Behind The Interview

 This is a story from an interview session with Indonesia’s Culture Director General, Hilmar Farid. Last March my team conducted a chat about the Indonesian Heritage Agency (IHA), which is set to be officially launched on May this year.*

There was an interesting behind the scene story from the occasion. It’s about how Pak Hilmar and I filled the timing gap between the moment when he sat down in front of a SEA Today reporter and the time when our video journalists pressed the record button.

“Eyang datang”, I eavesdropped on a security officer who told his colleague about the attendance of one old man. 

As the man passed through the door where our team set the room as an interview studio, he looked inside. Some minutes later, Pak Hilmar told our team that he had to meet the man. 

“Sebentar ya, ke Pak Wardiman dulu”.

Later after concluding the meeting with the former minister of education, Wardiman Djojonegoro, Pak Hilmar told me that the 89 year-old man is currently focusing on research about panji, a series of stories which were engraved on temples in Indonesia. 

When it comes to panji, my mind recalls a meeting with Lydia Kieven, a researcher who wrote “Menelusuri Figur Bertopi dalam Relief Candi Zaman Majapahit” in 2014. In 2015, I met her in Frankfurt when I was attending the biggest book fair in the world, where Indonesia took a role as guest of honor.

Pak Hilmar nodded to my experience-sharing, and added that recently Kieven was in Indonesia. Fact checked: in 2023 an online news outlet quoted her analysis about a panji on Mirigambar Temple in Tulungagung, East Java. 

It was not surprising that Hilmar Farid has a broad connection to historians, archeologists and a lot of things surrounding those subjects. In fact, the 56-year old had gained a Ph.D. from National University of Singapore’s Cultural Studies in Asia after finishing his bachelor degree in Universitas Indonesia’s Department of History. 

It also made sense that the latest book he read was “Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World”, a book written by David van Reybrouck. “Bagi kita itu bukan hal baru, tapi caranya bercerita menarik”, Pak Hilmar gave me a glimpse of his review.

The book has been translated to English from its original Dutch language. Interestingly, on an episode of SEA Morning Show’s Book Talk segment, Marissa Anita reviewed the book. Hence, although I haven’t read the title we still have similar things to talk about.

Aside from the book, we also talked about a film. I told Pak Hilmar that before I have becoming a producer, as a reporter I wrote the release of a “docugraphic” movie, “Begini Lho Ed!”.

He remembered the title but (understandably) forgot about how I interviewed him as a historian, with his long hair. The hairstyle was so distinctive that prior to taking this picture, I said that Pak Hilmar somehow is a rockstar. [] 

* The IHA interview URL link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StfFs7KFiMU