Tugu Pers Mendur Minahasa

Minahasan's reporter brother who documented Indonesian declaration of Independence through their camera

A Indonesian Historical Place.

@compascom The seconds of the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia on 17 August 1945 became the most historic event for Indonesia With these seconds, the Indonesian state was recognized for its # independence from colonialism from other countries. The Mendur brothers, Alex and Frans managed the incident. From the Domei News Agency, Alex received news about the #Proklamasi Indonesian Independence ceremony. Alex and Frans then went to Soekarno's residence to capture the #moment. However, in the middle of being shot, Alex's camera film was confiscated by the Japanese troops, so that only Frans's photo could be processed for publication. After the proclamation, Alex and Frans founded the Indonesia Press Photo Service (#IPPHOS) on October 2, 1946. The aim of this establishment was to provide local and foreign news agencies with photos of the situation and struggle for independence in #Indonesia. IPPHOS photographers are given credit for many famous photos documenting the struggle for independence and are seen as important "witnesses" to #history. Then, a #monumen #TuguPersMendur was built to honor those in their hometown, #Kawangkoan - #Sulawesiutara, dedicated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono #SBY on February 11, 2013. #PersIndonesia A precious moment to be able to "retrace" for a moment, remembering historical moments that are simply framed in the "mini museum" inside the Mendur Press Monument at the 75th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. #Pers Hopefully the monument and "legacy" of #MendurBersaudara can get attention from the government and all of us. This is also a reminder that as a young generation, they must continue to learn about the history of the past and bring their enthusiasm for a better future.

Quite simply the memorial of the two Minahasa brothers, who photographed the moment of reading the Indonesian Proclamation by Bunga Karno and Bunga Hatta

Frans Mendur and Alex Mendur are both native sons of Minahasa, North Sulawesi. As a form of appreciation for the services of the two, the Mendur Press Monument was built in their homeland, Talikuran Village, Kawangkoan District, Minahasa Regency. The statue of the second standing on top of a Leica type camera looks very striking with golden paint. This monument was inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on February 11, 2012 to coincide with the commemoration of National Press Day which was held in Manado, North Sulawesi. Behind the monument there is a house on stilts made of wood, a characteristic of Minahasa traditional houses. The lower part is used as the residence of the married couple Pierre Charles Mendur and Dina Fitrianti Soerahman who are the grand nieces of Alex and Frans. Meanwhile, the second floor is used as a photo museum, which displays the works of the two. About 130 black and white photos, sized 10R are displayed in the museum. The five best-known photos of Frans are the reading of the proclamation text by Bung Karno, the flag-raising ceremony, the original handwritten text of the proclamation, the text of the typed proclamation, and the atmosphere of the ceremony displayed on the wooden wall which looks fragile. Meanwhile, Alex's best known works, namely the pick-up of General Sudirman during the guerrilla war, Bandung, the sea of ​​fire, the Round Table Conference, the Asian-African Conference, the Teak Circle Agreement, Supersemar, Bung Tomo when announcing the people's spirit on November 10, 1945 were also displayed around the room walls. Actually there are many more works of the two that are not displayed, even thousands of photos of events during the struggle for independence, but because the room is not representative enough to display all of these photos, the family prefers to keep them. The original film of these photos is in the national library. But five famous photos by Frans, namely the moments of independence in the family, their Leica cameras are still there. The monument and this small museum are open to the public, every day, from 07.00 - 17.00 Wita. Being here, visitors feel as if they have been transported back to their past struggles. Most who visit this place come from outside the North Sulawesi area, local visitors are even rare, even schoolchildren rarely visit this historical-filled museum. Unfortunately, this museum also seems to have escaped the attention of the government from the time it was built until now. The house on stilts looks fragile and even looks tilted. However, Pierre and Dina are still sincere in maintaining the museum and cleaning up the photos inside. Access to this location is very easy, from Manado City it takes about 1 hour 43 minutes. The location of the monument itself is on the edge of the highway so that it is quite easy to find.