Prison Cell F-5

This is the present condition of prison cell number F-5 of the Banceuy Prison where Soekarno, Indonesian first president, was jailed by the Dutch Colonial Government from 1930 to 1931 for his involvement in the independence movement. As I said in the previous post, the whole prison has now been demolished and replaced with a shopping area, and this cell and a guard post are the only things that remain of it.



This is the 2.5 x 1.5 meter cell up close. It was in this cell that Soekarno composed his famous defense entitled "Indonesia Menggugat" (Indonesia Sues) with the help of books and other reading materials smuggled by his wife Inggit Ganarsih.

Considering this place's significance in the history of the nation's struggle for independence, this monument's condition is very pathetic and dirty. It is another example of how Bandung's government has no respect for history or historical sites.

The Historic Banceuy Prison

This guard post is one of the things that remains of the historic Banceuy Prison in the center of the city.

Banceuy Prison (Penjara Banceuy) is one of the most historic places in the city of Bandung. It was here that Soekarno, the first President of the Republic of Indonesia and one of the signers of its declaration of independence, was jailed -- from 1930 to 1931 -- for his role as a leader of the PNI (Indonesian National Party). PNI was one of the political parties that explicitly and actively advocated Indonesian independence from the Dutch.

There is no clear historical record when exactly this prison was constructed. But it may have been built towards the end of the 19th century, probably in the year 1871. In 1983, this prison was demolished and in its place was built a shopping center (called Banceuy Permai), leaving only this piece of relics and the prison cell in which Soekarno was jailed. The correctional facility has since that been moved to a new location to the south of the city.

The Banceuy Prison is a prominent examples of how historic buildings in this city have been demolished and replaced by new buildings in the name of development, an indiscriminate practice that unfortunately is still continuing today. Some fear that at the rate the heritage buildings are currently torn down, the city will very soon only have a little of its history left. Bandung will then become a city without (much) trace of its history.

Cotton Candy Man

A customer is eagerly waiting for her cotton candy to be made by the seller at Alun-alun Bandung (Bandung City Square).

Socks

Being a busy market street, Jalan Dalem Kaum offers a lot of things to see. And for a photo enthusiast like myself, this is a perfect place to do street photography. But if you have keen photographer's eyes you can get more than what you can imagine. Like this one: how a street vendor displays the socks that he sells.

So, this place may feel like a chaotic place for some; but isn't there always an orderly beauty in chaos? All you need to do is to have a pair of keen, observing eyes and the right attitude.

Road-side Spectacles

Customers inspecting and choosing glasses (spectacles) offered by a street vendor on the pavement of Dalem Kaum Street in the center of the city.

Dalem Kaum is probably one of the densest and most crowded streets in Bandung. It's a shopping area where different kinds of street vendors offer different kinds of things on the pavement and in front of the shops and supermarkets that line the street.

The Kacapi

A young man playing the kacapi (or kecapi) on the pavement of Dago Street one Sunday morning some time ago. He is the member of the same group that plays the cilempung in the story that I posted yesterday.

Kecapi is a traditional Sundanese string musical instrument of the zither family. If you want to know how it is played and what kind of sound and music it produces you can check it here.

The Cilempung

A young man playing the cilempung.

Cilempung is a traditional Sundanese bamboo musical instrument. If you want to know how it is played and what kind of sound it produces, you can go to Bandung Daily Photo's sister blog Bandung Daily Video and check it out.

Although both are Sundanse traditional musical instruments and the names are nearly the same, cilempung should be differentiated from celempung. The former is a percussion type of instrument, the latter is a string musical instrument. And while the former is made entirely from Bandung bamboo, the latter is made of wood and strings.

Clay Limbs

I spotted these clay limbs at the corridor in front of the sculpture studio at the Department of Fine Arts of the Indonesia University of Education (UPI) Bandung. Although they did not look perfect yet, they way they were placed looked somewhat intriguing. I snapped this photo with they toy camera on my cell phone and present it as it is without any editing.

SSAS Amphitheater

This is the Selasar Sunaryo Art Space (SSAS) small amphitheater. According to its official website, this amphitheater "available for film screenings, talks, panel discussions, gatherings, receptions, music concerts and more. The venue has a maximum capacity of 300, and has a large screen for presentations and screenings."

Stickers, Automotive Window and Anti-scratch Film

A lone street vendor selling and offering his service to install motorcycle stickers and anti-scratch and automotive window film at Jalan Dr. Setiabudi street in the north of Bandung. It looks like a quiet day for him he could read a newspaper while waiting for a customer.

Flying Saucer

Next time you go to Bandung, don't forget to scan the sky and the roofs. If you're lucky you might see this like I did: a flying saucer landing on the roof! I spotted this on Jalan Cihampelas street, home of world's superheroes in city.

Road-side Skateboarding

A young man practicing his skateboarding skills at the sidewalk of Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan Street. This section of the street's pavement in front of Bank BNI Bandung branch office - about 30 meters in length - is unusually broad. As such, it becomes a favorite place for some skateboarders to practice their skills.

Parking Man at Work

A parking man at work - in the rain - directing a car to a vacant slot at a shopping area on Jalan Doktor Setiabudi street. A parking man like him is really helpful when the parking lot is packed with cars.

Fighting Ram

A few days ago, I accompanied my Australian students to walk in and out of kampongs at Geger Kalong Girang area in the north of Bandung. Among the dense houses, there was a an empty plot of land with a goat pen in one of its corners. There we saw a couple of strong and healthy looking rams. We asked a man who happened to be sitting close by about them. He said they were fighting rams.

Ram fighting (known locally as 'adu domba') is quite a popular Sundanese (West Javanese people) traditional game. I have yet to post a story about it, but - frankly speaking - I still feel a bit apprehensive that such a story might be repulsive for some of my viewers who may be thinking that such a tradition is cruel.