When a Steemian Visited Aceh Peace Museum

By Tabrani Yunis

Anytime we travel to new place, a new city or a new country, we usually like to visit an interesting place where we can enjoy our traveling. One of the interesting places we may like is museum. Museum can be the place where most people visited, especially people who concern on the historical things. Usually, museum keeps a lot of information and knowledge. Therefore, many people who visit museums, they can get or gain information about the things or information provided in the museums.

In Aceh, Indonesia we can find at least four museums. They are Aceh Museum which is located on jalan Sultan Mahmudsyah, near the Governor official house of Aceh. The Ali Hasyimi museum, on jalan Sudirman Banda Aceh, and Tsunami Museum near Blang Padang and the last on is Peace Museum which may not so many people know and not many people are interested to visit.

This morning, around 11.30 three of my friends and I visited the Aceh Peace Museum which is located on jalan T.Muhammad Hamzah, Kuta Alam Banda Aceh. Aceh Peace Museum is a newly museum which was initiated for remembering a long conflict which hit Aceh for more than 30 years and the peace process after tsunami disaster in Aceh.

So, what is in your mind when someone or we talk or mention the Aceh Peace museum? It can be as more people think that the Aceh Peace museum is big, as big as the tsunami museum or Aceh museum. It is common, because in many places, the museum is in a big building and most look classic, but not for Aceh Peace museum. Even it is said museum, but in its reality the Aceh Peace Museum is not as big as we may imagine. You can not find this easily as you find the tsunami museum. May be when you ask people, not many people know the name and the address of this museum. It does not have its special building yet, but it is at the Kesbangpol office. When we come in to the museum, when the front door opens, you will see the weapons which had been cut, as the proof that there is no more armed conflict in Aceh.

Then on your left, you can see a big picture hangs on the wall. The picture of the former President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari who helped Aceh and Indonesia ended the conflict by signing the Memory of Understanding ( MOU) Helsinki on August, 15, 2005 in Helsinki, Finland.

The signatured of MOU Helsinki by Indonesian Government and GAM, in Helsinki became as the new and era of building peace in Aceh which was in along term of political and armed conflict. As we know that conflict in Aceh victimized more people, included the death of some intellectuals and public figures such as the rector of IAIN, an Islamic University in Aceh, Prof. DR Safwan Idris and the rector of Syiah Kuala university, Prof. DR Dayan Dawod. The big loss for Aceh.

The above Photo of the late of Prof. DR. Safwan Idris , the IAIN Ar-raniry Rector and below is photo of the late Prof.DR. Dayan Dawod, the rector of Syiah Kuala Universit, Banda Aceh. Both photos can be found in the Aceh Peace Museum.

Coming several more steps into the room, we can see on the right wall a big picture on the of the road map of peace process of Aceh. It shows us how long the process of peace talks and also other information about the peace process

In another room where some chairs and table set up, there are many photos of the people, the victims of Aceh conflict, the Mou Helsinki and others that reflected the processes of peace in Aceh. We can see the photo of Hasan Tiro, the leader of Aceh Independent Movement when he arrived back home from Sweden after a long time.

There are still many photos of documents of conflict and peace process which is very important for us who need data in facts about conflict and peace in Aceh.

For me as one of the steemians who like writing, visiting Aceh Peace museum is being more interesting, because everything I found in the museum will give me more ideas that I can develop. Therefore, for steemians who are interested in conflict and peace, this museum can inspire the steemians to explore more. So, please come and see, grab more ideas from the small room and write more.