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INDONESIA-EDUCATION
No quiet rules at Indonesia’s flyover library
SOUTH TANGERANG, Indonesia, March 25, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Singing and laughter
briefly drown out the roar of cars under a Jakarta flyover, where an unlikely
library for kids is thriving despite choking fumes — and opposition from
menacing gangsters.
There’s no quiet rule at this open-air reading park wedged between two
lanes of traffic just outside Indonesia’s capital, a city of some 30 million
that is notorious for having some of the world’s worst traffic jams.
Despite its unlikely location, the Taman Baca Masyarakat Kolong has been a
hit. A shortage of public libraries means it’s one of the few places where
kids from this area can read books outside school.
“We wanted to bring books closer to the community,” Devina Febrianti, a
library coordinator, told AFP as car horns blared accompanied by choking
exhaust fumes.
Several years ago, the flyover in suburb Ciputat, part of Jakarta’s greater
metropolitan area, was strewn with rubbish and roamed by intimidating street
thugs, Febrianti said.
But armed with books and paint, local organisations set about transforming
its down-and-out reputation.
Artists painted murals on the walls, installed planter boxes and a futsal
pitch, and a library with several dozen books was built on site.
Still, it wasn’t met with universal acclaim when it opened for business in
2016.
“In the beginning not everyone was supportive when we came with books
because there were already other residents here,” Febrianti said.
“We asked for forgiveness first from the gangsters who were here and then
the ‘angkot’ drivers,” she added, referring to cheap and ubiquitous minivans
that provide public transport.
Winning over parents afraid that their children would be kidnapped or hit
by a car was no mean feat, either.
– ‘Smell, rubbish, loud noises’ –
But eventually, parents — and even the street gangs — warmed to the idea.
Today, it’s not uncommon to see up to 70 kids attending after-school
sessions, where they read stories with teachers, get help with homework, or
sing and dance on concrete covered with green Astroturf. Bookshelves are
stuffed with hand-me-down kids books and some other less likely titles such
as “Accounting” and “Glossary of Marketing Terms”.
Emilia Clara, an 11-year-old student, said she liked reading stories,
especially fairytales, with friends.
“It makes me happy and it’s exciting,” she told AFP in a brief interview,
before rushing back to join the other kids.
And it has won over parents like Salmih Usia, a 41-year-old mother of two.
“This is a great place for learning, creating and playing,” she said.
Free reading gardens, known as Taman Bacaan, have existed in various forms
across Indonesia for several decades.
They’re often run by NGOs or volunteer associations funded by public and
private sector contributions.
Some 80 reading parks have been established this part of the sprawling
capital, although there is only one located right below a flyover, Febrianti
said.
In Hong Kong, a small outdoor library that doubled as a children’s
playground was set up under a flyover in the bustling city as part of
research into how to better use community spaces, according to a report in
the South China Morning Post last year.
Back in Indonesia, library volunteers admit the street-side location poses
some potential health problems because of the fumes from traffic and the
subsequent impact on air quality.
“But so far there haven’t been any complaints about the smell, rubbish or
loud noises,” Febrianti said, adding: “We use a sound system, which is quite
helpful for us to overcome the (noise) problem.”
BSS/AFP/MSY/0907 hrs