Djamaluddin Adinegoro
Encyclopedia
Djamaluddin Adinegoro was an Indonesia
n press pioneer. He is known as a reporter, writer, and political analyst. Through his writing in various newspapers, Adinegoro has made a great contribution in developing journalism and the Indonesian language
. His name was immortalized as a journalism award in Indonesia: the Adinegoro Award.
, West Sumatra
. His father Usman Bagindo was a ‘regent’ of Indrapura. Coming from a bureaucrat’s family, Djamaluddin had the privilege to be educated in Dutch schools. After graduating from the Europeesche Lagere School (ELS), Djamaluddin and his brother Muhammad Yaman continued their study in Hollands Indishe School (HIS) in Palembang
.
Then he moved to Batavia
to study in the medical school: School tot Opleiding van Inlandsche Artsen (STOVIA). After studying he spent his spare time to read and write many articles for the Tjahaja Hindia magazine. As suggested by Landjumin Datuk Tumenggung, who runs the magazine, Djamaluddin used Adinegoro as his pseudonym in his writings. Because of his great interest in becoming a reporter, Adinegoro left STOVIA and traveled to Europe to study journalism.
, The Netherlands, Adinegoro had the opportunity to work as a voluntary assistant for several newspapers. After that he moved to Berlin
, Munich
, and Warzburg to study journalism
, geography
, cartography
, and philosophy
. From Germany
, Adinegoro visited the Balkan countries, Southeast Europe, Turkey
, Greece
, Italy
, Egypt
, Abyssinia
and India
that gave him ideas to write.
Adinegoro’s travel journal first appeared in Pandji Pustaka magazine and was published as a book, A Journey to the West. At that time his inspiring writing has gained attention from the youths in the Dutch East Indies
. His writing was readable, filled with knowledge, popular and easy to understand by readers who didn’t have high education.
In mid-1931 Adinegoro went back to Indonesia. He worked in Balai Pustaka
Jakarta and received an assignment to lead Pandji Pustaka magazine as well as a writer in Bintang Timoer. Not long afterwards Adinegoro accepted an offer to lead a newspaper Pewarta Deli in Medan
.
Under Adinegoro’s leadership, Pewarta Deli had many improvement and changes, not only in terms of layout and news reporting, but also in the choice of articles. The attention of all Pewarta Deli’s readers was aimed at the brilliance of Adinegoro’s writings. Uniquely, his articles about the war in Abyssinia and the civil war in Spain
were attached on a map that showed the location of the war, making it easier for readers to understand the reports. During that time attaching pictures or maps in a local media was uncommon.
On August 25, 1932 Adinegoro married Alidar binti Djamal, a woman from Sulit Air, Solok
, West Sumatera, his friend from STOVIA, with whom he had five children. Although living a life of scarcity, Adinegoro had a high commitment as a reporter and writer who produced two literary works: Darah Muda and Asmara Jaya.
In Pewarta Deli editorial, Adinegoro expressed his thoughts about colonialism
, the struggle for independence, nationalism
and education
. His writing is always sharp and elegant. Because of his brilliance in choosing words, Adinegoro always managed to escape the legal traps made by the Dutch colonial government in Persbreidel-Ordonantie. The colonial government was always suspicious due to his activities in the nationalist movements.
During the Japanese occupation, Adinegoro lead the Sumatera Shimbun daily. After being assigned as a General Department Chief of Sumatera Chūō Sangi Kai, Adinegoro moved to Bukittinggi
. After the proclamation of independence, Adinegoro was assigned as head of Sumatera National Committee. He encouraged the people of Sumatera to carry out the President’s command: to take over the government from the Japanese and declare Proclamation of Independence along with the local leaders. Besides running the Kedaoelatan Rakjat newspaper, Adinegoro also established Antara
newswire service Sumatra branch.
In 1947 Adinegoro’s health was declining, and he moved to Jakarta. After regaining his health, he started to write again for Waspada daily in Medan
. Adinegoro’s spirit was raised again when he and his press colleagues set up a weekly, Mimbar Indonesia. In this well-known magazine he wrote about foreign affairs politics, which became his expertise.
Due to his wide-ranging knowledge, Adinegoro’s writings always attracted people’s attention. For example, his writing and report on the Roundtable Conference was very amazing, smart, and informative. He was able to see problems clearly and provided criticisms and arguments in a very smooth manner. It was no wonder that in such a short time Mimbar Indonesia became recognized among the Indonesia press.
Since October 1951, Adinegoro led the Indonesian Press Bureau Foundation (Yayasan Pers Biro Indonesia Aneta/PIA) which liquidated the colonial press bureau. PIA has published Indonesian, Dutch, English bulletins, as well as bulletins for finance and economy, and also news in English. Once after the PIA became a part of Antara Newswire Agency, Adinegoro became Antara’s Bureau Head of Education, Research and Documentation.
Among the press society, Adinegoro was known as a teacher who was very concern about the youths. Adinegoro was one of the founders of Sekolah Tinggi Publisistik in Jakarta and Faculty of Publicity (now known as Faculty of Copmmunication) at Padjadjaran University, Bandung
.
Adinegoro’s concern about the freedom of the press when political animosity increased affected his health. Several times his health was declining and Adinegoro had to be hospitalized in Carolus Hospital, Jakarta. On January 8, 1967 the Indonesian journalist died. He now rests in Karet Bivak Public Cemetery
in Central Jakarta
.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n press pioneer. He is known as a reporter, writer, and political analyst. Through his writing in various newspapers, Adinegoro has made a great contribution in developing journalism and the Indonesian language
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
. His name was immortalized as a journalism award in Indonesia: the Adinegoro Award.
Early life
Djamaluddin was born on August 14, 1904, in Talawi, SawahluntoSawahlunto
Kota Sawahlunto or Sawah Lunto is a town in West Sumatra, Indonesia. This town covers 5.86 km² and has a population of 15,279.Sawahlunto is one of the mining towns in West Sumatra. It was first established as a town in 1982 by the Dutch along with the coal mining operations during that time....
, West Sumatra
West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
. His father Usman Bagindo was a ‘regent’ of Indrapura. Coming from a bureaucrat’s family, Djamaluddin had the privilege to be educated in Dutch schools. After graduating from the Europeesche Lagere School (ELS), Djamaluddin and his brother Muhammad Yaman continued their study in Hollands Indishe School (HIS) in Palembang
Palembang
Palembang is the capital city of the South Sumatra province in Indonesia. Palembang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being a capital of a maritime empire. Located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra island, it has an area of 400.61 square...
.
Then he moved to Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
to study in the medical school: School tot Opleiding van Inlandsche Artsen (STOVIA). After studying he spent his spare time to read and write many articles for the Tjahaja Hindia magazine. As suggested by Landjumin Datuk Tumenggung, who runs the magazine, Djamaluddin used Adinegoro as his pseudonym in his writings. Because of his great interest in becoming a reporter, Adinegoro left STOVIA and traveled to Europe to study journalism.
Career
During his stay in UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, The Netherlands, Adinegoro had the opportunity to work as a voluntary assistant for several newspapers. After that he moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and Warzburg to study journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
, and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. From Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Adinegoro visited the Balkan countries, Southeast Europe, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Abyssinia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
that gave him ideas to write.
Adinegoro’s travel journal first appeared in Pandji Pustaka magazine and was published as a book, A Journey to the West. At that time his inspiring writing has gained attention from the youths in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. His writing was readable, filled with knowledge, popular and easy to understand by readers who didn’t have high education.
In mid-1931 Adinegoro went back to Indonesia. He worked in Balai Pustaka
Balai Pustaka
Balai Pustaka is the state-owned publisher of Indonesia and publisher of major pieces of Indonesian literature such as Salah Asuhan, Sitti Nurbaya and Layar Terkembang. Its head office is in Jakarta....
Jakarta and received an assignment to lead Pandji Pustaka magazine as well as a writer in Bintang Timoer. Not long afterwards Adinegoro accepted an offer to lead a newspaper Pewarta Deli in Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
.
Under Adinegoro’s leadership, Pewarta Deli had many improvement and changes, not only in terms of layout and news reporting, but also in the choice of articles. The attention of all Pewarta Deli’s readers was aimed at the brilliance of Adinegoro’s writings. Uniquely, his articles about the war in Abyssinia and the civil war in Spain
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
were attached on a map that showed the location of the war, making it easier for readers to understand the reports. During that time attaching pictures or maps in a local media was uncommon.
On August 25, 1932 Adinegoro married Alidar binti Djamal, a woman from Sulit Air, Solok
Solok
Solok is a city in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Its motto is Kota Beras, which means "the rice city". It has an area of 57.34 km² and a population of over 52,100 people.-External links:...
, West Sumatera, his friend from STOVIA, with whom he had five children. Although living a life of scarcity, Adinegoro had a high commitment as a reporter and writer who produced two literary works: Darah Muda and Asmara Jaya.
In Pewarta Deli editorial, Adinegoro expressed his thoughts about colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
, the struggle for independence, nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. His writing is always sharp and elegant. Because of his brilliance in choosing words, Adinegoro always managed to escape the legal traps made by the Dutch colonial government in Persbreidel-Ordonantie. The colonial government was always suspicious due to his activities in the nationalist movements.
During the Japanese occupation, Adinegoro lead the Sumatera Shimbun daily. After being assigned as a General Department Chief of Sumatera Chūō Sangi Kai, Adinegoro moved to Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi is one of the larger cities in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of over 91,000 people and an area of 25.24 km². It is situated in the Minangkabau highlands, 90 km by road from the West Sumatran capital city of Padang. It is located at , near the volcanoes Mount...
. After the proclamation of independence, Adinegoro was assigned as head of Sumatera National Committee. He encouraged the people of Sumatera to carry out the President’s command: to take over the government from the Japanese and declare Proclamation of Independence along with the local leaders. Besides running the Kedaoelatan Rakjat newspaper, Adinegoro also established Antara
ANTARA
ANTARA is the official news agency of the government of Indonesia. It was founded on 13 December 1937 by Adam Malik, Soemanang, AM Sipahoetar and Pandoe Kartawigoena...
newswire service Sumatra branch.
In 1947 Adinegoro’s health was declining, and he moved to Jakarta. After regaining his health, he started to write again for Waspada daily in Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
. Adinegoro’s spirit was raised again when he and his press colleagues set up a weekly, Mimbar Indonesia. In this well-known magazine he wrote about foreign affairs politics, which became his expertise.
Due to his wide-ranging knowledge, Adinegoro’s writings always attracted people’s attention. For example, his writing and report on the Roundtable Conference was very amazing, smart, and informative. He was able to see problems clearly and provided criticisms and arguments in a very smooth manner. It was no wonder that in such a short time Mimbar Indonesia became recognized among the Indonesia press.
Since October 1951, Adinegoro led the Indonesian Press Bureau Foundation (Yayasan Pers Biro Indonesia Aneta/PIA) which liquidated the colonial press bureau. PIA has published Indonesian, Dutch, English bulletins, as well as bulletins for finance and economy, and also news in English. Once after the PIA became a part of Antara Newswire Agency, Adinegoro became Antara’s Bureau Head of Education, Research and Documentation.
Among the press society, Adinegoro was known as a teacher who was very concern about the youths. Adinegoro was one of the founders of Sekolah Tinggi Publisistik in Jakarta and Faculty of Publicity (now known as Faculty of Copmmunication) at Padjadjaran University, Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
.
Adinegoro’s concern about the freedom of the press when political animosity increased affected his health. Several times his health was declining and Adinegoro had to be hospitalized in Carolus Hospital, Jakarta. On January 8, 1967 the Indonesian journalist died. He now rests in Karet Bivak Public Cemetery
Karet Bivak Cemetery
Karet Bivak is a cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the second largest in the city.-Description:Karet Bivak is located in Central Jakarta, Jakarta. It covers an area of , making it the second-largest cemetery in Jakarta. In 2007 it contained approximately 48,000 graves...
in Central Jakarta
Central Jakarta
Central Jakarta is one of the five cities which form Jakarta, Indonesia. It had 898,883 inhabitants at the 2010 Census.Central Jakarta is the smallest in area and population of the five cities of Jakarta. It is the administrative and political center of Jakarta and Indonesia...
.