The Prince of the Indonesian sultanate Ternate in a visit to Belgrade
The Prince of the Indonesian sultanate Ternate Firman Mudafir Sjah, came to Belgrade to visit the museums of The Association for culture, arts and international cooperation ADLIGAT, and then in from of the full ceremonial hall of the Association, on the 23rd of May 2023, held a presentation of his sultanate and replied to the questions of the numerous guests, to whom, in the name of the city of Belgrade, spoke the member of the city council, Mr. Vuk Mirčetić. „By this is only confirmed that ADLIGAT is bringing the world to Serbia, that ADLIGAT is the central place of Serbian culture but also a significant international hub“, said Mirčetić.
„The Evening of The Ternate Island“ in ADLIGAT was organized by ADLIGAT and The Association of Serbian-Indonesian Friendship NUSANTARA, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Belgrade. The Prince travelled three days to arrive to Belgrade and crossed more than twelve thousand kilometers, so he would attend the opening of the exhibition of photographs from this island, about which a special publication was printed.
The Ternate sultante is a small lemon shaped volcanic island, on which about 300.000 people lives. In the centre of the island is the Gamalama volcano and the entire population lives on its slopes and on a narrow strip along the coast. Located 2,400 kilometers northeast of Jakarta, it is small in area, at least in terms of land area – 162.7 square kilometers of land, and five and a half million square kilometers of sea.
Such a small and in Serbia completely unknown island, hold a far bigger importance than it might be supposed. For a long time, it was one of the main suppliers of cloves in the world, a spice that made many seamen sail the world. Once it was valued as much as petrol is today. That made the sultanate rich and brought fame and wealth, yet also brought uninvited visitors from far lands, wars and conflicts that lasted for centuries.
The Sultanate of Ternate is one of the oldest Islamic kingdoms in Indonesia, it was founded in 1257 by the royal dynasty of which the Prince Firman Mudafir Sjah is the descendant, the 49th generation in an unbroken line of rulers. Ternate was a significant regional power, a stron independent country between the 15th & 17th century, while now is in a big economic rise primarily for the newly opened mines of gold and nickel. On the island there are five fortresses, the two-century old Sultan`s palace, very old mosques, witnesses of important trade routes that even the glorious Magellan sailed on, combined in an incredible mosaic that nature highlighted – the volcano that is rising above the whole existence of this landscape and threatens to obliterate everything which human hands made. That is why the main mission of the ruling family is to prevent this, and it does so by going on foot to the volcanic crater once a year so that his spirit dies by prayers and a special ritual.
The family of Prince Firman Mudafir Sjah, since a long time does not have political power, but has authority and recognized honorary rights. „The state often turns to us to help solve local problems, especially when state institutions cannot do so“, declared the prince, in his presentation in ADLIGAT. As one of the oldest ruling families in the entire region, with a blood relationship that goes back to most of the other ruling families of the region, the descendants of the Ternate lineage enjoy great trust and respect, both within their own people and throughout Indonesia and beyond.
„As soon as I came to Belgrade, I was greeted by warm weather, but also by the warm souls of the people. All this reminds me of my country and I feel at home here“ said the prince Firman Mudafir Sjah. To those present, he spoke about Magellan’s expedition to Ternate, about Darwin’s studies considering that the theory of the origin of species was largely based on the data collected in Ternate, about the sultan’s crown from which hair constantly grows and which itself chooses the heir to the throne, about expeditions to volcano, the constant expansion of the island and the occasional „hiccup“ of the volcano that buries settlements with ash every few years.
„I met the prince when I visited Ternate in 2018. I had the honor of being a guest in the Sultan’s two-century old palace, and then in the prince’s home and summer house on the slopes of the volcano. We agreed to establish a previously non-existent cultural bridge between Serbia and exotic Ternate, connections that will begin to develop precisely with this exhibition and the presentation of Ternate in ADLIGAT, and thus in Serbia and the region“ said Viktor Lazić, president of ADLIGAT.
The event was attended by representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesians in Serbia, and numerous members of the Association of Serbian-Indonesian Friendship NUSANTARA.
Marko Jelić
Photos: Milica Savić
