W.S. Rendra, 70 and still going strong<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari and A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Poet W.S. Rendra is now 70 years old. Unlike many Indonesians,
\nhe is still strong, both mentally and physically, and eager to
\ntalk about his poems and the nation.<\/p>\n
Born on Nov. 7, 1935 in Solo, Central Java, Rendra or
\nWillibrordus Surendra Broto, still wants to create masterpieces
\nlike the Javanese poets Mpu Sedah, Mpu Panuluh and Ronggowarsito
\ndid in past centuries.<\/p>\n
\"I want to write poems about the administration, ..., the
\nocean. Who says that it is not the business of poets.\" Rendra
\nsaid in an interview with The Jakarta Post on Wednesday at his
\nunique home in Cipayung, Depok, West Java.<\/p>\n
The graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Art, New
\nYork, is known for his satirical observations of social and
\npolitical issues in his poems and theater scripts.<\/p>\n
Potret Pembangunan dalam Puisi (Portrait of Development in
\nPoetry), Bersatulah Pelacur-Pelacur Kota Jakarta (Jakarta's
\nProstitutes Unite!) and Blues untuk Bonnie (Blues for Bonnie) are
\namong his collections of poems that discuss social and political
\ndisparities.<\/p>\n
Rendra was frequently threatened and detained by officers from
\npresident Soeharto's regime who were angered by his poetry
\nreadings and theatrical performances.<\/p>\n
The graduate of Gadjah Mada University also played in several
\nfilms, such as Yang Muda Yang Bercinta (The Young Who Love).<\/p>\n
People do not only talk about Rendra's literary works, but
\nalso gossip (jealously) about his once \"harmonious\" polygamous
\nmarriage to actresses Soenarti and Sitoresmi Prabuningrat.<\/p>\n
After divorcing Soenarti and Sitoresmi, he now lives with his
\nthird wife stage actress Ken Zuraida in the three-hectare home
\nand theater workshop.<\/p>\n
Question (Q): You and your friends just celebrated your 70th
\nanniversary. How did you feel?<\/p>\n
Well, of course, I thank God for giving me a long life. It is
\na blessing from God. But, again, life is fana (impermanent).<\/p>\n
Human beings can neither reject birth nor death. We grow from
\ninfant, teenager and then get old. So, what does it mean? Why I
\nam given a long life?<\/p>\n
It is I who decide whether to spend my life only as a
\nvegetable or to grow old while improving the quality of my
\nreligious life.<\/p>\n
If I cannot improve my religious life, I think it will be
\nworthless. I looked inside myself and discovered that my attitude
\nand religious life was not mature.<\/p>\n
Given your numerous works and acclaimed plays, how did you
\ncome to that conclusion?<\/p>\n
It is true (that I have produced numerous works), but there
\nare still many things to do. I plan to write poems about the
\ngovernment system, not only about politics and social issues.<\/p>\n
I want to follow in the footsteps of our teacher-poets in the
\npast like Ronggowarsito (1800s), Mpu Sedah and Mpu Panuluh
\n(1150s) and also Mpu Prapanca (1360s).<\/p>\n
Today, the contemporary poets do not follow our ancient poets.
\nIt is weird, isn't?<\/p>\n
They (the contemporary poets) do not follow the forefathers
\nbecause the contemporary Indonesian poets prefer to look to the
\nWest as a reference.<\/p>\n
I think the issue of the government system should also become
\na subject matter for poets.<\/p>\n
I have written a poem for the statue of Pangeran Diponegoro. I
\nalso want to make poems about our oceans, whose resources have
\nnot been used for the good of the people. I want to write a
\ncriticism of our government, which I think is continuing the
\nsystem of the Dutch colonialists.<\/p>\n
Through poems I criticize development that does not benefit
\nthe people and that ignores social and cultural issues.<\/p>\n
It is normal for a colonial ruler to ignore those aspects, but
\nafter independence we have to work on the social and cultural
\naspects.<\/p>\n
I think the present government is continuing the practices of
\nthe New Order and the Old Order governments.<\/p>\n
What will you do?<\/p>\n
I must enlighten the people, but now I can only speak through
\nseminars and talk with the House of Representatives (DPR). There
\nis not enough time.<\/p>\n
I must continue and improve my spirit. My poems will also
\ntouch this theme -- the government system. Anytime there is moral
\ndecadence, poets have to react.<\/p>\n
If there is natural devastation, poets have to react. If there
\nis failure in the government, many poets say that it is not their
\nbusiness. I do not agree.<\/p>\n
Prapanca or Panuluh did not say that. Mpu Sedah and
\nRonggowarsito did not say that.<\/p>\n
The modern Indonesian poets follow the line of the western
\npoets -- l'art pour l'art (art for art's sake). It is weird. The
\nreference is a foreign country.<\/p>\n
The foreign poets have their own history and we have our own.<\/p>\n
Being given a long life, I thought that you may protest to
\nGod. But, you say there are many things to do.<\/p>\n
I do not protest. I motivate myself. I have been given a long
\nlife and facility from Allah, so I have to spend it for good
\nthings.<\/p>\n
You have lived through the governments of Sukarno, Soeharto
\nand the Reform era of today. I think, the content of the
\nnewspaper is more or less the same -- it is about the government
\nthat does not benefit the people. Do you still have an interest
\nin monitoring social and political conditions?<\/p>\n
We have to be consistent and smart. It is part of (our)
\npartisanship. One must not get fed up with the current conditions
\nbecause it will have an effect on the lives of future
\ngenerations.<\/p>\n
About the electoral dispute in Depok, you supported Nurmahmudi
\nIsmail from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Why?<\/p>\n
As a resident of Depok, I know (from the vote tally) that he
\n(Nurmahmudi) had won the election.<\/p>\n
Many people (who support Nurmahmudi including members of the
\nBengkel Teater) were not invited to vote. But, Badrul Kamal
\n(Nurmahmudi's competitor) manipulated the facts, saying that many
\nof his supporters were not registered as voters.<\/p>\n
And this claim has been validated through a decision of the
\nHigh Court in Bandung.<\/p>\n
My wife did not vote, but I voted for Nurmahmudi. Those who
\ndid not exercise their voting rights say that if they exercised
\ntheir right they would not vote for Badrul Kamal.<\/p>\n
They strongly reject the assumption that they are supporters
\nof Badrul Kamal. Given this condition, the High Court should not
\nback Badrul's claim.<\/p>\n
I will not belittle my intelligence and accept this condition.
\nThis is jaman edan, ewuh oyo ing pambudi (an era of craziness
\nwhere people lose their analytical skill and common sense).<\/p>\n
That is my answer. It is an understandable response for me to
\nsupport Nurmahmudi, not because I am a member of PKS.<\/p>\n
It is impossible for me to join PKS. For me, PKS is a party
\nwith an unclear platform.
\n
\n Why?<\/p>\n
Because the PKS has no policy that supports the people.<\/p>\n
When people are evicted and forced to move from their home and
\nthey get no legal protection, PKS does not offer help.<\/p>\n
When there is unemployment, the political parties including
\nPKS do not respond.<\/p>\n
This means that you support Nurmahmudi as a person?<\/p>\n
Yes, and of course (I support) his right. I do not know his
\ncaliber yet. We need to watch closely.<\/p>\n
I think the fact that the electoral dispute has not been
\nsettled reflects the low quality of our government system.<\/p>\n
I will not join political parties because their attitude is
\nthe same. There is no political party that reacted to the
\nincrease in the salary of House members.<\/p>\n
The salary rise means more income for the political parties.
\nThe House is only a haven for unemployed people.<\/p>\n
If the government system is a continuation of the Dutch
\ncolonial administration, then how do you see freedom of
\nexpression? Does the government still impose bans on cultural
\nperformances?<\/p>\n
There is freedom of expression. However, the worst thing
\nhappened to (human right activist) Munir.<\/p>\n
Now, the problem of the arts and cultural activities is money
\n-- the economic aspect. Everything focuses on commercialism.<\/p>\n
Advertisements also outnumber the cultural pages in
\nnewspapers.<\/p>\n
Those are the things that I have not finished doing - my
\ncriticism of the government and development system.<\/p>\n
Seeing these conditions, how do you see our future?<\/p>\n
There is a hope. It is not because of the quality of the
\ngovernment or the political parties. It is because the young
\ngeneration has started to understand social knowledge,
\npsychology, linguistics and anthropology. There is hope.<\/p>\n
How do you view killing in the name of religion?<\/p>\n
Killing is considered a holy action. What is the reference?
\nWhich holy book? It is weird. It discredits Islam. Is Islam the
\nreligion of barbaric people?<\/p>\n
I also hear that there was a Christian family who was expelled
\nfrom their house for organizing a prayer (meeting). Here, I often
\norganize prayers at home peacefully.<\/p>\n
Does it mean that a Muslim is allowed to organize a prayer and
\nothers are not allowed?<\/p>\n
In your opinion, why do people take that kind of action?<\/p>\n
I think it is a narrow perception of religion. It may also be
\na politicization of religion.<\/p>\n
That is the weaknesses of the majority. The majority is often
\ncareless. They are often greedy.<\/p>\n
There are many killings done in the name of religion. Do you
\nregret becoming a Muslim?<\/p>\n
No, I do not embrace the society, but Islam. My faith is not
\nin the society, but in Allah. Ulema must be more critical of the
\nsociety and develop Islamic teachings, not develop the value of
\nthe Islamic party.<\/p>\n
In a multireligious country like Indonesia, there is the view
\nthat religion should not be used to settle problems. What do you
\nthink?<\/p>\n
As long as regulations are not solid, we still need religion.<\/p>\n
At the age of 70 you still look healthy. How do you maintain
\nyour health? Is it because you drink tea regularly?<\/p>\n
This is not tea. This is taken from leaves on the mountains in
\nthe Himalayas and China. Local people take the herbs on the
\nmountains and make them into beverages that benefit the kidney,
\nliver, colon, heart, pancreas and other organs.<\/p>\n
Researchers have then found that the leaves also have a
\nsimilar composition. I do not know the distributor of this drink
\nhere. I get it from my students in Sydney.<\/p>\n
I eat vegetables, but not all vegetables. I take the ones that
\nare suited to my blood group. I am concerned about diet. I had
\nreduced rice since the age of 35. That is why at the age of 60 I
\nwas not this fat. I started to become fat at 65.<\/p>\n
Of course, there must also be a culture for the body. I join
\nthe Bangau Putih exercise group. I maintain a diet and do light
\nexercise. I do not use barbells or jog.<\/p>\n
I follow the rhythm of age. I do not deny my age. I do not
\ndrink coffee or regular tea. Sometimes, I drink tea from Mount
\nLawu and Garut. I do not drink alcohol.<\/p>\n
And of course, having sex.<\/p>\n
Having sex refreshes our body and mind. Once a week is enough.
\nTwice a week seems to be fun. When I was still 50 years old, I
\nhad sex three times a day. Eating three times a day; having sex
\nthree times a day.<\/p>\n
Do you still read newspapers and watch television every day?<\/p>\n
The Holy Koran. I read randomly.<\/p>\n
Occasionally, I check a draft of my writing. If I have the
\nmood to do so, I will write. Then I go out of my room and read
\nnewspapers, watch television or phone colleagues.<\/p>\n
Often, journalists come interview me. Students and workers
\nalso come. I get information from social interaction.<\/p>\n
Do you still read poems or speak at seminars out of town or
\noverseas?<\/p>\n
I have not reduced my travel because that is my source of
\nincome. I earn an income from poetry reading or speaking at
\nseminars. I set a fee.<\/p>\n
Traveling offers me the opportunity to support my life here.<\/p>\n
Is there a database of your creations?<\/p>\n
I often receive criticism about this. I had promised to make
\nit years ago. Some of my files were destroyed in heavy rain.<\/p>\n
Some of my files are also kept in a university in Cologne,
\nGermany. A friend of mine from Germany gave me money for the
\ntrash.<\/p>\n
Later, I found out that some of my poems are also stored in
\nuniversities overseas.<\/p>\n
Do you plan to stage a play in the near future?<\/p>\n
That is a problem. The cost for rehearsals is high because of
\ntransportation. When I was in Yogyakarta, there was no
\ntransportation fee.<\/p>\n
They came for rehearsal on foot or by bike. But, now, it is
\nimpossible.<\/p>\n
The cost of the lighting and sound system is also high. It
\ncould reach Rp 50 million. The cost of staging Sobrat, for
\nexample, was about Rp 400 million.<\/p>\n
It is impossible for me to do it again, because I suffered
\nfinancial losses. I pushed through with Sobrat for the sake of
\nregeneration. I lost Rp 9 million. I lost Rp 18 million for other
\nperformances in the past.<\/p>\n
I must have a savings of about Rp 25 million before staging a
\nplay. It functions as a financial reserve, otherwise I will not
\nhave money to pay for possible loss.<\/p>\n
I will not accept a contract below Rp 400 million. Today, it
\nis difficult to get a contract above Rp 500 million. The company
\ngets no return from it but only maintains its image.<\/p>\n
What is your fee<\/p>\n
Everything is already clear when there is an invitation for an
\noverseas tour. I will get a per diem allowance and fees.<\/p>\n
My charge for a poetry reading here is Rp 25 million. I get Rp
\n10 million for speaking at seminars.<\/p>\n
That is my fee now. But, if there is another fuel price hike,
\nI will make an adjustment.<\/p>\n
People must understand. I set the rate because I need to pay
\nfor electricity, phone bills, my children's education, medical
\ncheckups and other expenses. That is why I set the rate.<\/p>\n
People often do not view my activities as work. This is crazy.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ws-rendra-70-and-still-going-strong-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }