Established in 2013, the group has grown into a collaborative community aimed at learning about the capital's history, culture and other urban stories.
t is widely assumed that young people love modern technology and are losing touch with history, a Jakarta-based community called Ngojak is trying to prove otherwise.
Since starting out in 2013 as an open platform for people to share their writing about Jakarta life, Ngojak — short for ngopi di Jakarta (drinking coffee in Jakarta) — has grown into a collaborative community aimed at learning about the capital’s history, culture and other urban stories.
Members gather regularly at certain locations, which is usually followed by a walk to a nearby historical site. They would take pictures, talk to local residents, write about their findings and upload their story onto a blog or social media platform.
Some of the lucky few will have their writing posted on Ngojak's official website Ngopijakarta.com.
Ngojak cofounder Novita Anggraini said that despite bearing the word ngopi, there was usually no coffee involved in their gatherings.
“The name came from the realization that people usually talk about everything over cups of coffee. Here, we talk about the city’s history, culture and even urban planning from many perspectives because our members come from various backgrounds,” she told The Jakarta Post recently.
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