Ende, Flores: The Womb of which Conceived Indonesia

Grace Susetyo takes a trip to Ende, where Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, was exiled between 1934-1938. President Sukarno used his time on the island to write plays along with also poetry with hidden meanings, meditating on his vision of an independent Indonesia.

the item had been ten days since I’d been going up along with also down the cool mountains of Flores when I felt the warm marine breeze on my face while beholding the haughty Mount Wongge through my motel window. In This particular coastal town surrounded by mountains, I’d been looking forward to meeting the womb of which conceived the nation of Indonesia.

I first heard of Ende in my primary school history lessons. Sukarno, later the first president of Indonesia, was exiled here in 1934-1938 because his political activities were viewed as a threat to the Dutch East Indies Government. I imagined of which Ende would likely be a romantic place of which inspired Sukarno to write passionate letters, poetry, along with also theatrical plays.

As I walked the southern beaches of Ende Island, I felt the grains of black volcanic sand on my bare feet along with also the waves of clear blue-green water on my legs. Children swimming along with also paddling their canoes called out to my camera with big smiles. the item was by the shores of these beaches of which Sukarno coached locals in dramatic vocal exercises as they rehearsed the founding father’s dreams of a future sovereign Indonesia ruled by Indonesians.

the item would likely be easy for a travel writer to call This particular place the clichéd ‘piece of heaven’. however Ende inside the 1930s was anything however of which for Sukarno.

Tugu Pancasila

inside the mid-1930s, which has a population of only 5,000, Ende was considered a primitive outback of the Indies, where Sukarno along with also his family would likely be foreign Javanese strangers inside the land of the Ende-Lio speaking people. the item was at least a month’s boat ride away through the European-educated Javanese-Malay elites engaging in fiery discourse about independence in Batavia (Jakarta). Intensive contact with them
would likely have been crucial to Sukarno’s political work. Back then, the only way to keep in touch would likely be through letters of which would likely take months to reach Java along with also back to Flores.

In various other words, the exile to Ende was one of the Dutch Government’s attempts to abort the conception of the Republic of Indonesia.

Sukarno made use of his four years here meditating on his vision for an independent Indonesia along with also engaging with locals to take part inside the item. To connect on their level, Sukarno wrote a dozen theatre plays along with also founded the Toneel Club Kelimutu which involved locals in productions performed at the Immaculata Building.

“When Sukarno asked permission through the local parish to use the Immaculata Building, the Dutch priests in charge of the parish were worried of which Sukarno would likely indoctrinate locals with his ideas of nationalism,” said Maria Marietta Bali, lecturer of Indonesian literature along with also theatre in Universitas Flores, Ende. A friend of Sukarno assured the fearful priests of which Sukarno’s activities would likely be harmless along with also under responsible supervision.

Indonesia 1945, a then futuristic fiction play about the Pacific War along with also the rise of Japan’s uprising against the USA along with also Britain, accurately predicted Indonesia’s independence inside the year 1945.

Another play, Dr. Sjaitan, tells of a mad scientist who is actually able to bring dead organisms back to life by transplanting the heart of another living organism. 17 kilometres out of Ende, eight parts of a robot along with also thousands of pieces of shrapnel are found. In order to bring the shattered robot back to life, the item must be connected to the 45 electric poles, which need to be wired along with also capture energy through the Great Lightning.

“The shrapnel represents Indonesia’s many islands scattered between the oceans. The lightning symbolises God. When a nation in suspended animation receives the power of God like This particular robot receives electricity, the item can rise up along with also come back to life,” Bali explained the Frankenstein-inspired play. She added of which 17km, 8 parts along with also 45 poles prophesied Indonesia’s independence date of 17 August 1945, though This particular was never written explicitly inside the script.

During his exile in Ende, Sukarno along with also his family lived on Jalan Perwira. Their house is actually currently known as Situs Pengasingan Soekarno, a national heritage museum run by former friends of the Sukarno family. The museum houses goods owned along with also used by Sukarno during his stay in Ende. Visitors to the museum have reported pleasant visits reminiscing Sukarno’s conception of the Republic of Indonesia inside the womb of which is actually
Ende through old photographs, newspaper clippings, oration quotes along with also vintage exhibits.

Pantai Naganesa

Unfortunately, I failed to enter the house during my visit in Ende because the museum’s caretaker decided not to show up for work for the weekend. The neighbours didn’t have his number. According to an Endenese acquaintance who is actually related to him, the caretaker is actually a low-waged, paid-by the hour worker who still takes his canoe out fishing for a living.

I came to Ende expecting to encounter romantic walks down memory lane
of which give me euphoric bursts of last century’s Indonesian dreams. Instead, I spent the afternoon waiting for the absent museum caretaker at a mediocre warung Padang whose waitresses were busy watching a sappy sinetron (soap opera).

Seeing how some Indonesians today seem to struggle respecting various other Indonesians who are different through them as human beings, I find the item embarrassing of which Sukarno’s vision through last century to unite Indonesia may have been replaced in favour of cheap soap operas loaded with fake drama along with also palm-oil drenched, high-cholesterol, spicy curries.

On the various other hand, positive developments have taken place in Sukarno’s memorial sites in Ende. Since receiving funds through Yayasan Bung Karno in collaboration with the Ende regency government, the Immaculata Building is actually currently under renovation. When I visited in December 2013, the building was greatly damaged along with also infested with wild vines.

of which year, Universitas Flores’ production of Dr. Sjaitan had to be performed in a tiny tent inside the streets outside Immaculata Building. The production was performed in honour of Sukarno’s 102nd birthday along with also attended by then Vice President Boediono. “We are looking forward to perform inside the brand new Immaculata Building inside the future, along with also to see Sukarno’s memorial sites better taken care of,” said Bali.