Aceh's drum of peace hits freezing Oslo<\/p>\n
Endy M. Bayuni
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Oslo<\/p>\n
The temperature outside the Oslo Konserthus has hit below
\nfreezing point, but the 16 young women and men from Aceh, making
\ntheir international debut, shake off the cold weather and any
\nstage fright they may still have as they sing, beat the tambour,
\nand dance around the stage in the Silat Aulia Dance.<\/p>\n
The beating of the tambours, the only musical instrument used
\nin most traditional Acehnese dances, moves faster over time. Lead
\nsinger Deden recites the lyrics, which carry a religious tone,
\nand hits his instrument hard. He sets the tone and rhythm while
\nseven others follow with chants and the beating of their own
\ndrums.<\/p>\n
On center stage, two young men clad in yellow traditional
\nAcehnese costumes, move and jump in the slo-mo that characterizes
\nthe silat, a homegrown martial art.<\/p>\n
Six young women in equally colorful dress dance and circle the
\nduo, brandishing rencong, the traditional Acehnese dagger. They
\nwere not real daggers though, for otherwise the Norwegian airport
\nauthorities would have confiscated them.<\/p>\n
The 200-or so audience appreciated the performance, which was
\ngiven by members of the Nurul Alam troupe. They had flown in from
\nBanda Aceh last week for the Indonesian Cultural Evening hosted
\nby the Indonesian Embassy in Norway.<\/p>\n
It was a double treat for the guests: The second number, the
\nRapai I Geleng dance, was even more dynamic. Nine young men used
\nnot only the tambour, but also virtually every part of their body
\nto make percussive noises, as they moved, clapped, slapped and
\nsang in motion to their own rhythm. Again Deden, the musical
\ndirector of the group, sang the lyrics and set the tone from the
\nsidelines.<\/p>\n
Both pieces were performed without any glitches, at least none
\nthat were apparent to the audience.<\/p>\n
"We trained for 10 hours a day over the past month before we
\nleft Banda Aceh," a dancer, Nazaruddin, said.<\/p>\n
The dancers, who had never set foot abroad before, had only a
\nday to acclimatize to the chilly Norwegian winter. "Yes, the cold
\nweather affected our bodies, and even the drums did not sound as
\nsharp as they should have," said the young man who is in his last
\nsemester of his undergraduate economic studies.<\/p>\n
Whatever shortcomings the dancers felt, it was not known to
\nthe audience, who were mesmerized by this rare performance of two
\nvery dynamic Aceh dances. A smaller number, the Bungong Jeumpa,
\nwhich was performed by children of Indonesian embassy staff, also
\nwent down well with the audience.<\/p>\n
"We came here with a mission of peace," Nazaruddin said.<\/p>\n
Bukhari Daud, a linguistics professor with the Language Center
\nat the Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, said that the
\nbeating of the drum in Aceh traditionally signified the advent of
\npeace.<\/p>\n
"When the first beat of the drum is heard, all fighting and
\nshooting stop."<\/p>\n
At a seminar on the development of Aceh with cultural
\nperspectives held at the University of Oslo, Bukhari recalled
\nthat long convoys of trucks loaded with drummers toured Aceh
\nprovince to usher in the peace following the signing of the
\nagreement between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
\nin August.<\/p>\n
On Thursday evening, the drums of peace were again heard in a
\nconcert hall in Oslo. While the intention was to entertain and
\nenlighten the audience present, the peace message was also aimed
\nat Acehnese living in exile in Scandinavian countries.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Embassy in Oslo estimates that there could be
\nup to 300 Acehnese political exiles and their families in Norway,
\nmostly living in the port city of Stavanger. Most GAM leaders
\nlive in nearby Sweden.<\/p>\n
There has been very little contact between the embassy and the
\nAcehnese community in Norway for obvious political reasons. But
\nthe embassy hopes that with the peace agreement, there will be
\nmore. Some Acehnese have already made queries about the
\npossibility of returning to their homeland.<\/p>\n
One exiled Aceh family did turn up for the cultural evening
\nand met and talked with some of the dancers.<\/p>\n
Nazaruddin described how peace has brought a better life to
\nhim and his colleagues at Nurul Alam: "Now we can practice and
\nperform in the evening. There are no curfews. Peace is just
\nextraordinary," he said.<\/p>\n
Most Acehnese like Nazaruddin were raised in a virtual state
\nof war during the 30-year conflict.<\/p>\n
Peace also meant the chance for the Nurul Alam troupe to
\nreform and recruit. Like most institutions in Banda Aceh, the
\ngroup was severely affected by the December tsunami. Three
\nmembers of the troupe perished and they lost half of their
\ncostumes, instruments and props. Most members also lost family to
\nthe waves.<\/p>\n
"We regrouped two months after the disaster," said Maulidar,
\nwho aspires to become a primary school teacher.<\/p>\n
"We did not make any stage performances, but we helped teach
\nchildren in refugee camps to dance."<\/p>\n
In respect for the dancers, their experiences in the tsunami
\nwas deliberately not mentioned by the Aceh Cultural Institute.<\/p>\n
Another tragedy hit the group with the death in July of its
\nfounder, fondly referred to by members as Ibu Hajjah Asnawani.
\nThe former primary-school teacher, who founded the group 30 years
\nago, died of an unknown ailment.<\/p>\n
Deden, her adopted son, has taken over the job of coordinator
\nfor now. "Because of my seniority," he said modestly.<\/p>\n
Tengku Khamsyahfuddin (Deden is his stage name) is a full-time
\nmusician who writes the scores for the dances performed by the
\ngroup.<\/p>\n
He turned the Rapai I Geleng from a normally seven-minute
\nnumber into 25 minutes for the performance in Oslo.<\/p>\n
"It was our biggest-ever performance," Deden said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehs-drum-of-peace-hits-freezing-oslo-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }