Rendra sticks to principles in twilight years<\/p>\n
By K. Basrie<\/p>\n
CIPAYUNG JAYA, West Java (JP): W.S. Rendra, long hailed as the
\ngodfather of Indonesia's poets and playwrights, is not cut from
\nthe same cloth as those noted artists who seek to parlay their
\npopularity into a political career.<\/p>\n
Of course, this does not mean that he does not care about
\nwhat's happening in this country -- his work, loaded with
\ntrenchant social criticism, has served as a moral conscience for
\nmany. It has also often got him into trouble with the
\nauthorities.<\/p>\n
He was jailed in the early days of his career for public
\nreadings of his poems and plays, which the government argued
\ncould threaten the nation's unity. The government also banned his
\ngroup in 1979 from performing for eight years.<\/p>\n
His stubborn refusal to compromise his beliefs has inevitably
\naffected his livelihood. Invitations to perform or read poems are
\nrare. His Bengkel Theater group often has difficulty obtaining
\npermits for public performances.<\/p>\n
Due to his erratic income, food is sometimes scarce at
\nRendra's residence in Cipayung Jaya, West Java, which is also
\nused as a training ground for group members.<\/p>\n
But God's helping hands are everywhere. Rendra grows
\nvegetables and fruit on his four-hectare estate and they are
\noften ripe at times of food shortages. Papayas, bananas, mangoes,
\ncucumbers, eggplants, rambutans and many others are sold at
\nnearby public markets to buy rice, salt or tofu, or just to pay
\nmonthly subscriptions for newspapers.<\/p>\n
"Disaster or good fortune is all the same" reads a label on a
\ncupboard in Rendra's kitchen.<\/p>\n
Rendra was born the eldest of seven children in the Central
\nJava town of Solo on Nov. 7, 1935. His father was a Javanese
\nlanguage teacher and his mother a traditional dancer. Little
\nRendra upset his father as he enjoyed hanging around outside
\nrather than at home. His father once told him to leave home. Some
\ncritics tie the major theme of Rendra's poems, struggles of the
\nsoul, as derived from his childhood problems.<\/p>\n
Rendra originally wanted to be an army officer. He did not
\nmeet the standard enrollment prerequisites as he had majored in
\nsocial sciences instead of physics. Instead, he studied English
\nLiterature at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. Rendra taught
\ndrama there although he did not complete his studies.<\/p>\n
His debut as a playwright came at the age of 17 in 1952 with
\nGoncangan Pertama (First Snag). He wrote his first short story,
\nDrama Pasar Pon (Pasar Pon Drama), in 1960. Four years later,
\nmany media in Solo and Jakarta printed his poems.<\/p>\n
Rendra has five children from his first wife, the late
\nSunarti, four from second wife Sitoresmi and two from his current
\nwife, Ken Zuraida. The crude illustration of a full moon and
\nmountains painted on a wall at his residence, which Rendra titled
\nDiantara Tiga Gunung Memeluk Rembulan (Hugging the Moon within
\nThree Mountains), is perhaps a fitting depiction of his marital
\nhistory.<\/p>\n
He lives today with Ken Zuraida, several of his children, 15
\nstudents and several dogs.<\/p>\n
After a long and turbulent life, what are Rendra's dreams and
\nplans for work? The Jakarta Post met this man of letters at the
\nremote Cipayung Jaya village in Bojong Gede, a one-and-a-half-
\nhour drive from Jakarta. During the interview, Rendra's
\ndistinctive and charismatic style emerged. It's not only his
\nclothing mainstays of jeans-and-long-sleeved-shirts which set him
\napart from other artists, but the achingly beautiful, touching
\nand, sometimes, wild words he uses.<\/p>\n
Question: You and your group have not performed for quite a
\nlong time. Where have you been?<\/p>\n
Answer: We're still here, keeping on rehearsing and having
\ncontinuous workshops. Our performances have been banned, but we
\nmust be prepared for our next performance. Our last show was
\nHamlet in early 1994.<\/p>\n
We need extra money and time for a play. We're a little bit
\nfussy about funds. We never want to be subsidized or funded by
\nthe government, political parties or foreign business firms and
\nfoundations. They may invite us to play (for a fee) but not fund
\nour works. It doesn't mean that we don't like money, but we just
\nwant to further develop our power of life, a subject we study
\nhere.<\/p>\n
We always seek funds from those parties to help finance other
\ntheater groups, not us.<\/p>\n
But we'd welcome funds from individuals, like the ministers,
\nthe well-to-do, business people or even army generals under the
\ncondition that there is no political mission.<\/p>\n
Q: Does this mean Bengkel Teater is facing financial problems
\nafter being absent from the stage for three years?<\/p>\n
A: (Laughing uproariously) Earnings in such a business are always
\ncompletely gone shortly after the show. But our lives here are
\nsupported by our farm in this complex. Sometimes, my old friends
\nwho have good business and fortunes outside there also give us
\ntheir financial support (Rendra's many friends in the business
\nworld include millionaire Setiawan Djodi).<\/p>\n
Besides that, I also earn quite a large amount in fees by
\nwriting and readings poems, and from interviews with major
\npublishers.<\/p>\n
Q: Does the Post need to pay you for this interview?<\/p>\n
A: It will be better if it's available (He laughs again. His dogs
\ncurled up under the dining table where the interview took place
\nbark loudly).<\/p>\n
Q: Do you do still write poems?<\/p>\n
A: Of course.<\/p>\n
Q: What will be your next poem collection?<\/p>\n
A: There will be two collections published by Yayasan Lontar at
\nthe end of this month. The first one is Perjalanan untuk Aminah
\n(Journey for Aminah) is about social and cultural values in
\npeople's daily lives. The other, entitled Mencari Bapak (Looking
\nFor Daddy), is about religious merit.<\/p>\n
(Among Rendra's collections already published are Balada
\nOrang-orang Tercinta (Ballad of the Loved Ones, 1957) Empat
\nKumpulan Sajak, (Four Poem Collection, 1961) Blues untuk Bonnie,
\n(Blues for Bonnie, 1971) and Sajak-sajak Sepatu Tua (Poems of an
\nOld Shoe, 1972).<\/p>\n
Q: When will your group perform again?<\/p>\n
A: We're invited to perform Selamatan Anak Cucu Sulaiman (The
\nRitual of Solomon's Children) in the South Korean capital of
\nSeoul in September. According to a tentative schedule, we'll
\nperform Lysistrata (a comedy satire) in October, probably in
\nJakarta or Surabaya. It depends on the promoter.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you still accept fees in the form of livestock?<\/p>\n
A: Sometimes, especially when the hosts are university students
\nbecause they're only capable of paying me with such things. But,
\nat the very least, its not free, as I often told them. My message
\nis to teach the students not to become a parasite for artists.<\/p>\n
(Several years ago, he was paid with two goats for his lecture
\nat the Indonesia Catholic University in Jakarta. On another
\noccasion, he received 110 chickens for a poem he wrote to be used
\nfor a television drama. All the livestock were sent to his farm.
\nRendra was only paid Rp 30, now equivalent to one U.S. cent, per
\ncollection of poems in the early days of his professional career.
\nToday he has a much higher tariff. "Rp 20 million for reading
\npoets at a single event and more for playing in a drama")<\/p>\n
Q: What's your opinion of government censorship today?<\/p>\n
A: In general, it has become better (than in the old days). But
\nif they (the authorities) are still paranoid about me, it's okay.
\nBut they have to realize that it won't give them any benefit
\nbecause I don't have any political and bureaucratic mission.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you think that the current atmosphere is already favorable?<\/p>\n
A: Not really for me. I still have problems on show permits. I
\ngot my last experience last year when reading poems at JAMZ pub
\nin Jakarta. I got the permit only 30 minutes before the scheduled
\ntime. See?<\/p>\n
Q: How do you see the overall growth of theater groups in
\nIndonesia?<\/p>\n
A: It's great. I have seen many of them and I believe many of
\nthem have potential. The only thing is that they lack on-stage
\nexperience. They need funds, not instructors. With enough money
\nin their hands, they could perform as much as they can in front
\nof the public. The more they perform, the better they will be.<\/p>\n
Q: What about your own Bengkel Teater group?<\/p>\n
A: Everything goes as usual here. We keep on developing our power
\nof life and power of innovation here in any weather and in any
\nsituation, and are disciplined. If there's no chance to perform
\nfreely outside, if there is indoctrination, we need to fight
\nagainst it. We're human, we need to develop, not to be treated as
\nnonliving objects.<\/p>\n
Q: I wonder if this is a place where people could learn to become
\na qualified poet, drama artists or script writers...<\/p>\n
A: It depends on what they are going to be. I never ask them to
\nbe someone, it's their own choice.<\/p>\n
(Rendra founded Bengkel Teater in Yogyakarta in 1967. Among
\nits graduates are noted scriptwriters, film directors and actors
\nlike the late Arifin C. Noor, Putu Wijaya, Azwar A.N., Deddy
\nSutomo, Sardjono, Adi Kurdi, Putu Wijaya, Chaerul Umam and
\ncolumnist Syu'bah Asa.<\/p>\n
Currently managed by Rendra and wife Ken Zuraida, Bengkel
\nTeater's students come from various backgrounds. They don't have
\nto pay, but everything, such as meals, are done collectively. The
\nenrollment test is a grave for the incapable. A prospective
\nstudent, for instance, has to stay away from the outside world at
\nthe complex for about 100 days. The subjects include discussion
\nand comprehension of various matters, such as religion, politics
\nand economy).<\/p>\n
Q: Is there any regeneration process for Bengkel Teater?<\/p>\n
A: No need. If I die someday, Bengkel Teater will be over, too.<\/p>\n
Q: Really?<\/p>\n
A: Yes. It's my failure if Bengkel Teater has, for example,
\nbranch offices. I must also free people, let them fly as free as
\nbirds in the sky.<\/p>\n
(At the age of 62, Rendra's personal mannerisms, and his mane
\nof shoulder-length hair, have not changed. He widens his gaze
\nlike a wild, hungry owl to express his words. Like a proud
\npeacock, as he is often dubbed, he unfurls his arms in grand
\ngestures. His voice is deep and resonant. He concedes that the
\nonly part of himself that has changed over the years is his closer
\nrelationship with Allah. Born as a Catholic, Rendra later became a
\nMoslem. His friends call him Mas Willy).<\/p>\n
Q: What if one of the political parties asked you to join them?<\/p>\n
A: I'd reject it because I have no talent for that.<\/p>\n
Q: But there's big money available which could help finance
\nBengkel Teater...<\/p>\n
A: Unfortunately, money is not my only concern but also the way
\nin which I got it.<\/p>\n
Q: What will be your last wish someday when God takes your life?<\/p>\n
A: Bury me here. We've prepared a plot for the graves of Bengkel
\nTeater's family members at this complex. The land is cheap here.
\nThe water is good. You can still hear birds singing here. It's
\ngreat, isn't it?<\/p>",
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