Tangki

Stepping back in time, imagine Jakarta in the 18th century. A small village emerges, marked on an 1823 map as “Kampong Tanke.” This village, Tangki, is our destination today. Tangki’s name, meaning “tank,” hints at its early purpose as a water reservoir or “embung.” This seemingly simple village played a pivotal role in Jakarta’s cultural history. From the 1920s to the 1950s, Tangki transformed into a vibrant hub for artists. It became known as “Tangkiwood,” a nod to Hollywood, the heart of American cinema. Nearby, Prinsen Park, once a simple city park like Deca Park or Hertog Park, became Batavia’s entertainment center. Here, the Komedi Stamboel, a theater group from Surabaya, performed in 1894, sparking the growth of other comedy groups and simple performance venues. These new groups, unlike the Komedi Stamboel with its Indo-European performers, featured native actors. They maintained the Stamboel’s style, incorporating tango, cabaret, and western aristocratic costumes, all improvised on stage due to widespread illiteracy. The 1920s saw the rise of Opera Melayu, with actors settling behind Prinsen Park. This marked the true beginning of the artists’ community, later dubbed “Tangkiwood” by the legendary Bing Slamet. Han Hin Hie, the owner of the Lokasari complex, furthered this growth by providing lodging for performers, initially simple rooms for those who used to sleep on stage. Tangkiwood and Prinsen Park became the launching pad for renowned Indonesian artists like Fifi Young, Tan Tjeng Bok, Ferry Kock, Miss Dja, and Astaman. Their legacy lives on. Sadly, by the 1970s, Tangkiwood’s sparkle had faded. The Jakarta government attempted a revival in 1985, renaming Prinsen Park “Lokasari People’s Entertainment Venue.” It briefly flourished as a nightlife and restaurant area in the 1990s. Today, Plaza Lokasari stands as a testament to this bygone era, now primarily a market. Tangki, spanning 34.7 hectares, remains a kelurahan (urban village) in Taman Sari, West Jakarta, its story interwoven with the vibrant evolution of Jakarta’s artistic heart.