Musical 'andong' keeps children smiling<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Although the rapid development in the city has taken away what
\nlittle space was left for children to play in, some small
\nentrepreneurs have taken advantage of the situation by putting
\nthe smile back on children's faces.<\/p>\n
Brightly decorated carts full of children -- some are pulled
\nwhile others look like an over-sized wheelbarrow on a bicycle --
\nplaying non-stop children's songs as they wheel around, have
\nbecome a common sight in the kampongs.<\/p>\n
\"Children here love the andong. They wait for the andong to
\npass their house and hop into it along with a whole bunch of
\nchildren,\" said Sono, a resident of Karet Kuningan, Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
His wife, Yanti, said the andong usually takes eight trips
\naround the kampong.<\/p>\n
\"My neighbor there,\" Yanti said, pointing at her neighbor's
\nhouse, \"is sometimes busy cooking dinner for the family, so she
\nputs the children in the andong for two or three rounds until she
\nfinishes her chores.\"<\/p>\n
The andong, in some parts of the city also known as odong-
\nodong, can accommodate 10 to 15 small children. Each child has to
\npay Rp 500 (6 US cents) for one round of about one kilometer. For
\nthe kampongs in Jakarta this kind of entertainment has been
\naround for no more than five years.<\/p>\n
Another andong owner in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, said he
\ncould earn up to Rp 75,000 a day.<\/p>\n
\"I earn more money if my neighbors need some odd jobs done,
\nbut actually my family's main income comes from the andong ...
\nwhich is enough for us,\" said Hanafi, a father of three.<\/p>\n
Hanafi bought parts of the andong from Cirebon, West Java, for
\nRp 1.5 million, built it in Jakarta, and added a colorful
\ngigantic head of a bird made of half-centimeter-thick styrofoam.<\/p>\n
For that price he was able to build a two-wheeled cart with a
\nbicycle attached to the back of the cart, three benches inside
\nthe cart, a loud-speaker, a tape player, and a battery.<\/p>\n
\"But if you buy an andong in a good condition, with pretty
\ndecorations and all, the price can reach Rp 3.5 million.\"<\/p>\n
Locals in Muara Angke said there were andong decorated with a
\ndragon's head and a rooster's head. Such andong were not produced
\nin Jakarta, but bought from craftsmen in Indramayu or Cirebon,
\nWest Java, they added.<\/p>\n
\"Almost all the parents here know my face, some of them know
\nme personally, so they trust me with their children to go around
\nin the kampung,\" said Hanafi.<\/p>\n
He added that sometimes worried parents waited for their
\nchildren and his andong at a regular spot.<\/p>\n
\"The route is only one kilometer around the kampung, forming a
\nfull circle, and taking only about 15 minutes until the andong
\ncomes back to a house. Besides there's only one driver who
\ncontrols this route,\" said Sono.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes there are children who do not hop off the andong
\nwhen they reach their houses or the driver forgets the children's
\nhouses, so he will just drive around until the parents come out
\nto look for their children,\" Sono added. \"Of course, the driver
\nwould probably charge more.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/musical-andong-keeps-children-smiling-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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