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History and theatre Black Armada

exhibition opens in Indonesia
Posted on 2 September 2015 by Stephen Gapps

In a spirit of collaboration, historical reenactors wave the Australian flag from the ramparts
at the opening of Black Armada (Armada Hitam) at the Museum Benteng Vredeburg,

Yogyakarta on 31 August 2015.

Exhibition openings in Indonesia are really something. At the Black Armada (Armada Hitam)
opening at the Museum Benteng Vredeburg, Yogyakarta on 31 August there were decorations,
traditional dancers, prayers, speeches, a sumptuous feast, and to top it all off, an explosionpacked historical re-enactment of a battle by Indonesian freedom fighters.
I arrived at the Museum Benteng Vredeburg last week to prepare for the opening of the Australian
National Maritime Museums travelling exhibition Black Armada, which showcases Australian
support for Indonesias struggle to maintain their independence against Dutch attempts to recolonise Indonesia between 1945 and 1949.
After a couple of days installing, sourcing materials, working out schedules and getting used to
the heat and humidity, it soon became apparent that the opening event was going to be bigger
than Ben Hur.

The wonderful staff at the museum were preparing banners and flags, building signs, stages and
marquees. The always smiling and energetic Senior Curator Pak Haris was an inspiration.
Registrar Pak Ngahidin seemed to be able to put his hand to anything and built the display case
for the exhibition video.
Pak Hendi, the museums graphic designer, thoughtfully and professionally considered the themes

and overall look of the display. Deputy Director Pak Agus and Education and Publicity officer Pak
Rosid were most helpful. And all this under the auspices of the charming Museum Director Ibu
Azzah.
In fact, the exhibition was two displays. The Museum Benteng Vredeburg took the opportunity of
hosting our modest travelling exhibition to create a temporary exhibition of their own. It was
created in a complementary style and told the wider story of the Indonesian Independence
struggle. Usually in Indonesian depictions of this iconic story of national struggle, Australia doesnt
rate a mention. However this new display includes not just the actions of the Australian maritime
workers who ordered black bans against all Dutch ships returning to Indonesia in late 1945, but
also the critical actions and support of the Indian and Chinese Seamens Unions based in
Australia.

While Australian and Indonesian diplomatic relations have been a bit frosty of late, it was
wonderful to see both Pak Dubes Riphat Najib Koesema Indonesian Ambassador to Australia and
the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson attending the opening. In their speeches
both Ambassadors were keen to point out that despite some differences along the way, the
broader picture of Australian-Indonesian connections over time has often been overlooked.
Ambassador Grigson noted the hundreds of years of trade relations between Makassan bech de
mer fishers and Indigenous people in northern Australia. Ambassador Koesema noted that the
borders of the two countries are closer than Sydney is to Canberra.

Despite the sweltering heat and humidity the Chairman of the ANMM Peter Dexter AM gave a
wonderful thank you to the museum and noted the importance of maritime connections between
the two countries that made for excellent collaborative projects and future opportunities. Peter
then exchanged presents with Ibu Azzah. After the speeches and more dancing, the gong was
struck to formally open the exhibition and Bapak Suryanto delivered Doa oleh, or prayer of
thanks.

The collaboration between an Indonesian and an Australian museum about a shared history
attracted significant media attention both here in Indonesia and in Australia. After a tour of the
displays, the over 100 guests retired to the air-conditioned rooms for a wonderful feast of
Indonesian food.
But one of the most intriguing events was still being staged. In the forecourt of the museum a
group of historical reenactors Djogjakarta 1945 was conducting a recreation of the
important battle that occurred right here in these museum grounds.
On 1 March 1949 a force of Indonesian Republican fighters stormed the fortress and swept the
Dutch garrison aside. The battle occurred at a critical point in the Indonesian struggle to maintain
independence. With at first British (and Japanese) assistance, the Dutch military forces had reconquered most of Indonesia. Only pockets of resistance fighters held out, mainly in remote areas
of Java. The Dutch were claiming they were in control of Indonesia once more.

But the leaders of the Indonesian Republic knew that while guerrilla tactics had been successful in
continuing the struggle against the superior military power of the Dutch, a major victory in open
combat was needed to both tell the world that Indonesian forces still existed, and to galvanise
support from the Indonesian people.
While the taking of Benteng Vredeburg and Yogyakarta was momentary the Dutch called
reinforcements and quickly took it back it showed the Indonesian people that there was indeed
a capable and committed Indonesian republican force. By the end of 1949, the war against the
Dutch was over and they recognised Indonesian independence. The 1 March General Offensive or
Serangan Umum is now commemorated annually as a significant moment in the independence
struggle.
Support for Indonesian independence from Australia had begun with the radical labour
movement, maritime workers and trade unions. By 1949 it had become part of the Chifley Labor
government platform and Australian support in the international recognition of Indonesia was
prominent. It had also come from such sources as Chinese-Australian businessman Fred Wong,
who donated money and purchased Catalina flying boats to drop supplies to the beleaguered
Indonesian resistance. But thats another story.

MBV Senior Curator Pak Haris, ANMM curator Dr Stephen Gapps, MBV Registrar Pak
Ngahidin, ANMM Chairman Peter Dexter AM and ANMM Honorary Research Associate
Jeffrey Mellefont

The Museum Benteng Vredeburg must be congratulated for putting in such a wonderful effort and
sincere collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum, and for hosting such an
amazing opening. Im sure it bodes well for future collaborations in maritime history and
archaeology.
Dr Stephen Gapps, Curator
Black Armada is on show at the Australian National Maritime Museum until 24 February
2016. Stay tuned for more in the Black Armada blog series.

S H A R E T HI S:

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R E L AT E D

Seventy years of
Indonesian independence
In "Black Armada"

Installing an ANMM
exhibition in Indonesia
In "Black Armada"

A Pinisi fleet and the

Bahari Museum Indonesian maritime
heritage in Jakarta
In "Black Armada"

Seventy years of

Installing an ANMM

A Pinisi fleet and the

Indonesian independence
In "Black Armada"

exhibition in Indonesia
In "Black Armada"

Bahari Museum Indonesian maritime

heritage in Jakarta
In "Black Armada"

This entry was posted in Black Armada and tagged Black Armada, historical reenactment,
Indonesian Independence, Museum Benteng Vredeburg by Stephen Gapps. Bookmark the
permalink [https://anmm.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/history-and-theatre-blackarmada-exhibition-opens-in-indonesia/] .

About Stephen Gapps

Stephen is a Curator at the Australian National Maritime Museum. In 2014 he
developed the War at Sea - The Navy in WWI exhibition. He was previously
responsible for the collection areas of Environment and Industry. In 2015 Stephen
developed a display showcasing Australian and Indonesian maritime connections. He
has research interests in early colonial Australian history, Pirates and Vikings.
View all posts by Stephen Gapps

3 THOUGHTS ON HISTORY AND THEATRE BLACK ARMADA EXHIBITION OPENS IN INDONESIA

Resi
on 2 September 2015 at 6:04 pm said:

Informative. Enjoy reading it.

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