Singing a human tragedy<\/p>\n
Readers who have not encountered local cultures and traditions
\nmight wonder how comedian Benyamin Suaeb, who died here on
\nTuesday of a heart attack, became a legend. Fame followed
\nBenyamin, who was a Betawi (indigenous Jakartan) by birth and a
\ncomedian by profession, from the grassroots to the middle class.<\/p>\n
The actor, singer and all-round entertainer was phenomenally
\nsensitive to people's problems. His situational comedies and TV
\nprograms managed to deal with daily life in the sprawling capital
\nin a comical way. His many rap songs in Bahasa Betawi also poked
\nfun at life in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
His work caricatured the daily realities, only slightly
\nexaggerating the numerous defects of Jakarta. His sense of humor
\nwas so warm and his jokes so light that his antics outshone all
\ncontemporary Indonesian comedians.<\/p>\n
Living evidence of his popularity is the way people call him
\nBang (older brother) Ben. He was the first person from outside
\nthe professional acting domain to be awarded a Citra Award (the
\nJakartan equivalent of the Hollywood Oscar). Afterward, his fans
\nbranded him "a bumpkin with a metropolitan fortune". He didn't
\nseem to mind the less-than-flattering alias because life was a
\ncomedy to him.<\/p>\n
Benyamin's widespread popularity was due his dexterity in
\nmilking the Betawi dialect. His use of Bahasa Betawi, which is a
\nvariety of Malay dialects, put his name in lights.<\/p>\n
The urban dialect is becoming more popular because it is
\nintimate, simple and adaptable. Last, but certainly not least, it
\nlacks grammatical rules, which many Indonesians find appealing.
\nBenyamin, who spoke, gibed, jeered and joked in the dialect, was
\nable to leap over provincial borders. He was also reportedly
\npopular in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
To ethnic Betawi, Benyamin was a powerful figure in a lonely
\nbattle to keep their culture alive. The late comedian cum
\nsinger's songs reflected the Betawi's vanishing culture.<\/p>\n
The Betawi community feels it is an awkward phenomenon in a
\nfast changing city. The people, who are steadfast
\ntraditionalists, were long ago pushed to the periphery by the
\ndrive for modernization. Development and bulldozers threaten
\ntheir culture.<\/p>\n
Four decades ago, various Betawi cultural activities, such as
\nMa'ruf, Cokek, Tanjidor, Topeng Betawi, thrived. Now, many of
\nthem are virtually extinct. Lenong, a very popular traditional
\ndrama, was staged regularly at Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Center
\nuntil the 1970s. It is now on the wane. Even at a Betawi arts
\nfestival here in 1986, the show failed to attract an audience.
\nThe Betawi are vulnerable to metamorphosing Jakarta. Two decades
\nago, the city governor wanted to create a Betawi sanctuary to
\npreserve their unique culture. Just the idea is lamentable.<\/p>\n
In the end, Benyamin wasn't singing a human comedy but a human
\ntragedy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/singing-a-human-tragedy-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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