Secred Rhythm to revitalize spirit of dialog<\/p>\n
By I Wayan Juniarta<\/p>\n
DENPASAR, Bali (JP): The Samuan Tiga Temple in Pejeng, Gianyar
\nwas considered the most suitable venue for the recent
\nInternational Festival on Percussion, the Sacred Rhythm, held
\nfrom Dec.31, l999 through Jan 3, 2000.<\/p>\n
The event, involving local and international percussionists,
\nwas aimed at bridging cultural differences among people from
\ndifferent cultures.<\/p>\n
Roni Sianturi, one of the committee members, explained
\npercussion instruments were musical instruments which function as
\ndevices for art expression, communication and ritual apparatus.<\/p>\n
\"Percussion instruments exist in almost all cultures in the
\nworld. Through this instrument, it is expected that we can find
\nsimilarity and create a sincere cultural dialog,\" said Roni.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of years ago, the Samuan Tiga Temple was a place of
\nreconciliation among leaders and followers of various religious
\nsects in Bali.<\/p>\n
According to legend, during the reign of King Udayana
\nWarmadewa and Queen Gunaprya Dharmapatni between 988 and 1011,
\nreligious life on the island of Bali was in disharmony. Each
\nreligious sect fought to gain power and domination over the
\nother.<\/p>\n
There were several Hindu sects such as Indra, Bayu, Bhrama,
\nVishnu, Shiva and Shambu. This severe religious tension affected
\nthe political, social and cultural lives on the island.<\/p>\n
To ease friction, King Warmadewa summoned the Panca Pandita
\n(five high Hindu priests) from Java. The priests included
\nMpu Semeru from the Shiva sect, Mpu Ghana from Ghanapatya, Mpu
\nKuturan, a Buddhist priest, and Mpu Gnijaya from the Brahma sect.
\nMpu Bharadah, a member of the Panca Pandita, decided to stay in
\nJava.<\/p>\n
Mpu Kuturan proposed a meeting called the Samuan Tiga meeting,
\ninvolving all the warring sect leaders in the Batanaanyar area,
\nnow the site of the famous Samuan Tiga Temple.<\/p>\n
The meeting yielded an agreement to fuse the teachings of
\nShiva and Buddha into one, known as Tri Murti (a teaching that
\npraised three gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).<\/p>\n
The Samuan Tiga Temple witnessed a reconciliation among the
\nconflicting priests through a dialog and understanding.<\/p>\n
The choice of Samuan Tiga temple as a site for the Sacred
\nRhythm festival was aimed at revitalizing the spirit of dialog
\nand understanding through a series of multicultural musical
\nperformances.<\/p>\n
The opening of the festival, organized jointly by the Sacred
\nBridge Foundation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific
\nand Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on New Year's Eve, reflected
\nthe organizer's intention to build a bridge of cultures.<\/p>\n
The opening ceremony was opened by a procession of hundreds
\nof youth from the Pejeng traditional village in Gianyar. The
\nprocession displayed Ogoh-Ogoh (giant dolls) and barong (dragon-
\nlike mask dance).<\/p>\n
Thousands of local communities and visitors watched the
\nprocession from Penataran Sasih Temple to Samuan Tiga Temple.<\/p>\n
The procession was held to imitate the Ngurupuk ritual where a
\nprocession precedes the Hindu Day of Silence ceremony.<\/p>\n
The procession was aimed at eliminating evil spirits from the
\nlives of people and the earth.<\/p>\n
Five minutes before midnight, Noriko Atkawa, UNESCO's
\nrepresentative from Paris, walked to the stage and officially
\ndeclared the year 2000 as the International Year for Culture and
\nPeace.<\/p>\n
The festival presented a number of respected virtuoso, such as
\nJin Hi Kim and Choi Jong Sil from South Korea, Stomu Yamashita
\nfrom Japan, Mor Thiam and Zakarya Diouf from Senegal, Farafina
\nfrom Burkina Faso and Vikku Vinayakram from India.<\/p>\n
Indonesian musicians included Djaduk Ferianto, Rahayu
\nSupanggah, Wayan Sadra, Arek Oseng Group, Suar Agung, Talago Bumi
\ngroup and several others.<\/p>\n
A lack of professionalism and coordination among the committee
\nmembers had more or less affected the festival's activities.<\/p>\n
Many artists were confused about their unfixed schedules, and
\na shortage of information about the performers created
\ndifficulties among the media to thoroughly cover the events.<\/p>\n
Thankfulness was given to the marvelous presentations of local
\nand international musicians who offered the local audience with a
\nrare experience to taste quality music.<\/p>\n
One of the most fantastic performances during the festival was
\na jam session involving Indonesian and foreign artists on the
\nnight of Jan. 3, 2000, the closing day of the festival.<\/p>\n
The collaborative performance was led by Jin Hi Kim, a female
\nvirtuoso from South Korea. It also involved Balinese
\npercussionist I Wayan Sadra, Senegalese Mor Thiam and Indian
\nmusician Vikku Vinayakram.<\/p>\n
\"All of the compositions were the result of improvisations of
\neach artist. We never rehearsed for this performance,\" said the
\nlow-profile Jin Hi Kim.<\/p>\n
The musicians performed Jin Hi Kim's composition Golden Dragon
\nBond Rites.<\/p>\n
Mor Thiam appeared with his energetic skills in playing
\njembe(a big drum from Senegal), while Indian master Vikku
\nVinayakram elegantly played his ghatam (a drum made of
\nearthenware), which produces mystical sounds.<\/p>\n
Korean drummer Choi Jong Sil perfectly hit the changgo (a
\nKorean drum), and the kwenggati (a Korean gong), while Sadra
\nperformed his Balinese drum to follow the tunes of other
\npercussionists.<\/p>\n
\"If you perform together, you cannot force other members to
\nadopt one musical style, such as the Korean style. It is a
\nmistaken method,\" Jin Hi Kim explained after the performance.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, she said, musicians must eliminate their
\negos and let their hearts flourish into a melodious sound.<\/p>\n
\"We have to respect differences and try to find similarities
\nto create understanding, \" added Jin Hi Kim.<\/p>\n
To close the jam session, Jin Hi Kim united all the melodies
\nand sounds into a solid music composition that deserved a
\nstanding ovation from all of the audience.<\/p>\n
\"That was something beyond life,\" exclaimed Jin Hi Kim.<\/p>\n
\"Beautiful, beautiful,\" called Vanayakram.<\/p>\n
But Mor Thiam had beautiful words to describe this
\ncollaborative work that involved musicians with different musical
\nskills, social, cultural and religious backgrounds.<\/p>\n
\"It was like going to the most beautiful ocean at 6 a.m.,\"
\nMor Thiam said.<\/p>\n
The festival could probably arouse a sense of brotherhood,
\nsolidarity and peace among people on earth.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/secred-rhythm-to-revitalize-spirit-of-dialog-1447893297",
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