Theater helps heal wounded community<\/p>\n
By Blontang Poer<\/p>\n
SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): A pregnant young woman was
\nshouting, smiling and at times complaining about her fate. With
\nher clothes in tatters and her burned face blistered, she was
\nwalking among the rubble of a building that had been razed to the
\nground. The woman occasionally condemned the brutishness of the
\npeople who had raped her.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a number of security guards tried to coerce her not
\nto talk anymore about the incident and the way she had become
\npregnant. They said she should sleep, so that what had happened
\nto her seemed only a dream.<\/p>\n
Seeing the performance of the play Korban-korban berjatuhan
\n(Victims Fall) by Teater Ruang in Surakarata, staged in an
\ninteractive theater on the banks of a river on Sep. 30, the
\nhundreds of spectators were reminded of the May 14-15, 1998
\ntragedy which nearly devastated their lives. The community,
\nalready hit by the economic crisis, could not obtain basic
\nfoodstuffs because most of the shops had been burned down. Many
\nrape cases from that time, involving mostly ethnic Chinese women,
\nhave still not been solved.<\/p>\n
Joko Bibit Santoso, the playwright and director of the play,
\ndoes not want to give a solution to the problems raised by these
\nevents. But he does provide a tragic ending where part of the
\nstage is burned. It is obvious he means it to recall the savagery
\nof the riots. The play contains a long dialogue between the
\nsecurity guards (a metaphor for the security apparatus) that
\nillustrates they also have conflicts of opinion in facing the
\ncriticisms of the community.<\/p>\n
It is apparent that Joko's intention is to invite viewers to
\nreflect on the May incident. Incidentally, the people living
\nclose to the river - who made up the majority of the spectators -
\nare the people who participated mostly during the riots and
\nsubsequent looting.<\/p>\n
The play certainly made the spectators think, and they were
\noccasionally shocked. An ethnic Chinese boy expressed his
\n\"regrets\"; he said that if he was allowed to choose he would have
\nbeen born with brown skin so he would not have to carry the
\nburden of his ethnic heritage. \"I was born not because I wanted
\nto. Why have we been victimized? As for food, language and
\nreligion I just take what there is around me,\" said the boy, a
\njunior high school student.<\/p>\n
The performance started with a rebana (tambourine) music show
\nusing Islamic verses - interspersed with Javanese nuances - which
\nwas performed by students of the Al-Muayyad Muslim boarding
\nschool. At the Surakarta Arts Center on Sept. 26 a show combining
\ndifferent cultural elements took place. The students tambourine
\nmusic alternated with singing of a church choir. There was also a
\nBalinese Hindu dance and finally a combination of barongsai (lion
\ndance) and wushu martial art performance with strong Chinese
\ncharacteristics.<\/p>\n
The Salatiga forum promotes this activity in cooperation with
\nexisting religious institutions, like Muslim boarding schools,
\nchurches and Hindu and Confucian temples. They are optimistic
\nthat their approach through art is able to loosen the knots of
\nsectarianism. Especially since conflicts between ethnic and
\nreligious groups have affected parts of the Surakarta population
\nfor generations. Previously, various efforts were made to solve
\nthe problem but they didn't yield results.<\/p>\n
The atmosphere during the performance came as a relief to all
\ngroups. Ethnic Chinese children did no look uneasy sitting next
\nto, and applauding with, other ethnic groups. Loud applause was
\nheard in the Taman Budaya Surakarta when the church choir
\nfinished singing. They shook hands and embraced each other after
\nsenior high school students, trained by the Indonesian Confucian
\nSociety of Surakarta, gave a wushu performance.<\/p>\n
Kiai H.M. Dian Nafi from the Al Muayyad boarding school,
\nFather Mardi Widayat from the Catholic Church and Aji Chandra
\nfrom the Confucius Society were smiling proudly seeing the
\nharmony among their pupils. Martidjono, head of the Surakarta Art
\nCenter believes the use of art as an alternative method to teach
\nchildren about cultural differences is right. This is because,
\n\"Only art is able to bridge the various differences in ethnicity,
\nreligion and ideology in a pluralistic community. Especially
\nbecause the spirit in art emphasizes adulthood in attitude.\"<\/p>\n
On the evidence of Korban-Korban, this view is not
\nexaggerated. That evening the audience followed intently the
\nstory and felt free to identify themselves with the dialogue on
\nstage.<\/p>\n
In their entertainment the spectators found a temporary
\nrelease from the grip of the current uncertain sociopolitical
\nsituation. On their way home they were also left to think about
\ncultural problems and the need for immediate solutions.<\/p>\n
The performance that evening should hopefully help Surakarta's
\npeople to a new awareness. Namely, that a more civilized life can
\nonly be achieved with a spirit of togetherness, regardless of
\nethnicity, religion and party ideology.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/theater-helps-heal-wounded-community-1447893297",
"image": ""
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