Anniversary events spotlight obscure cultural gems<\/p>\n
By Yenni Kwok<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In its anniversary month, Jakarta does not lack
\nfor international festivities. Different institutions are
\ncontinuing to organize interesting events as the celebratory mood
\nof June 22 lingers on.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta International Carnaval and Jakarta Percussion
\nFestival, two of the celebrations heavy on cultural offerings,
\nshould not be confused with the Jakarta International Festival
\n(Jakfest '97), a government-sponsored event held this week at
\nseveral cultural venues across the city.<\/p>\n
Jakarta International Carnaval '97 (JIC '97) and Percussion
\nFestival '97 (Jakperc '97) are privately funded and will take
\nplace only at the Jakarta Fairground. JIC '97 continues through
\nJuly 13, while Jakperc '97 is a two-day event from July 8-9.<\/p>\n
\"Jakarta craves cultural activities. The residents already
\nfeel a compelling need to balance between their routines and
\nrecreation,\" said Franki Raden, director of JIC and Jakperc.<\/p>\n
JIC schedules six different programs of local and overseas
\nperformances. Every evening, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., participating
\nartists will perform on the different walkways in the fairground
\ncomplex before they finally reach the main stage for brief final
\nperformance.<\/p>\n
Franki endorses this street parade as the most appropriate
\nformat to introduce different cultures to Jakartans. \"Enjoying
\ndifferent kinds of cultural performances does not mean watching
\nthem for hours,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Foreign participants include the Chinese lamp parade, Polish
\nfolk music and dance, Brazilian samba dance and the Cape Malays
\nof South Africa.<\/p>\n
Cape Malay culture is particularly fascinating for
\nIndonesians. Cape Malays are descendants of Malay people who
\nsettled in the area around Cape Town in the 17th century. They
\ndeveloped a hybrid culture, marrying Malay traditions with those
\nof their new homeland.<\/p>\n
Thanks to his music ethnology background, Franki has an inside
\nknowledge of the existence of unique, little-known cultural
\nperformances.<\/p>\n
These do not necessarily come from far away. The Kobrosiswo
\ndance is from the Mendut area in Central Java. The dance
\ndeveloped during the fight for independence in the 1940s, as
\nvillagers imitated Dutch soldiers by dressing up and marching
\nlike them. Yet the movements look more like dancing than anything
\nelse. The commander utters words sounding similar to Dutch, but
\nin fact they are gibberish.<\/p>\n
Another rare performance is Gordang Sembilan from South
\nTapanuli. Gordang Sembilan consists of nine giant drums, all
\nlined up and tied together like drum chimes. The musicians are
\nusually in trances while playing these drums. Myanmar is the only
\nother place in the world where the instrument is found.<\/p>\n
Trance is not a novelty in Indonesian culture, but its mystery
\nis still a big attraction. The Debus trance dance from Banten
\nwill intrigue people. Another trance-influenced number is the
\nHudog mask dance, a ritual dance from East Kalimantan with strong
\nmagical elements, and usually performed in a trance.<\/p>\n
Franki has chosen a variety of performances to show how
\nanimism, Hinduism, Islam and the West have influenced Indonesian
\nculture. Those trance performances have roots in animism. Hindu
\ninfluence will be represented by Balinese barong, East Javanese
\nReog Ponorogo and West Javanese Sisingaan. Islamic influence can
\nbe seen in Kuntulan of East Java, Rebana Hadroh and Rebana
\nKetimpring of Jakarta, Tabuik of West Sumatra and Tabot of
\nBengkulu.<\/p>\n
Assimilating cultures will be reflected by Tanjidor from
\nJakarta. Tanjidor originates from the 18th century slave culture.
\nAt that time, the slaves were taught to play classical music
\nbecause those who played earned a higher sale price. The slaves
\nlater developed their own music, Tanjidor. The musical concept
\nmay be Western, but the expression and feeling are traditional.<\/p>\n
Besides traditional and rare cultures, JIC '97 will also
\nfeature mainstream modern performances, such as pantomime,
\nacrobats and marching bands, all performed by Indonesian artists.<\/p>\n
Local and foreign percussionists will show their talents in
\nthe two-day percussion event.<\/p>\n
International participants include musicians from France, New
\nZealand, Australia, the United States and Brazil.<\/p>\n
Franki's own Jakarta Percussion Orchestra will play his
\ncompositions, inspired by traditional Jakarta music. Well-known
\nBandung artist Harry Roesli will show his dual talents of playing
\nmusic and telling jokes. Poet Emha Ainun Najib and his Kyai
\nKanjeng gamelan orchestra present a combination of poetic verses
\nand music.<\/p>\n
Other participating local artists are drummer Gilang Ramadhan,
\npercussionist-composer Ben Pasaribu and duo Inisisri and Sapto
\nRahardjo.<\/p>\n
\"I hope that we can expose the wealth of the world's
\npercussion music to the general public,\" Franki said.<\/p>\n
He takes pride in UNESCO's endorsement of the event. \"This
\nshows how important it is to bridge the traditional and modern
\narts.\"<\/p>",
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