ACEH TELLING LIVE LESSONS FROMDISASTER & ROLES OF ACEH TSUNAMIMUSEUM
By:Rahmadhani, M.Bus
Director: Aceh Tourism Promotion,
Marketing Department, Aceh Culture & Tourism Agency

Presented:
International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disaster1
March 20 – 22, 2010 at Yomiuri Kobe Hall, Japan

Aceh & Tsunami Devastationv Strategic location along international shipping line & Malacca

Straits on westernmost part of Indonesiav Endowed with richness & variety of potential tourism resorts:
diverse unique culture, ancient traditions & history, mysticalway of life & ethnic natural beautyv Human tragedy of December 26th, 2004:

Aceh coastal areas was badly hit by a devastating undersea
earthquake registering 8.9 on Richter scalev Aceh Redevelopment post conflict/disasters:

Rehabilitation & Reconstruction process2

Aceh along the Globe3

Aceh along Indonesia & Asia

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Tsunami Devastation & Impacts (1)v Loss of life & tremendous destruction were tragic & has brought

the economy of Aceh into jeopardy with a massive devastationof physical capitals & human resources.
v Approx. 3 000 villages & urban communities destroyed or badly
damagedv Approx. 250 000 men, women & children were killed or missing& presumed dead as direct result of disasterv Unprecedented devastation ---- unprecedented global response& sympathyv Most lethal natural disaster in history of humanity & moderntimes
5Tsunami Devastation & Impacts (2)v Many global lessons learnt have been adopted & followed up
to build Aceh back betterv All knowledge-based lessons are maintained, explored &developed as important lessons learnt of future generations –like museums or research centersv Transfer Live Lessons
Fundamental spirit & media to promote people’s awarenesstowards “Disaster Risk Reduction” (DRR) in the future6

Aceh post Tsunami & Transfer Live Lessonsv A blessing in disguise: physical and non-physical“Peace & Aceh’s Redevelopment”v To remind us of a fact oft-times forgotten:
Living in region constantly threatened by natural disastersv Situated geographically in area of shifting tectonic plates,making it prone to earthquakes & Tsunami “Ring of Fire“

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Importance of Transfer Live Lessons:
For Future Disaster Mitigationv Experience of very strong feeling:
Hopelessness, missing, worry, pressure, fear, impatience,anger, sadness, pain & guiltv Human sense:
Humanity, togetherness, strength, affection, tolerance,solidarity & resiliencev Feelings ----- adopted & accommodated to help us move
forward & spirit to act better for future disaster mitigationv Understanding threats of nature & realizing preciousness oflife & importance of communal living
9Aceh Transfer Live Lessons: How??
Direct vs Indirect ways:v Aceh Tsunami Museum (ATM)v Essays/short storiesv Oral/written story-tellingv Short movies, documenting filmsv Images ---- exhibitions/displaysv Dramas, artifactsv Music/songs, poemsv Disaster mitigation dissemination/trainings/workshopsv Commemorations, cultural events, preaches, speechv Monuments, artistic works, mass graveyards, Tsunami
areas ---- tourism resorts10

Aceh Tsunami Museum (ATM)v Symbol of strength & resilience of people of Aceh during
disaster & Tsunami research centerv Center of education for young people about safety &evacuation centerv Important medium for remembering & conveying stories ofsurvivals ---- museum facilities, oral story-telling, movies/
films, images, artifacts, music, cultural events,commemoration, monuments, artistic works, etc.
v The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial (DRI):
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Aceh Tsunami Museum (Illustration)
Rumoh Aceh as Escape Hill

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Profile of Aceh Tsunami Museum
Floor
Ground Floor
1 FloorEffective Width

Usage

560 m2 - Memorial Hall
- Waterfall
525,25 m2 - Lobby, Ticketing- Open theater, Pool

2 Floor2.529,58 m2 - Meeting Room, Library Room- Temporal/Permanent Exhibition Room

3 Floor2.460,49 m2 - Permanent Exhibition Room

Roof top

2.460,49 m2 Evacuation (escape hill)

Land area (site)± 10.000 m2 Landscape, Parking, main building &supporting building

Total building cost

IRD 66.445.421.000,00

Approx. US$ 664.454.211
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Museum facilities

Reflection of inter-human relations & human relations with God14

The Hill of Light as Public Park & Contemplation SpaceMemorial Hallv Sorrow tunnel that lead visitors to a formidable natural contemplation on
people of Aceh suffered & recognition on power of God16

The Light of Godv Cylinder-shaped wells shining alight over hole of Arab with "Allah"v Well wall filled with names ofvictims. Religious value reflecting
concept of human relationships
with God17

Atrium of Hope --- building designed & functions as a garden city & balance humanscale & building

Exhibition Hall

A Narrow Ghostly Alleyv Waterfall on left & rightgiving voice thundering
water. Lane is to remindthe visitors on atmosphereof Tsunami20

Oral Story-Telling: Aceh Story Telling

Local oral story teller on Tsunami experiences within 26 hour performance21

Short Essay: A Story of Saved Little Girl from Tsunami
Nine-year-old Yusi screamed in pain. Once in a while she would ask for a drink of water. The little girlsurvived the tsunami after floating for two days in a river with a broken sternum.
The girl survived after eventually being washed ashore on the slopes of a hill, two kilometers away from herhome in Cinamprung, Lamno district of Aceh Jaya District.
Her uncle, Kasman, earlier suspected that Yusi, along with her parents and two siblings, died in the disaster.
But three days after the fateful event he heard that Yusi was alive and under treatment.
"When I heard that she was alive, I went immediately to get her. Since then her condition improved and she
can now walk, but over the last three days her condition has deteriorated. She keeps screaming in pain
every time she breathes, eats or drinks, so we took her to a community health center," Kasman said.
But her condition worsened, and she had to be evacuated to a military hospital in Banda Aceh. The
magnitude of the disaster eludes her. But she is haunted by what happened to her. Kasman said that fromthe moment that Yusi wakes up, she immediately starts talking about her terrible experience when thetsunami hit her house.
Even when she's asleep, she will talk about what happened. She said that at the time of the disaster she
and her seven friends were playing on the street. When the waves came, they were separated. She wasdragged by the current to the river.
Yusi is now being taken care of by Kasman and his wife, Saudah. Some people had wanted to adopt her but
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Kasman could not let her go since she was the only child of Amru Nadi and Nurin, his wife's relatives.

Short Movies or Films
A documenting movie entitled “Syawal was Very Scared”
A fifteen minute documenting movie directed bya Dutch, Wilma Ligthart, whereas Syawal, a local
Acehnese kid told a true story on how hesurvived during the devastation

Dramas:Radio series dramas:
On Disaster mitigation & prevention/preparedness
In partnership with local TV’s & Int’l Red Cross
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Images“ --- that Tsunami disaster should be a chance to turn tragedy into opportunity
for Acehnese in order to live prosperously & peacefully with a dignity”
24Images25

Images26

Artifacts

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PoemsOCEAN OF TEARS
Can you imagine in five minutes’ time,
All your wealth gone, washed away in theTsunami tides?
Can you imagine in half an hour’s time,Your house was shaken and completelydevastated?
Can you imagine in three hours time,
our family torn apart forever?
By : Taufiq Ismail, December 28th, 200428

Music/Songv Acehnese song music with localsingersv Indonesian song music withJakarta based singersv Mostly lyrics related to religious/moral messages to locals to dogood deeds

29Commemorations & Cultural Events30

Monuments, Artistic Work, Mass Graveyards

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Dissemination/trainings/workshop

TDMRC : Center for data, research info, training & emergency consultation towards DRR 32–AIWEST-DR, IOWAVE 2009, etc.

Aceh Transfer Live Lessons & Challengesv Communicate local histories & lessons from experiencesof disasters; deepen our understanding of bonds between
ourselves & naturev Promote our awareness of protecting environment,strengthen reconstruction efforts & promote people’s
awareness towards “Disaster Risk Reduction”v ATM does not yet serve as effective medium of educationin preserving & disseminating real live stories & lessons
from experiences of disaster – Aceh solid TeLL Net
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Roles of ATM & Ways forwards (1)v Idea of TeLL Net has been well accepted & being developedv Strong commitment of governments & global community tounite & empower people (Aceh) under spirit of TeLL Net & tofacilitate mutual learning as open source of knowledgebase information & scientific approaches through ATM
under “solid credible museum management”v ATM be important icon for effective medium & promotion ofAceh TeLL Net towards DRR & landmark of Tsunami related
tourism for economic recovery -- --- “Visit Indonesia
Museum 2010”34

Roles of ATM & Ways forwards (2)v ATM be virtual museum connecting visitors with valuable

digitized information, e.g digital Tsunami objects/information &Aceh TeLL Netv ATM will be research center to respond disasters & Tsunami(adequate knowledge of Tsunami) & will be landmark tocommemorate disastersv ATM should be a means of education and reconstruction inpreserving and disseminating real live stories & lesson fromexperiences of disaster responses for larger society.
35Thanks for your kind attention &look forwards to seeing you in Aceh

Email: dani111170@yahoo.com

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