Understanding Pia's wide world<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Fashion, arts, and women magazines have been the world of Pia
\nAlisjahbana. But who knew that the young Pia was a dancer?<\/p>\n
It was almost 50 years ago, but it appears to be one of Pia's
\nfondest memories.<\/p>\n
\"I performed a contemporary dance created by American
\nchoreographer Martha Graham at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta,\" Pia
\nrevealed proudly.<\/p>\n
Maybe that is why the elderly Pia still loves aerobics,
\nswimming in the pool set in the spacious yard of her home in
\nPejaten, South Jakarta, every morning for half an hour, and
\nplaying tennis once a week.<\/p>\n
Her daily exercise routine, coupled with her intensive
\ninvolvement in all activities related to young people,
\ncontributes much to her healthy and energetic appearance.<\/p>\n
But Pia is not likely to try and conceal her age -- she turns
\n69 this year -- by dying her graying hair.<\/p>\n
\"Be your age,\" she asserted, adding that she preferred to do
\nsomething else rather than squandering two hours coloring her
\nhair.<\/p>\n
And age is clearly unable to keep her from the wide range of
\nactivities in which she is involved.<\/p>\n
As a lecturer, she was the founder and director of the
\nAmerican studies department at the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
As a businesswoman, she is on the board of directors of the
\nFemina Group, which owns a number of magazines, including Femina,
\nGadis, Ayahbunda, Dewi, Fit, Men's Health, Seventeen and
\nCita&Cinta.<\/p>\n
Pia also chairs several foundations, including the Board of
\nCouncil of the Indonesia National Archives Building, which she
\nestablished in 1998, and the Nusantara Foundation, which manages
\nthe Nusantara symphony orchestra. She also is an adviser to the
\nAssociation for Indonesian Fashion Designers.<\/p>\n
Pia was born on July 26, 1933, in Bondowoso, East Java, as
\nSupia Latifah. Her father and mother were both from noble
\nfamilies. As a child, during Indonesia's struggle for
\nindependence, she and her family moved around a lot. Her father
\nwas an engineer at the public works agency, while her mother was
\na teacher.<\/p>\n
\"My family was forced to seek refuge in Mojokerto, Nganjuk,
\nBali, Surabaya, Purworejo and then Yogyakarta,\" Pia recalled.<\/p>\n
Pia's only brother, Achmad, was killed during a battle in
\nYogyakarta in 1947.<\/p>\n
\"We were all shocked by the incident. He never told us that he
\nhad signed up with a paramilitary student group.\"<\/p>\n
In 1959, she married Sofjan Alisjabana, the son of Sutan
\nTakdir Alisjahbana, who is known as the Pope of Indonesian
\nliterature. The couple had two daughters, Svida and Karin.<\/p>\n
The family eventually moved to Jakarta and have lived here
\nsince.<\/p>\n
Pia said the hardships of her childhood made her a tough
\nperson and a hard worker.<\/p>\n
\"My parents paid all of my educational fees, but only gave me
\na meager allowance. That's why I had to work to get extra money,\"
\nPia said. She gave Bahasa Indonesia lessons to foreigners, worked
\nin a library and taught piano to earn extra money.<\/p>\n
Pia said that during her youth, one of the most inspiring
\nexperiences, and one that gave her a broader perspective, was
\nattending the New York Herald Tribune Youth Forum in 1952.<\/p>\n
\"My interaction with so many young people from all around the
\nworld somehow made me more self-confident,\" Pia said, who was
\nstill in high school when she made the trip to New York.<\/p>\n
This and other experiences prompted her to begin a magazine
\nfor teenage girls, Gadis in 1973. This followed the launch of
\nwomen's magazine Femina in 1972, which was owned by the
\nAlisjahbana family.<\/p>\n
Asked about feminism, Pia said: \"I am lucky to have a husband
\nwho never makes a fuss about what I am doing,\" adding that she
\nbelieves that younger women now can break the glass ceiling.<\/p>\n
Since 1979, Pia has been organizing a contest for young
\ndesigners. Chossy Latu, Edward Hutabarat, Carmanita and Itang
\nYunasz are among the designers who have gotten their start from
\nthe contest.<\/p>\n
Since 1992, she has also organized the screening process that
\neventually results in 10 young Indonesian designers being sent to
\nattend the Concours International Des Jeunes Createurs in Paris.<\/p>\n
\"My talent in organizing people and connecting things also
\ncame from my experience at the youth forum in New York,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Though she has a remarkable track record in fashion and the
\nmedia, Pia is more likely these days to show more interest in
\npreserving Indonesia's heritage, again thanks to that New York
\nyouth forum, which first sparked her interest in culture.<\/p>\n
That is why Pia decided to major in English literature at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Her latest concern is the restoration of historic building and
\ncultural landmarks.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very sorry to see that many historic sites and buildings
\nhave been destroyed due to people's chronic lack of awareness
\nabout preserving them,\" Pia sighed.<\/p>\n
In 1995, Pia raised more than 450,000 guilders from Dutch
\npeople for the restoration of the National Archives building,
\nformerly known as De Klerk Huis, on Jl. Gajah Mada in Kota, West
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The restoration project is a joint effort between a number of
\nDutch companies and Indonesian institutions. Earlier this year
\nthe project won the Award of Excellence, the highest tribute at
\nthe Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage
\nConservation from the United Nations Educational Scientific and
\nCultural Organization.<\/p>\n
Pia remarked that many Indonesian cultures manifested
\nthemselves in traditions, historic buildings and handicrafts, all
\nof which require public participation to ensure their
\npreservation.<\/p>\n
Recalling an experience earlier this year in Sintang, West
\nKalimantan, where she served on the jury of a weaving festival,
\nPia remarked that cultural preservation needed more public
\nparticipation rather than massive amounts of money.<\/p>\n
\"It is all about the mentality of the people to save their own
\ncultures,\" said Pia, who has begun pushing for the year 2003 to
\nbe promoted as the Heritage Year. (Muninggar Sri Saraswati
\ncontributed to this story).<\/p>",
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