Indonesian Museums Show How Heritage Restoration Increases Community Memory

RRI.CO.ID, Xiamen – Indonesian heritage preservation advocate Udaya Halim, said the restoration of historic sites can help communities recover knowledge and collective memories that have received limited attention. The founder of Benteng Heritage Museum in Tangerang and Liem Heritage Museum in Rembang made the remarks at the 1st International Forum on Artistic, Cultural and Memorial Heritage in Xiamen, China, from September 18 to 20, 2026.

“In a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 23, 2026,” at the forum, themed “Objects, Spaces and Memory Cultures in Asia and Europe,” Halim presented a study titled “Restoration as Epistemic Repair: Community Agency, Vernacular Archives, and Interethnic Belonging in Indonesia.”

He explained that heritage restoration is not only about restoring buildings, but also about recovering historical knowledge through family archives, oral histories, and cultural practices preserved by communities. According to him, the approach can be described as “epistemic repair,” a process through which communities recover knowledge about their past while gaining a greater role in determining how their history is understood and presented to the public.

One example he presented was the Benteng Heritage Museum, established in Tangerang in 2011. Local residents and cultural activists were involved in restoring the historic building and collecting family archives and oral accounts related to the history of the Chinese Indonesian community. Halim said the museum has helped introduce Chinese Indonesian history to the public while serving as a space for cultural education.

Meanwhile, the Liem Heritage Museum in Rembang, established in 2023, highlights historical accounts of the involvement of Chinese communities alongside Javanese communities in resistance against the Dutch East India Company, or VOC, in the 18th century.

Halim also said the history demonstrates connections between Chinese communities and other groups throughout Indonesia’s history, while broadening understanding of the role of Chinese Indonesians in the country’s national history. He said the two museums demonstrate the importance of community involvement in determining which histories are preserved and how those histories are presented to visitors.

Halim also called for greater support for local museums and community-based archives, including efforts to make historical collections and records more accessible to younger generations. “The stories we choose to restore today shape the possibilities of our shared future,” Halim said in his presentation.

The international forum discussed the preservation, interpretation, and memory of cultural heritage, including the relationship between objects, spaces, communities, and memory in the context of Asia and Europe.