Artists brave quake grief to showcase their culture

Artists brave quake grief to showcase their culture

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Artists must be blessed with unique skills in order to deal with bad news and grief.

While their neighbors weep at their devastated homes and the loss of loved ones, Nabire artists wake up amid the ruins and set to work.

Twenty-four artists, including an eight-year-old girl, went through a long, six-day journey to reach Jakarta from their hometown Nabire, a coastal regency of West Papua that until today is still being hit by earthquakes.

"We rarely have a chance to showcase our traditional art and culture in Jakarta so I think it's a really great honor. That's why we are here, although many people know how bad is it back there, in our hometown," 52-year-old Agustina Modouw said.

Abroad, Nabire artists have earned special attention in Taiwan where they are contracted to perform for six months, starting in January. This contract is a renewal from previous years.

Agustina leads the group and has choreographed most of the dances and songs to be performed in Jakarta, at the invitation of the Jakarta Arts Council. The council is holding the first ever Art'Suku Kencan Budaya Nusantara, or Art'Suku Archipelagic Cultural Rendezvous.

For the show, scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 19, there are several dances that are going to be performed: Cendrawasih, which portrays the beauty of the bird used as the provincial symbol, Tifa dan Anak Panak, a traditional musical instrument that resembles a drum and bow, and a war dance.

Although not the traditional performances, Agustina has based all her work on local traditions. "The themes are very local, by highlighting our dear bird, our war culture and also the lives of young people there," Agustina said.

There are several ethnic subgroups in Nabire that have their own distinctive characteristics, including their art and culture. They include the Mee, Yaur, Yerisiam, Napan and Mor Mambor tribes. Agustina has tried to embrace the differences between them within her works.

Preparations for the show had been made long before the earthquakes that first hit Nabire on Nov. 26 ( check date). They shattered all the careful work that had been done.

Not only the preparations, but also the art center building that was destroyed by the force of the quake. Musical instruments, computers, a handicraft collection, trophies and important documents were all ruined.

"Thank God, our costumes were not destroyed. We were lucky" Agustina said optimistically.

During their journey by sea the group worked on fixing their musical instruments and props.

Agustina suffered an additional setback when her suitcase was stolen. "So I could only wear the clothes that I'd put into my handbag," she said.

"The loss of my suitcase and my best dresses didn't sap my morale to give my best in our performances to our audiences here," she said, laughing.

Agustina's spirit seems to have spread to other group members as they rehearsed with enthusiasm, determined to showcase aspects of their culture.

The group of artists from Nabire will perform at Art'Suku Kencan Budaya Nusantara at Graha Bhakti Budaya in Taman Ismail Marzuki compound in Cikini on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m.