Aspiring musician Muji lives on monkey business<\/p>\n
By Joko Sarwono<\/p>\n
BOGOR, West Java (JP): Muji Cahyono, from the East Java town
\nof Malang, never imagined he would walk from house to house with
\na monkey on a lead performing in front yards and alleys.<\/p>\n
Muji always wanted to be a musician and was inspired by the
\nsuccess of many fellow villagers.<\/p>\n
\"They often performed on stage and became famous. I admired
\nthem and wanted to follow their example,\" he said.<\/p>\n
His father left his mother before he was born and he left
\nschool after elementary school to sell newspapers and help his
\nmother.<\/p>\n
Despite his poverty Muji paid for a music course.<\/p>\n
\"But the music course was expensive and after a while there
\nwas not enough money for it,\" Muji said.<\/p>\n
He did all kinds of work. After a spell as a newspaper boy he
\nsold tofu, cassava, bananas and sweet potatoes. He later sold
\nmeatball and noodles.<\/p>\n
His experience pushed him to try his luck in faraway Bogor,
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
In this rainy city Muji joined a meatball entrepreneur who
\nemployed several and Muji got 25 percent of his sales.<\/p>\n
\"It was 1989. I was earning Rp 3,000 to Rp 4,000 a day,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In his Bogor neighborhood Muji met a man from his village
\nnamed Soeran. Soeran had a monkey and did rounds of the city
\nperforming. The monkey would dance and play tricks while his
\nmaster beat a drum.<\/p>\n
When Muji was not selling food he would join Soeran.<\/p>\n
\"I felt attracted to it,\" Muji said. Eventually he quit
\nselling noodles.<\/p>\n
He needed a month to master the skill of directing the monkey.
\nWhen Soeran saw Muji's capabilities, he offered him a trained
\nmonkey but it was not a gift. It cost him Rp 75,000 a month.<\/p>\n
Muji went on his own rounds and met many people with the same
\njob. He sometimes borrowed a monkey from one of his colleagues to
\nstudy its character.<\/p>\n
He also bought an untrained monkey and had it trained.<\/p>\n
\"I bought a monkey for Rp 30,000 and paid a training fee of Rp
\n200,000 in installments,\" he said.<\/p>\n
After six months Muji took his monkey on the road. He toured
\nJakarta, Tangerang, Rangkasbitung, Sukabumi and Cianjur.<\/p>\n
\"I am a man of the road, so I stay everywhere. I sometimes
\nspend the night at police stations, nightwatch booths, in empty
\nhouses and once in a while under the stars,\" Muji said.<\/p>\n
Training<\/p>\n
He also started training monkeys from scratch. It takes six
\nmonths to train a monkey.<\/p>\n
Monkey tricks well known to children for generations include:
\ncarrying a toy gun, wearing a mask, pulling a cart, carrying an
\numbrella while shouldering a bag for \"shopping\", \"combing\" and
\n\"putting on make-up\" in front of a mirror, taking a bow from a
\nkneeling position, \"paying respect\" and doing somersaults.<\/p>\n
Muji said he had trained 15 monkeys but failed with two.<\/p>\n
He blamed himself for choosing young cheap monkeys.<\/p>\n
There is a knack to selecting the right type of monkey.<\/p>\n
\"Monkeys eligible for training are less than three years old,
\nagile and have long legs,\" he said.<\/p>\n
There is a saying that he who plays with water gets wet and
\nthat he who plays with fire gets burnt and Muji has experienced
\nthis since he started working with monkeys in 1990. Bites and
\nscratches are a common occurrence which he sees as an
\noccupational hazard.<\/p>\n
\"At first I would get a fever after a bite but it disappeared
\nafter some time. Later on I got used to them and I don't feel any
\npain,\" Muji said.<\/p>\n
He is now 30, unmarried, and a respected trainer of younger
\nmen in the business.<\/p>\n
\"Years ago somebody helped me, now it is my turn to help
\nothers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Among his followers are Imam Rifai, 20, who lives in the same
\nhouse, and Sutrisno, 33, his neighbor in Kedungbadak village,
\nTanah Sareal district, Bogor.<\/p>\n
Sutrisno and Imam acknowledged Muji's role in teaching them
\nhow to handle monkeys. They have been in the business for two
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Sutrisno said Muji was very serious.<\/p>\n
\"He gets angry when we laugh at him. He often advises us to
\nshow dedication if we want to improve. It took me one year to
\nmaster all the methods of training monkeys.\"<\/p>\n
Training monkeys for a fee has become Muji's additional
\nincome. Muji's monkey acts earns him a monthly income between Rp
\n100,000 and Rp 300,000 and he has several trained monkeys for
\nhire or for sale.<\/p>\n
\"I sell a monkey for Rp 350,000. I have now three trained
\nmonkeys. I keep one. The other two are hired for Rp 60,000 a
\nmonth each,\" he said.<\/p>\n
With all this income Muji said he was still not secure and
\ncould not save for his retirement.<\/p>\n
\"My savings dwindle whenever I stay at home and do not work.
\nTen thousand rupiah is finished in one day and I feel I get
\nnothing for it. Everything is expensive in the city,\" Muji said.<\/p>\n
The money is spent on daily needs including food for the
\nmonkeys. They eat bananas and other fruit. One monkey needs Rp
\n1,000 a day. He occasionally sends money to his mother in the
\nvillage. \"Not every month, but whenever my mother needs money,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
But Muji is ready to try another job.<\/p>\n
\"I have wanted to change my profession for a long time,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
There were many reasons but the main reason was a feeling of
\ninferiority.<\/p>\n
\"Walking down the streets with my monkey and equipment is
\nsometimes embarrassing because there is always a following of
\nchildren,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said he was still undecided and confused about what a
\nsuitable profession would be, but he remains on the lookout for
\npossibilities of more promising activities.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aspiring-musician-muji-lives-on-monkey-business-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}