A day in the life of Samsuri, a busker<\/p>\n
Samsuri is just a seven-year-old boy but he has already
\nexperienced a great deal of hardship in the city. The fourth of
\nfive children of a poor single mother he is one of the family's
\nbread winners. He sings along with his younger brother Jois, and
\nplays the ukulele on the bus plying the short straight roads of
\nJl. Imam Bonjol and Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta. The boy,
\nwho lives in Tangerang, talked to The Jakarta Post's reporter Ida
\nIndawati Khouw.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): "The only way to get what I want is by earning
\nmoney myself because my mother could never afford it. That's why
\nI spend most of my time singing in public buses in addition to
\ngoing to school.<\/p>\n
Like other children, after I wake up at 6 a.m. I go to school.
\nIt starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 10 a.m. I am now in the second
\ngrade of a state elementary school in Tangerang, (about 40
\nkilometers west of Jakarta).<\/p>\n
I usually start working at 11 a.m. If I have homework, my
\nmother will give me some time to do it first. I will take a bus
\ntowards a bus stop at Jl. Imam Bonjol from my house in Tangerang,
\naccompanied by my mother and my younger brother Jois.<\/p>\n
My mother watches me when I work, sometimes following me and
\nsits at the very back part of a bus where I am singing, or just
\nwaits at a bus stop on Jl. Imam Bonjol or in the Megaria area (on
\nJl. Diponegoro). This is my route everyday. I am certain that I
\nwill always meet my mother at one of these two bus stops, because
\nI only sing on the bus when it travels along Jl. Imam Bonjol and
\nJl. Diponegoro.<\/p>\n
That way we won't get lost. Even Jois has become familiar with
\nthe area although he is just five years old.<\/p>\n
Jois accompanies me by singing, because I concentrate more on
\nplaying the ukulele (small guitar with four strings).<\/p>\n
Mother said that I should earn my own money if I want
\nsomething because she is too poor to buy things.<\/p>\n
(His mother Umi said that she never forces her children to
\nhelp her earn money even though her income as a vegetable vendor
\nis not enough. She even said that she doesn't mind if Samsuri
\noccasionally doesn't like working. But her friend Ugah told The
\nJakarta Post that Umi is actually jobless and she relies on her
\nchildren as the breadwinner).<\/p>\n
(Umi said that sometimes the children don't work effectively
\nas they like to sit around for a while, sometimes for an hour
\nafter getting off a bus, instead of directly hopping into another
\npassing bus)<\/p>\n
Mother said that we can't survive if I don't make money myself
\nas I have no father. She said that father had died.<\/p>\n
(Umi said separately that Samsuri's father is married to
\nanother woman, 'he is a playboy,' she said.)<\/p>\n
I forget the time when I started becoming a street singer, I
\nfirst followed my older sister (who is also a street singer), and
\nhelped her to collect money from bus passengers. Months ago my
\nmother told me to work by myself while guiding Jois.<\/p>\n
Jois now does what I did in the past, collecting money from
\nbus passengers. We can earn about Rp 15,000 a day. Mother said
\nthat the money is needed to finance my studies and additional
\nneeds, that's why everyday I immediately pass the money on to her
\nand she buys things for me and Jois.<\/p>\n
My seniors said that I should learn adult songs instead of
\nchildren's songs to attract more attention. So far I have
\nmastered (an English song) Carol (he means Oh Carol) and Sengaja
\nAku.. (the first words of a song titled Sepanjang Jalan Kenangan,
\nAlong the Road of Memory).<\/p>\n
The way Samsuri dresses is just like a young adult - he wears
\na baseball cap backwards and wears boots - and sings adult songs.
\nPassengers always smile every time the kid and his brother sing
\nOh Carol because they sing confidently even though their
\npronunciation of English is far from good, and the music is too
\nhigh for their voices. However, unlike many other street children
\nsingers who just clap their hands and mumble some unclear lyrics,
\nSamsuri is indeed 'talented' as he plays the music instrument
\nwell and has a nice voice. Many passengers give the brothers a Rp
\n500 note, instead of the usual Rp 100.)<\/p>\n
My ukulele teacher said that I played quite well, so I just
\nfollowed what my teacher did when he showed me how to play the
\nmusical instrument and I found it quite easy. After practising
\nfor about one month I was able to play it.<\/p>\n
(Samsuri is also quite a clever boy - he is now among the top
\nthree in his class, his mother said.)<\/p>\n
I don't remember how many buses I take in one day but I
\nusually get a rest after 4 p.m. and I spend it by just sitting
\naround or playing with other street singers at the Imam Bonjol
\nbus stop.<\/p>\n
Usually I reach home at 8 p.m. but I don't go directly to bed
\nbecause I first enjoy sinetron (local soap operas) on TV. I go to
\nsleep only after 11 p.m.<\/p>\n
I want to become a president, it seems that (the position) is
\nenjoyable. A president can travel everywhere by car because I've
\nseen it many times. (What Samsuri saw regularly must be the
\nconvoy of Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, whose official
\nhouse is on Jl. Diponegoro)."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-day-in-the-life-of-samsuri-a-busker-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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