Compiling events that occurred during the last 12 years, Data Fakta Jakarta (Factual Data about Jakarta) helps anyone who is interested, to get to know more about Jakarta and understand the city better.
The 384-page book, written by 17 contributors, reflects a participatory approach and, thus, it is subjective.
“[The book] upholds an open subjectivity and communicative style,” the introduction of the book reads.
The book serves to record collective memory, which could become a reliable source for Jakarta residents wanting to improve and conserve the city.
“Those who want to prevent this city from deteriorating, they must first equip themselves with accurate information about the city, so that they can know what to do,” Marco Kusumawijaya, director of the Rujak Center for Urban Studies (RCUS), the book’s publisher, said at the book’s launch on Wednesday.
Data Fakta Jakarta is divided into chapters that inform readers about major events in the city from 1998 to 2010, exploring some of the city’s problems and the efforts taken to try to tackle them.
The first chapter of the book is dedicated to the bloody May 1998 tragedy that marked the beginning of the so-called reformasi (reformation) era.
“We decided to begin the book with 1998, as that year was the turning point for everything. We wanted to look at the changes in our Jakarta since then, although nothing much has changed,” Marco said.
The book also explores one of the major problems in Jakarta, transportation, from many perspectives, including the fares, the internal condition of local transportation companies and the pollution different forms of transportation produce.
And as the information is delivered in simple graphics, it is easy for readers to understand the issues.
Readers will also find of interest the section that allows them to flash back a little with a brief history on all the kinds of public transportation used in the city over the years, starting with the tram; oplet (small bus); helicak (auto pedicab); kancil (four-wheeled mini taxi); to the ojek (motorcycle taxi).
Data Fakta Jakarta also talks about another of the city’s major problems — flooding.
The chapter about the floods in Jakarta explains the roots of the problem along with the measures that have been taken by successive administrations to try and solve it.
Two of Jakarta’s worst floods are detailed, and include the various approaches that Jakarta residents took when facing the disasters.
It is not only the city’s seemingly insoluble problems that are highlighted in the book; there are also stories about the trends that have been started within civil society.
During the past 12 years, the city has witnessed the emergence of public spaces dedicated to holding many kinds of art exhibitions and festivals. The book says that the Jakarta International Film Festival and the birth of the Ruang Rupa art community are events that indicate the fast development of art in Jakarta.
Other trends include the burgeoning number of internet cafés; the latest habit of people hanging out in convenience stores and malls; the development of independent cities; and the boom of social media that is supported by easy access to the Internet.
The publisher has printed 1,000 initial copies of the book, which are available at no cost, from: info@rujak.org.
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