A Nation in Waiting

Featured article Official portrait, c. 1953 Raden Arya Bima (1911–1983) was an Indonesian politician and actor. Born to a noble priyayi family in Surakarta, Central Java, Arya entered the film industry in the late 1930's. He made his debut appearance in Indies Films' Harta Karun in 1938. He appeared in several more films before the Japanese invaded and occupied the country. During the Japanese occupation, he went into hiding and was active in the underground resistance movement. He re-emerged after the surrender of Japan and became a member of the Indonesian Communist Party (Parkom). Following the establishment of a provisional Indonesian government, he was appointed Minister of Culture by Prime Minister Ismail Saleh. He later served as a member of parliament from Surakarta. In 1953, he was elected chairman of Parkom. While chairman, he also served speaker of parliament from 1959 until 1963. He left the chairmanship in 1967, and was elected to the senate that same year. In 1973, he resigned from the senate and left politics entirely. He died in 1983, as a result of health issues. (Full article...) Featured picture The Submission of Prince Dipo Negoro to General De Kock, by Nicolaas Pieneman The Submission of Prince Dipo Negoro to General De Kock is an oil painting on canvas painted by Nicolaas Pieneman between 1830 and 1835. It depicts General Hendrik Merkus de Kock's capture of Prince Diponegoro in 1830, which signaled the end of the Java War (1825–1830). The painting, commissioned by De Kock, shows Diponegoro abandoning his followers and submitting peacefully, in what the art historian Werner Krauss describes as recognition that "de Kock's stern action is for the best of the Javanese".

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