angklung School in Bandung aims to continue this tradition.

One of the means of financing is a daily show given for tourists ... This show is obviously not a guarantee of tradition ... The music has to be adapted a little to the public. Pity.

But the teaching remains traditional even if the show is a bit ... uh ...

About the 2 places in this film

Jakarta is (still for a time) the capital of Indonesia. It is also the second most populated metropolis in the world after Tolyo. Indonesians have nicknamed it "Big Durian" (from the name of the fruit so strongly fragrant that it is forbidden to bring it into hotels ...). reference to "Big Apple", nickname of New York ". Is the choice of fruit completely innocent ...?

The city was founded in the 4th century as Sunda Kelapa. Already at the time it was a major port in the region.

The city of more than 10 million inhabitants faces a considerable challenge. It sinks more than 10 cm centimeters every year. This associated with the rise in water levels due to global warming announces insoluble problems in the years to come. This is the main reason for the decision to move the state services to Kalamatan (Borneo). Jakarta will soon lose its status as the capital.

Bandung is the capital of West Java province and has a population of approximately 2.5 million. As it is over 750 meters above sea level, the climate is cooler there, which made it a vacation spot for Dutch settlers. It is still very popular with well-off Jakarta residents today, causing huge traffic jams on the highway between the two cities. Over the entire distance between Jakarta and Bandung an air highway is supposed to provide the solution to this problem. If, once this new highway (in fact, a 150 km long bridge) is operational, traffic should be eased on the road, but will that change anything about the congestion at the entrance to Bandung ...?

The Dutch initiated tea plantations at the foot of the volcano in the 18th century.

Music:

 - YouTube video library - Anamalie, (© Anamalie by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500007

Artist: http://incompetech.com/)

 - YouTube video library - Argonne - Zachariah Hickman

 - YouTube video library - Big Screen

Disclaimer: Despite its appropriateness, copyright issues prevent the use of indonesian traditional music in "Indonesia • Java • Jakarta and Bandung", hence the use of royalty-free music. Despite our careful selection, some might regret this decision, which is necessary to avoid potential lawsuits. Although difficult, this decision is the only viable solution.