'Opera Diponegoro', an attempt to revitalize waning patriotism<\/p>\n
Kartika Bagus C., The Jakarta Post, Surakarta<\/p>\n
History has not completely laid bare each and every aspect of
\nthe struggle against the Dutch colonial powers in Java from 1825
\nto 1830, known as \"The War of Diponegoro\".<\/p>\n
This period was filled with romantic as well as poignant
\nmoments of Prince Diponegoro's early victories and final tragic
\ndefeat at the hands of the Dutch colonialists.<\/p>\n
The unique personality of Yogyakarta's Prince Diponegoro
\nduring those years, to his arrest in front of the Magelang
\nregent's office in 1830, is vividly portrayed by the renowned
\nchoreographer, Sardono W. Kusumo, in his work titled Opera
\nDiponegoro<\/p>\n
Diponegoro enjoyed great support from the people in the five-
\nyear war that claimed a huge number of lives on both sides. The
\nwar forced the Dutch colonial administration to review its
\npolicies.<\/p>\n
Sardono said that his opera focused not only on the prince's
\nprivate life but also depicted the social and cultural aspects of
\nthe period.<\/p>\n
\"I have tried to interpret, stage the scenes and use the
\ndialogs as closely as possible to the available documented
\nhistorical materials, such as chronicles, personal diaries,
\npaintings, newspaper reports and records of Diponegoro's
\narrest,\" Sardono explained.<\/p>\n
His main source is the 800-page Yogyakarta version of
\nDiponegoro Chronicles. This manuscript is an autobiography of
\nPrince Diponegoro written during his nine-month exile (Nov. 13,
\n1831 to Feb. 3, 1832) in Manado, North Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
For the social and cultural nuances, the Surakarta Palace
\nChronicles have been used as a supporting reference. The
\nchoreographer also mentioned that the legendary painting by Raden
\nSaleh of the arrest of Diponegoro was a source of visual
\ninspiration to enhance his opera.<\/p>\n
Based on wayang (traditional Javanese performance on Hindu
\nepics) and ketoprak (Javanese traditional opera), Diponegoro has
\na cast of 50, including dancers and musicians.<\/p>\n
Although this two-hour opera has been staged four times
\nbefore, the presentation by the Center for Cultural Studies and
\nSocial Changes at Muhammadiyah University, Surakarta, will now
\ninclude elements that are relevant to the current situation.<\/p>\n
Sardono said the performance aimed to help improve the image
\nof Surakarta, now rumored to be a base for international
\nterrorists. He is also concerned by the stigma attached to
\nSurakarta as a city of \"unrest and terror\" due to the frequent
\nviolence that seems to have occurred there.<\/p>\n
\"If anything were to happen, Surakarta could turn into a
\nkilling field. This is a major problem for all of us. At least
\nfrom a cultural point of view, which I can rightly represent, I
\nthink it is very negative. That's why I mean my opera to revive
\nour spirit of patriotism and nationalism,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Another important element, representing one of the most
\nessential cultural aspects of Surakarta, is the appearance of a
\nreporter or, to be more precise, a war reporter in the drama. The
\nSurakarta Palace version of Diponegoro chronicles was written
\nwhen the Diponegoro rebellion was taking place.<\/p>\n
\"This meticulously written chronicle, with accurate data, only
\nfurther proves the necessity for a war reporter, whose job was to
\nrecord every detail of the events that occurred,\" Sardono
\nasserted.<\/p>\n
Opera Diponegoro will run from March 1 until March 5 at the
\nauditorium of RRI (state radio broadcasting station) at Jl.
\nAbdulrahman Saleh 51, Surakarta. For more information and
\nticketing call Heru Prasetyo at 081-6675808.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/opera-diponegoro-an-attempt-to-revitalize-waning-patriotism-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}