Ridwan Kamil's Story Tracing The History Of The 2004 Tsunami In Aceh: I Shed Many Tears In The Process Of The Sketch

West Java Governor M Ridwan Kamil. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil traces the history of the great earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Aceh on December 26, 2004, by visiting the Aceh Tsunami Museum and visiting the graves of victims of the devastating disaster.

He could not contain his emotions when he visited the Aceh Tsunami Museum on Sultan Iskandar Muda Street, Banda Aceh City, whose building he designed.

As quoted in a press release received by the West Java Provincial Government in Bandung, Sunday, Ridwan Kamil said that the room of the Aceh Tsunami Museum that impressed him the most was the Prayer Well, which contained the names of the victims of the Aceh earthquake and tsunami.

"Of all the parts of the museum, this is the room that is the most emotional for me," he said, quoted by Antara, Sunday, December 26.

He said that the dim lighting in the room aroused the desire of people who came to reflect and pray for those who lost their lives in the earthquake and tsunami 17 years ago.

"This is the place where we pray for the victims of the tsunami and above is the word of Allah, meaning that whatever happens, we must put our trust in it," he said.

Ridwan Kamil won a competition held in 2007 to design the Aceh Tsunami Museum.

"I shed a lot of tears in the sketch process, including in the presentation process I stammered, because hundreds of thousands of lives were lost due to the Aceh tsunami," he said.

"The process (design and construction) takes about a month, but the search process is quite intense, looking for simple ways so that people can experience the event firsthand, such as fear, wetness, darkness, and others," he added.

Ridwan Kamil explained that the Aceh Tsunami Museum building represents fear, sadness, and hope.

"So after the fear which was marked by the dark passage and the gurgling of water at the entrance, then sadness with the prayer well, and finally hope with the passage leading to the roof of the building," he said.

He said that the roof of the museum building could be used as an evacuation site that could accommodate thousands of people in the event of a disaster.

"This is like a plateau for evacuation if another tsunami occurs," he said.

The Aceh Tsunami Museum was built in 2008, inaugurated in 2009, and opened to the public in 2011. The museum is now a favorite tourist spot for tourists in Aceh besides the Baiturrahman Mosque, which is close to the museum.

Apart from visiting the Aceh Tsunami Museum, Ridwan Kamil made a pilgrimage to the mass grave of the Aceh tsunami victims in Ule Lheue, Banda Aceh City, Sunday.

Together with the Governor of Aceh Nova Iriansyah and regional officials, Ridwan Kamil attended a prayer and flower-laying event to commemorate the earthquake and tsunami that occurred 17 years ago.

"I certainly follow the tradition starting with praying at this mass funeral, where the event is very extraordinary, of course not all of them can be buried individually with adequate sharia. But, whatever it is, in an emergency it will be carried out as we see now," said Ridwan Kamil.

He believes there is a lesson behind the great disaster that killed more than 200,000 people 17 years ago.

"Make this Aceh tsunami warning moment a lesson that God gave destiny, of course, there is a purpose so that we can be better," he said.

After the grave pilgrimage, Ridwan Kamil attended a remembrance and prayer event in the Ule Lheue Harbor area.