JAKARTA - Museums are not just storage space for historical objects, but also a place where the story of civilization is re-storyed. Narratives in museums play an important role in linking visitors to the historical, cultural, and value context contained in each collection.
Without a strong narrative, museum collections will only be silent objects, difficult to understand, especially by young people who are accustomed to fast and interactive information.
Therefore, the presentation of a comprehensive and easily accessible story, including through digital technology, is the key to educational efforts and cultural preservation.
In this case, the Minister of Culture (Menbud) of the Republic of Indonesia Fadli Zon encourages the strengthening of the narrative and utilization of digital technology at the Canoman Palace Museum, Cirebon City, West Java, as part of efforts to improve museum showing off in Indonesia.
He emphasized that the function of the museum is not enough to only organize a collection physically, but it is also necessary to present a story that is complete and easy for visitors to understand.
"So we hope that this museum will be completed later, this is certainly not finished perfectly. There are still narratives that must be turned on," he said after inaugurating the Canoman Palace Museum in Cirebon, Monday.
According to him, the Canoman Palace Museum currently still needs improvement, especially in written and visual explanations regarding each collection on display.
He highlighted the importance of narratives as an entry point for historical and cultural education, so that visitors do not just see objects, but understand the context and values that accompany them.
The Minister of Culture acknowledged that one of the collections of concern is the Naga Liman Paksi Train which dates back to the 15th century. This collection is considered necessary to be equipped with a narrative about its functions, creators, and roles in the history of the palace.
He said a similar approach needs to be applied to other collections such as spears, heirloom weapons, and cannons in order to have a clear and structured explanation.
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In addition, Fadli Zon asked the management to take advantage of a digital touch in the presentation of information, so that the experience of learning in museums can be more interactive, especially for the younger generation.
He said digital technology could be used to explain the history of the founding of the Canoman Palace, the period of the founding century, to the pedigrees and names of the sultans who had ruled.
"How the formation of this Canoman Palace, from the beginning of what year, from century to century, the names of the sultans, and beyond, can all be packaged in a living narrative," he said.
He said the development of the Canoman Palace Museum is one of the efforts to increase the standards of museum showing off throughout Indonesia so that it becomes a comfortable learning room.
He added that the government also registers and standardizes museums every year, which includes collection assessments, artifacts, exhibitions, storylines, and institutional governance.
"Of course we will provide assistance, we also support how to finalize the current narratives and promote them, especially to the younger generation," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
