Have the courage to create: Sedyawati<\/p>\n
By Ati Nurbaiti<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Unique art and culture landed Indonesia and
\nother oriental cultures on the world map. The study of this art
\nsecured their place in the minds of the world.<\/p>\n
\"To be able to place accurate value on items acquired from far
\naway countries, people in the West needed to study all about the
\nbackground of the objects,\" said Edi Sedyawati, the Director
\nGeneral of Cultural Affairs.<\/p>\n
Time sciences, like archeology and anthropology, have broken
\ndown the remote cultures in the East. But the west-east bias
\nstill exists, and artists, says Sedyawati, must be given wider
\nsupport to make their mark internationally.<\/p>\n
\"We must preserve traditional arts because tourists always
\nlook for local specialities when they come here,\" says Sedyawati,
\na former dancer who now also teaches archeology.<\/p>\n
\"But to view products of our culture as merely exotic is
\noutdated; we must value the exploration among our artists, who
\nsometimes also base their works on their local roots.\"<\/p>\n
\"Cultural progress,\" she said earlier, \"should aim for the
\ncourage to create, to break from merely following what has been
\ndictated.\"<\/p>\n
Sedyawati was expressing her views on promoting local arts,
\nwhich critics felt would get even less attention with the
\ninstallment of the reportedly technocratic Minister of Education
\nand Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro in 1983.<\/p>\n
But into his second year, the Minister has been praised for
\nappointing the right person to the right post.<\/p>\n
\"When artists talk to Ibu Edi, they know she understands their
\nlanguage,\" says musician Franki Raden.<\/p>\n
Contemporary arts, he said, has been given more attention than
\nunder previous leaders. \"In any project, Sedyawati involves the
\nprofessionals, instead of letting government officials tromp over
\nthe show.\"<\/p>\n
A current example is the planned exhibition of contemporary
\narts from non-aligned countries, scheduled for March. This was
\nSedyawati's initiative, about which she consulted artists before
\nconveying the idea to Minister Djojonegoro.<\/p>\n
\"Given our close relations with other members we should also
\ntry to understand each other's soul, through art,\" Sedyawati
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Such a display, she said, would hopefully reflect the
\nexploration of individual artists from many parts of the southern
\nhemisphere. \"It would reveal how the development of the arts has
\nso far wrongly stressed experiences in the west, such as the
\nRenaissance,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Although events in Indonesia have had adequate local coverage,
\nlike at the experimental arts festival Nur Gora Rupa last year in
\nSurakarta in Central Java, the contemporary arts are still in
\nneed of wider recognition.<\/p>\n
She said interest in traditional art has gained less
\nrecognition compared to the high appreciation of various forms of
\ntraditional Indonesian art in other countries. In Japan, for
\ninstance, there is a wayang (leather puppet) association.<\/p>\n
So how do we go about promoting both contemporary and
\ntraditional arts to reflect the past and present?<\/p>\n
\"Constant intervention is needed,\" Sedyawati believes. \"How
\nare people supposed to appreciate traditional dances when they
\nare no longer exposed to the plots of the wayang? There is
\ninstant entertainment on television and people prefer the
\n(Japanese) Doraemon comics.\"<\/p>\n
However there will always be the inevitable conflict between
\ncommercial and cultural orientations, so the \"intervention\"
\nincludes the continuous reminding of business circles of
\neveryone's need to know their cultural roots.<\/p>\n
Involving the young generation is important in her agenda:
\n\"youngsters are just as alienated here as in other countries like
\nJapan.\"<\/p>\n
The difference, she said, is that in Japan the government and
\na number of financially able groups willingly promote traditional
\nculture.<\/p>\n
Musician Franki Raden points out that one result of the
\ncampaign to explore cultural roots was the recent Music and
\nPoetry Youth Festival initiated by Sedyawati's office.<\/p>\n
\"All 23 groups that came out in the semi-finals were very
\ncreative, compared to what most youngsters are exposed to
\nnowadays in the music industry,\" said Raden, a jury member of the
\nFestival.<\/p>\n
Limits<\/p>\n
But Sedyawati's passion of valuing the creative runs into the
\nfact that one must know the limits, given recent bans on a number
\nof performances.<\/p>\n
For instance, the works of playwright and essayist Emha Ainun
\nNadjib were banned more than once.<\/p>\n
A source, who requested anonymity, said Sedyawati tried her
\nutmost to help persuade the powers that be that Emha's
\nperformance wasn't \"dangerous\" in any way, but Emha's request for
\npermission arrived too late.<\/p>\n
\"Every country requires permission to hold a public event,\"
\nSedyawati asserted.<\/p>\n
\"But artists tend to try to arrange permission too late. This
\nis not respecting the task of the government, who must first
\nconsult the artists.\"<\/p>\n
Bans, she pointed out, are often caused by lack of
\ncommunication and mutual respect, rather than the substance of
\nthe event.<\/p>\n
The writer Sapardi Djoko Damono, a colleague of Sedyawati at
\nthe Faculty of Letters of the University of Indonesia, lamented
\nthe government's censorship policy.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that because of the ethnic, racial and
\nreligious issues which everyone faces in this culturally
\nheterogeneous country cannot be discussed in public, novel
\nwriting seems to be made in a vacuum. \"Indonesians face these
\nproblems every day,\" said Sapardi.<\/p>\n
Sedyawati denies this. The issues are not forbidden as long as
\nthey do not show disrespect for other cultures, she assured.<\/p>\n
\"Our creativity must not result in putting others down,\" she
\nstressed.<\/p>\n
In her mission to promote creativity within acceptable norms,
\nSedyawati is also challenged by the bureaucracy within her own
\nMinistry. Her task is often pushed aside by the ministry's pet
\nproject of producing trainable workers through improved
\neducation.<\/p>\n
\"Culture is often not mentioned but it is everybody's task,\"
\nreminds Sedyawati.<\/p>\n
She says she willingly agreed to take up the job, having first
\nhand experience in a number of fields.<\/p>\n
Of course sacrifice comes with the job. \"I have no time to
\nwatch all those beautiful performances,\" says the dance lover
\nwith regret.<\/p>",
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