THE house in Kampung Nusantara is like a lonely old man. Unlike Hatta’s house in exile, which was often visited by government officials, not many people come to Sjahrir’s dwelling place on Banda Neira Island even though its charming original architecture is preserved.

The building is a combination of colonial and tropical architecture: big windows, round columns and tall ceilings. In addition, the house that originally belonged to Des Alwi�