Traditional art shows enjoy popularity<\/p>\n
Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A close observation of traditional art shows and programs on
\nradio and television shows that there have been encouraging
\ndevelopments over the past five years.<\/p>\n
Now, according to Sapto Rahardjo of the Ethnic Music
\nBroadcasting Production Project, ethnic music programs broadcast
\nby 83 radio stations in 52 cities across the country this year
\nhad a stunning 86.3 million listeners, not bad for a country with
\nsome 210 million people.<\/p>\n
And then there are the viewers of traditional art performances
\naired by private television stations and state-owned TVRI.<\/p>\n
Some TV programs featuring traditional arts have even achieved
\nhigh ratings, such as Ketoprak Humor -- a traditional comedy show
\nput on by former members of the Srimulat group, along with
\ncelebrities, noted lawyers, emcees or singers as guest stars.<\/p>\n
The data shows that these kinds of shows attract more viewers
\nthan boring political talk shows. RCTI's Ketoprak Humor
\nconsistently earns a seven rating, while the shadow puppet shows
\non Indosiar get ratings of between five and seven.<\/p>\n
From the perspective of regional autonomy, the popularity of
\ntraditional art and ethnic programs on TV and radio is
\nencouraging, in the sense that it opens opportunities for each
\nethnic group to learn about and understand the culture and
\ntraditions of others.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is rich in culture and tradition, but as many in the
\nart world have realized, many ethnic groups have a poor
\nunderstanding of each other's culture and traditions.<\/p>\n
Still in the context of regional autonomy, Fred Wibowo, a
\nbroadcaster from Yogyakarta, believes that apart from natural
\nwealth, each ethnic group's culture, customs, traditions,
\nperforming arts, legends and folklore are assets that will
\ninspire countless programs on radio and TV.<\/p>\n
And observant radio and television programmers are now moving
\nin that direction.<\/p>\n
Fred, for instance, is now in the process of preparing a
\nseries titled 100 Indonesian Folk Stories. The shooting of one
\nstory, Legend of Surakarta Sultanate, is now under away in
\nSurakarta, he said.<\/p>\n
"This is folklore so it does not require factual evidence.
\nHowever, we have done library study for this purpose," said Fred.<\/p>\n
He stopped short of saying which television station would air
\nthe series. He said the program would be in Indonesian with
\nSurakarta's Javanese dialect, because the cast consisted entirely
\nof local actors. The series will later be reproduced in CD
\nformat, he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jabatin Bangun, an ethnomusicologist at the Jakarta
\nArts Institute and a veteran producer of ethnic music broadcasts,
\nexpressed regret that the public's greater appreciation for
\ntraditional art was not accompanied by an adequate number of
\nexperts in the field.<\/p>\n
It is true, he said, that in Medan, Jakarta, Bandung and
\nYogyakarta there are quite a few ethnomusicologists, performing
\nart experts and other creative types capable of turning
\ntraditional art into interesting entertainment programs. In many
\nother regions, however, there is a scarcity of these people.<\/p>\n
The Ethnic Music Broadcasting Production Project has held a
\nseries of training programs for radio broadcasters and
\nethnomusicologists, but the training has not proven to be the
\nanswer for all the challenges in this field. Most of the
\ntraditional music broadcasting networks have yet to make use of
\nthe training or to work on new programs as expected.<\/p>\n
However, Jabatin Bangun and his team, comprising Fred Wibowo,
\nEndo Suanda and Sapto Rahardjo, are now organizing a competition
\non the production of a half-finished program package for the
\nradio. Each program should be 50 to 70 minutes in duration. More
\ninformation about the competition may be obtained from Ethnic
\nMusic Broadcasting at (0274) 511058.<\/p>",
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