I

t is 11 a.m. when the sun shines throughout the thick, ancient white walls of the buildings surrounding Fatahillah Square.

Behind these walls, thousands of historical stories and events are summed up without any words.

The area is known as Kota Tua, which used to be the center of Batavia, a trade hub of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Several buildings from the era still remain, making the area an iconic tourist attraction in Jakarta.

But with poor facilities for visitors, crowds of tourists leave behind litter and take excessive selfies in poses that sometimes harm relics in the area.

Around the square, oceans of people loiter with their selfie sticks or fancy cameras. Some even squat while taking pictures of their friends to get a nice angle.

Bright-colored bicycles encircle the square, with riders going back and forth, several wearing bright fedoras matching their bicycle, which come as a package when the bikes are rented.

Entering Fatahillah Square, visitors are welcomed by the voices of security guards yelling through megaphones.

There is no explanation on the history of Kota Tua or the collection that the museum holds.

“For visitors, it is important to remember that climbing on the cannons is forbidden. Once again, please do not climb or ride on the cannons,” Adi, one of the security guards, said through megaphone.

“It happens every day, really. You have probably heard me yelling several times, right? Later on when it’s around 3 or 4 p.m., the place will be more crowded, which means I might have to yell more often” he told The Jakarta Post.

The cannons were placed in front of the Fatahillah Museum in the right and left corners. The guards sit in their tent around 6 or 7 meters from the cannons where they can keep an eye on them without being too close.

Sometimes it is a group of mothers, but youngsters are the ones who mostly break the rules by getting too close to the cannons to take selfies.

“There’s a sign attached to the cannons, but they probably don’t really care and keep doing their thing until I yell at them” he added.

Unlike the outside area that is strictly guarded, the inside of the museum is quite the opposite.

Based on the Post’s observation, there are only a few guards in the large building. Visitors often put their bags on the surface of an ancient table while they take pictures of their friends, often standing too close to and touching ancient statues as they strike a pose, or even laying down for a photo in front of a big painting of the VOC’s history on the second floor.

“We put dividers and signs in front of the antiques, but every day it is too crowded in the building, making it harder to keep an eye on them. Moreover, people only care about taking pictures, instead of observing the rules” said Annisa, not her real name, the locket guard of Fatahillah Museum.
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