Yogyakarta's humanist punks rock on<\/p>\n
By Tedy Novan<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Punk may be dead in the West, but it is
\nburgeoning in Yogyakarta. Members of one punk community, know as
\nBlackboots, are an everyday sight here.<\/p>\n
Following in the tradition of some 20 years ago, the punks
\nsport eye-catching 'Mohican' hair styles, with spiky, dyed hair
\nin the middle of shaven scalps. Tight jeans, black military-style
\nboots and tattoos complete their trade mark facade. An image
\nclosely associated with rebellion has deliberately been chosen by
\nthe community.<\/p>\n
But while the universal appearance of punks may be similar,
\ndifferent groupings claim to stand for a variety of different
\ncauses.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, the \"alternative community,\" as the 85 members
\ndescribe their group, stands for \"a culture of opposition and
\nanti-fascism\".<\/p>\n
Musical members of the community have formed a band with the
\nsame name, Blackboots.<\/p>\n
The community was founded by three students from the
\nIndonesian Arts Institute (ISI). Group activities range from
\ndiscussions on art, culture and politics, to the organization of
\nmusical performances, the production of comics, and holding
\npainting exhibitions.<\/p>\n
Saptoraharjo, a 27-year-old student activist and one of the
\ncommunity's founders, says that members sport military boots as
\nan \"anti-militarism\" statement.<\/p>\n
The membership consists of students from Yogyakarta's many
\ninstitutes of higher education, such as the Indonesian Arts
\nInstitute (ISI), Gadjah Mada University and Atma Jaya University.<\/p>\n
Since its inception in Nov. 1996, the community has grown into
\na company-like entity.<\/p>\n
Music aside, the group is most famous for its members' skill
\nin the art of tattooing. A small tattooing business is run from
\nthe community headquarters located in a small building in the
\ntourist village of Sosrowijayan. They have received many
\ncommissions for tattoos and have also held workshops on the
\nsubject, besides displaying them on their own bodies.<\/p>\n
\"Although we have tattoos, Blackboots are not a bunch of
\nuncivilized delinquents,\" says red-headed Aries Manyul, a
\nguitarist in the band.<\/p>\n
The tattoo business run by the group raises enough money to
\nfund their activities and to set aside some savings, members say.<\/p>\n
The secret of their success is the vitality and energy of the
\ncommunity members. \"Everyone must be creative and productive, no
\none is allowed to be idle,\" Aries added.<\/p>\n
Many similar communities lack creativity, he said, and do not
\nhelp their members because they tend to become gangs. This leads
\nto negative publicity and enhances the poor opinion held by the
\nelder generation toward the young, he said<\/p>\n
The community also produces a comic book in English and
\nIndonesian entitled Bad Times Story. The comic sells for Rp 1,000
\nper copy and has been reprinted nine times, with each print run
\nconsisting of 200 copies.<\/p>\n
\"Our comic stories are characterized by the opposition of good
\nand evil, played by angels and the devil,\" said Saptoraharjo, the
\nauthor of Bad Times Story.<\/p>\n
The community band often tours other cities in Indonesia,
\njoining with acts from other parts of the country. They also
\nregularly perform on university campuses in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
The community claim to have branches in Bandung, Jakarta and
\nSolo. Initially only young people were interested in the group,
\nbut interest is now spreading to older people. One member is an
\nAmerican-trained female doctor who often visits Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We might grow and function as a party,\" says a very
\noptimistic Saptoraharjo.<\/p>\n
Despite their obvious success, they say they have not yet
\nachieved their goal of changing the image of rebellious
\nyoungsters among the older generation. After all, they admit that
\nsome of them do drink alcohol, although they claim to say their
\nprayers regularly too.<\/p>\n
Saptoraharjo, the vocalist in the band, says the only way to
\nchange the image of rebellious youngsters is \"to continue to be
\ncreative and productive,\" and people may eventually view them in
\na better light.<\/p>\n
In common with themes prevalent in their comics and songs, the
\ngroup's philosophy, Saptoraharjo explained, is to acknowledge
\ndiversity. Not \"to allow the definition of opposition, true or
\nfalse, good or bad, because ... everyone's assessment is
\ndifferent.\"<\/p>\n
\"We identify ourselves as a group of humanists,\" added Aries.<\/p>\n
A glimpse inside their headquarters reveals a little more
\nabout what they are trying to achieve. A poster of Che Guevara, a
\npast symbol of struggle among the young, and other posters with a
\nsimilar message have been hung on the wall.<\/p>\n
Saptoraharjo refers to a \"punk spirituality\" -- freedom
\nexpressed in creativity, of which they apparently found little in
\ntheir previous environments.<\/p>\n
The basic message, says Saptoraharjo while pointing to a
\nslogan on a t-shirt, is \"fight the system!\". And that perhaps
\nsums up both their advocacy of the tattoo, commonly associated by
\nthe public with criminal elements in society, and their goal to
\neducate the public using their own message, that some things may
\nnot be what they seem to be.<\/p>",
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