Int'l exhibition showcases stamp collections

Triwik Kurniasari ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 10/26/2008 10:57 AM  |  On the Town

Aleksandra proudly displayed dozens of stamps depicting the book Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warrior) -- the best-selling story recently made into a film -- to her classmates from Regina Pacis Elementary School in Bogor, West Java.

Various comments were heard from Alek's friends, such as: "These stamps are cool. You are so lucky, Alex. I want to have them, too."

Alek had just received the stamps from officers of PT Pos Indonesia after she beautifully sang the Laskar Pelangi theme song -- which has been popularized by prominent local band Nidji -- at the 22nd annual Asian International Stamp Exhibition.

"This is a nice surprise. I like the song very much and now I have the stamps. I will keep them in my stamp collection album," said the 11-year-old girl Saturday.

Alek has made this her hobby for the past year.

Collecting stamps is a great way to increase her knowledge, she said.

"I like philately so much. It's a simple way to get a lot of information. Can you imagine? In a single stamp, we can discover so many things about Indonesia, including its culture, history, flora and fauna.

"I have heard that rare and historical stamps are worth even millions or billions of rupiahs. So, philately is a great investment.

"So far I have only one album of stamps. But I will keep on collecting them," Alek said, a fifth grader.

Nicholas, Alek's friend, also shared a similar view. The 11-year-old student said he had been collecting stamps since he was eight.

"I'm actually continuing my late grandfather's hobby. I received two stamp collection albums from him. He had many old and historical stamps, such as Soekarno stamps," Nicholas said, showing his collections.

Nicholas and Alex were just two among dozens of students visiting the exhibition, which is being held at the Jakarta International Event and Convention Center in Mangga Dua Square, North Jakarta, from Oct. 23 to 28.

Visitors -- especially youngsters -- will enjoy various stamps displayed by hundreds of philatelists from 24 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

They can also decorate a car owned by former Indonesian president Soeharto with stamps bearing his image.

Djoko Soejanto from PT Pos Indonesia said he hoped the six-day event would encourage Indonesians, especially young people, to collect stamps.

"The development of modern information and technology in the country has made people pay less attention to this hobby," Djoko said.

"A stamp is a symbol for a country. You can find out about a country's culture or history in just a single stamp. It's a source of information.

"Stamps teach us to be patient and careful. It can also establish a friendship because if you are a collector, you tend to search for friends to exchange with," he said.

As a part of its goal in promoting philately to youngsters, PT Pos has invited schools from Greater Jakarta to visit the exhibition during the weekend.

The students also have a chance to participate in a series of competitions, such as coloring stamps (for elementary school students), sketching postcards (junior high school students) and arranging stamps (junior and senior high students).

PT Pos had invited dozens of students from Regina Pacis elementary school and SMP 83 junior high school in Jelambar, West Jakarta, to attend Saturday.

The students looked excited as they colored a 20-by-30 centimeter stamp depicting whirling dervishes and sketched postcards.

Meanwhile, PT Pos is not the only one which wants to promote philately to students, as Jakarta parents also took advantage of this opportunity to introduce stamp collecting to their children.

Herry Suprapto, 35, came all the way from Depok, West Java, with his two children to visit the event.

"I myself like collecting stamps depicting provincial symbols. For me, it is not just a hobby, but also an investment," Herry said.

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