Malacca,my hometown was once known as The Sleepy Hollow where the Dutch booted out the Portuguese conquerors in 1641.
It's all about the monopoly of spice trade route.
Imagine the Dutch ruled Malacca for 183 years (1641-1825) before they finally gave in to the British in exchange for a new capital Batavia (now known as Jakarta).
Batavia being strategically located on the maritime route between the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea provided a valuable asset base for further expansion within the hinterlands of the Indonesian archipelago.More seaports were established by the Dutch which included Manado(North Celebes) and Macassar(South Celebes).
A visit to Fort Rotterdam gave me further historical insight on how the Dutch defended Makassar.(formerly known as Ujung Pandang)against any invading forces.This will be the Dutch East Indies battalion bastion.
As I entered the main compound,there's an open air stage with the theme Pagelaran Seni,some sort like cultural performance but that's in December 2012.
The Tourism Board also has a theme below saying Let's Visit South Sulawesi.
The program line up includes traditional karebosi dance,musical Ansam Bel,sketches Calling Back the Spirit Parody.
The guest star was Miss Sulawesi Utara 2012,Nathania Lukman(age 21,Height 5'8")
