Assessing Participatory Practices in a Cultural Preservation Workshop of the Sriwijaya Museum

Among the great maritime trading empires of history, the Sriwijaya empire ranks among the most splendid and rich ones. Still, few people know about this empire and recognize it as an important part of the history of Indonesia. This study examined participatory practice in historic preservation by investigating stakeholders' perspectives on the potential application of digital technology in the Sriwijaya Museum in Palembang. We introduced photogrammetry and color analysis technologies to identify some possible improvements to be implemented in the museum in the future. We invited some community members interested in Palembang's history and in using digital technology in museums to participate in a two-day participatory workshop. Pre- workshop and post-workshop questionnaires were distributed to identify the participants' expectations for and responses to the workshop. Moreover, we also interviewed several participants. The study revealed that all participants agreed that both technologies have great potential to provide narrations in the museum and support thematic activities such as arts, culinary, and music performances. This paper highlights the importance of the local community's commitment and the government's political will to realize a roadmap for the city's cultural heritage preservation and digitization movement.