Spreading the “Virus” of Kesengsem Lasem

KOMPAS/DENTY PIAWAI NASTITIE

Agni Malagina

Lasem, located on the northern coast of Central Java, was formerly known as a neglected area with very few tourist arrivals. It was Agni Malagina, 41, who later induced public enthusiasm toward Lasem while initiating cultural heritage preservation.

On Thursday (27/5/2021), Agni along with personnel from the Education Culture, Research and Technology Ministry, Lasem Heritage Foundation, her community, academics and cultural heritage activists visited old buildings in Lasem district, Rembang regency, Central Java. Agni and her peers gathered data on historic structures, including houses, schools, Islamic boarding schools and shrines in preparation for Lasem’s designation as a national cultural heritage zone.

Agni’s outgoing and modest attitude influenced house owners, mostly citizens of Chinese descent, welcome them. The data recording was faster and easier because a number of residents were acquainted with Agni, therefore they more openly explained the history and origins of their homes.

Also read:

^ The Village YouTuber Teacher

^ Honoring the Life of Street Stars

Agni has been acquainted with the town and community of Lasem since 2015. At the time, she was assigned to write about the culture and community of Lasem by the editor National Geographic Indonesia magazine. Agni’s educational background of Chinese literature and culture was deemed suited to the task of Lasem story writing.

At first Agni wasn’t interested in writing about Lasem. “Lasem is quite a long way from Jakarta,” said the founder of Kesengsem Lasem (captivated by Lasem) community, who would have to go by train or bus from Jakarta to Semarang and then by car for hours before reaching Lasem.

However, as suggested by Mahandis Yoanata, National Geographic Indonesia’s editor, in August 2015 Agni left for Lasem. In the town famously dubbed “Little China” and “Santri (Islamic students) Town”, Agni and her partner Ellen Kusuma were roaming along the roads with high and thick walls characteristic of Chinatown houses in Lasem.

On their way, Agni met with an old couple as house owners.

Behind the walls are centuries-old houses. Their dull paint colors, their walls that are peeling in some parts as well as the uncommon sizes and shapes of doors and windows indicate that the houses were built a long time ago. On their way, Agni met with an old couple as house owners.

KOMPAS/DENTY PIAWAI NASTITIE

Agni Malagina

Several people were initially suspicious of Agni as they were not used to receiving guests. Some old houses were not occupied by their original owners either. House caretakers wouldn’t allow strangers to enter. Fortunately, some of them were just according a hospitable welcome to Agni.

“They were recounting everything about Lasem. The way they were prepared to open not only their doors but also their hearts made me attracted to Lasem and willing to write a story about this town,” said Agni.

In October 2015, Agni returned to Lasem to conduct research. She went there with photographer Feri Latief. Agni article about Lasem was published in National Geographic Indonesia in February 2016 to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Social media

The feeling of being captivated by or falling in love with Lasem was spread not only through the magazine story, but also via social media. In the same year, Agni along with Feri Latief, Ellen Kusuma and Astri Apriyani set up Kesengsem Lasem community and involved local residents, researchers and experts to join the community’s activity.

Also read:

> The Teacher in Uniform

> Teacher’s Devotion in Border Zone

They were studying, taking pictures and writing narrations about Lasem. The results were distributed on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. This effort was meant to raise public awareness of the historical tracks of Lasem that were on the brink of getting wiped out.

Thanks to this movement, a lot more people have become concerned with safeguarding Lasem’s cultural heritage. People from outside Rembang are coming to enjoy the town’s nostalgic atmosphere. The visits contribute to local residents’ economic improvement as many tourists are buying batiks, savoring culinary delights and using homestay facilities. Youths are now actively promoting their town.

In her community involvement, Agni has faced some problems. For instance, some residents protested the frequent dominance of the

Chinatown in her writings. She explained to them that her educational background and profession indeed concerned Chinese culture. “If I write something other than my field of study, I’m afraid it may even be inaccurate,” she said.

The stories from this competition are complementing those already existing about Lasem.

With this in mind, residents are just interested to write stories about Lasem from their own points of view. Kesengsem Lasem facilitates this idea by organizing a Lasem folklore writing contest. The stories from this competition are complementing those already existing about Lasem. According to Agni, the participation of youths is very important to develop Lasem.

“Apart from their writings, the young people’s courage to join the writing contest is very vital for the development of Lasem,” added Agni.

Through #Klinik Belajar (learning clinic), this community routinely provides writing and photography training and holds discussions on cultural heritage to enhance the capacity of Lasem youths. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kesengsem Lasem also makes a virtual tour of Batik Tiga Negeri (in three regional colors) and initiates Pasar Rakyat Lasem (people’s market) to help Lasem’s handmade batik makers impacted by the pandemic.

KOMPAS/DENTY PIAWAI NASTITIE

Agni Malagina

Agni has shown interest in Chinese literature and culture since she was a junior high school student. At the time, she was very fond of watching Kungfu films. Her favorite actors were Jet Li and Andy Lau. She got even more immersed after studying Chinese literature at the University of Indonesia. Kesengsem Lasem is the concrete fruit of her passion.

Agni Malagina

Born: Bandung, 26 December 1979

Education:

- First degree, Chinese Literature, University of Indonesia (1999)

- Master’s degree, Science of Literature, University of Indonesia (2004)

Activity:

- Kesengsem Lasem community

- Lasem Heritage Foundation

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)