POETRY OF THE WANDERER. Fate has even surprised a man, in a short number of years. How the same hometown looks so alien when looked at different times, all changed. Continue reading
THE ORIGIN OF THE COFFEE CULTURE IN ACEH. Coffee culture was not found in Aceh until near the end of the 19th Century. An orientalist who became a sociocultural researcher, Snouck Hurgronye wrote in The Achehnese Volume I, during his research of the Acehnese, “For most ordinary people in Aceh, white water is almost the only drink, from time to time (occasionally) it will drink sugar cane juice, squeezed from the trunk only with a very primitive tool.” Continue reading
HOW TO TELL HISTORY. A good historian knows that he is drawing. He tells something, a circumstance, an event, from a situation he might not see, he does not face. Because the material of history is actually like a canvas of memory. Continue reading
A SUFI SONG
I have ever felt defeat
Then hide in the cave above the mountain peak
Trying to avoid the sun
Enjoying quiet in meditation Continue reading
REQUIEM OF UNFINISHED STRUGGLE. Time passes without leaving a story about an adventurer who never feels tired to rise again until there is a story about the end. That life is never easy, too many conditions, too many interests. Where shrewdness brings disaster and weakness brings blessings. And he went, trying to fight, but history finally did not tell a triumph for him. Continue reading
GOLD, INFIDELS, AND DEATH. In the 19th century, Westerners continued their exploration of various parts of Asia to exploit the riches of the so-called colored peoples. In this endeavor, they face various reactions of the local community to which they come. Continue reading
DUSK IN MALACCA. A story of the history of the attack on the Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam under the leadership of Sultan Iskandar Muda to Malacca (Portuguese) in 1629 that failed miserably. According to Portuguese sources, the entire Aceh fleet was destroyed by the loss of 19,000 troops. Continue reading
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017. Two men a pair of gay at the whip in the yard of Lamgugob Mosque, District Syiah Kuala. They are convicted of sexual misconduct. They were caned 83 times. The sentence is reduced 2 times or two months of detention, according to the judge’s verdict. Continue reading
Genealogically, Islam in Indonesia or even Southeast Asia should not forget Pasai as the first point of Islamic-Malay civilization, not merely a replication of Indian or Arab, or Chinese traders or travelers. Continue reading
These people are only estimates. But because of sugar, Europeans are looking for colonies to grow sugar. New world exploration begins, colonialism followed by oppression takes place. The history of sugar is no less vile than most other tropical products. Strangely, sugar thirst is universal. And sugar is the only product whose production and consumption go up over the last 10,000 years. Continue reading
