Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is considered to need an identity in the\nworld of comics through illustrated stories, or cergam, that reflect the\nway Indonesian society works.<\/p>\n
\u201cCergam is not a style, but a point of view. When we eventually find\na style, whether it is European, American, or from anywhere else, that\nis fine. But there is a different point of view,\u201d said Iwan Gunawan, a\nlecturer at MNC University, during a talk session in Jakarta on\nSunday.<\/p>\n
Iwan said cergam does not have to be marked by a particular visual\nstyle, but rather by a point of view in responding to issues.<\/p>\n
According to Iwan, the differences in social, political, and economic\nexperiences of Indonesian society will lead to different ways of\nresponding to issues compared with people in other countries.<\/p>\n
He cited feminism as an example of a topic that is widely explored in\ncomics from various countries. However, he said, the way Indonesian\nsociety responds to such issues should be able to show a difference\nbecause it stems from different life conditions and education.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, cartoonist Beng Rahadian said cergam can be used to\nshowcase Indonesian identity, while its content can be diverse.\nAccording to him, one distinguishing factor can be the way Indonesians\nspeak and interact in everyday life.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we mention this, we are showing a cultural territory. Not just\na cultural area, but a cultural territory for Indonesia,\u201d Beng said.<\/p>\n
Beng gave the example of using honorifics when addressing older\npeople in dialogue as one way to show the context of life in\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
According to Beng, the influence of manga\u2019s visual style is not a\nproblem as long as there is a common thread that shows Indonesian\nculture in the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look at manga from Japan, for example. The manga we see are the\nones translated in Indonesia. But if we look at Japan, there are all\nkinds. They have a distinctive style of speaking that shows everyday\nlife,\u201d Beng said.<\/p>\n
On the same occasion, Iwan also recounted his efforts to introduce\nIndonesian comics to the younger generation, starting with helping to\norganise an Indonesian comic exhibition at the National Gallery in 1997\nat the invitation of the Ministry of Education and Culture.<\/p>\n
At that time, he said, many young people were still unaware of the\nexistence of Indonesian comics and were more familiar with Japanese\ncomics.<\/p>\n
Efforts to introduce Indonesian comics then continued through various\nactivities, including at the British Council. He assessed that the\ndevelopment of Indonesian comics was also boosted by a demonstration at\nGramedia bookstore outlets in the 1990s, where the crowd demanded that\nmore cergam be sold to the public.<\/p>\n
He also mentioned that one of the peaks of cergam regaining public\ninterest was the publication of \u201cBenny & Mice\u201d, whose print run\nreached hundreds of thousands at the time.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-needs-its-own-comic-identity-through-cergam-1788713505", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }