A humbug culture
A humbug culture
This nation loves parades. Ostentatious exhibitionism filled
with highfalutin fanfare.
Everything prepped for a moment of exuberance, but little
ensuing substance. The morning after, with the recollection of
mock dreams and unpaid bills, the hangover hits.
There was another parade recently. This time to inaugurate the
Arts and Culture Festival Year 2005/2006. Indonesia's most
important and powerful figures were all there: The President,
vice president, Jakarta governor and at least four Cabinet
ministers.
It seemed like an important event. It should have been an
important event. So why was coverage of the parade so limited? So
much so that most Jakartans were oblivious to it.
How wonderful it would have been for our children to witness
the parade, which represented the country's best traditional
arts.
One is reminded of the annual parades that used to take place
in the 1970s and early 1980s, and which became a community event
in the capital with residents from all walks of life lining up to
witness the festivities.
None of that spontaneous enthusiasm was evident during
Sunday's event. Perhaps, because the parade was held in front of
Merdeka Palace, security became the utmost concern, hence a
smaller crowd would have posed fewer risks.
But what does that say about future events (festivals) when
the inauguratory, and arguably, most important, parade attracted
so little attention.
The limited public interest in the parade may be symptomatic
of the new culture of exclusivity that is encroaching on this
nation.
The Arts and Culture Festival Year was a good idea on paper.
It could have helped preserve our heritage and educate the
younger generation about our rich culture. If well planned and
advertised, it could have also been a potent marketing tool to
attract tourists.
Most of all, it was a missed opportunity to highlight all that
is good about Indonesia.
The traditional arts are a manifestation of the core cultural
values that make up this pluralistic nation. It is not a simple
case of movement and music. They are a representation of what
Indonesians value most -- philosophically and ethically.
The word "culture" is derived from the Latin cultura meaning
cultivation of the soil. Presently it refers to a way of life --
both material and spiritual -- of a particular society.
In other words, getting to know what matters and most concerns
the people. Values that celebrate mutual respect, tolerance and
homage to a mightier being.
To simplify our arts and culture to a drum rhythm or the
composition of a dance is to belittle their significance.
A true understanding of our culture (and its arts) would
reveal a deeper comprehension of our nation as a plurally
tolerant community, unswayed by politically defined racial or
religious divisions.
Take for example the Dero dance in Central Sulawesi, which is
usually performed by a community together during the harvest
celebrations known as Padungku. It exemplifies the cohesion of a
society bound by common values.
Today the Dero can be easily learned by our young, but in
places like Poso where the dance originated, no longer are there
harvest celebrations. The kinship of communities there has been
torn apart by communal conflict.
It is pompous to perform that dance here in Jakarta, for
example, if the indigenous communities it hailed from are more
eager to perform a dance of death.
English poet Matthew Arnold said "men of culture are the true
apostles of equality".
That is the essence that we must aspire to when preserving and
promoting our culture.
By doing so, we acquaint ourselves with the best of the
nation's spirit. A foundation for evolving a peaceful and
pluralistic Indonesia of tomorrow.
To paraphrase Charles Darwin: The highest possible stage in
moral culture is when we are aware enough to manage our thoughts.