'Becak' drivers entertain themselves in 'ketoprak' group

'Becak' drivers entertain themselves in 'ketoprak' group

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post/Yogyakarta

A group of becak (pedicab) drivers here have a unique way of
entertaining themselves. Realizing that they could not afford to
enjoy the existing entertainment spots, they formed their own
group of entertainers, the Wahyu Mataram Ketoprak group.

Established nine years ago, this traditional Javanese drama
group was set up initially to create a medium for its members,
mostly becak drivers on Jl. Kusumanegara, to entertain and
express themselves.

The group has a weekly rehearsal every Monday evening, during
which, all the members of the group gather and rehearse a
ketoprak play.

If lucky, they can be hired to work parties. Thus, while
entertaining themselves they can earn additional income of Rp
50,000 to Rp 200,000 per gig.

"Being a member of this group really means something to me. I
find it very refreshing and releasing, especially after a long
day of working on the becak," Sukir, 50, a driver from
Tempel subdistrict, Sleman, told The Jakarta Post after their
weekly rehearsal recently.

Sukir, who has been on the job for years, said it would be
very difficult for him to enjoy entertainment at his own expense.
What he earns from pedaling the becak can only fulfill the basic
needs of his wife and two children.

"It's quite impossible for a family like us to have proper
family recreation unless it's free. We just don't have the money
to afford it," said Sukir, an elementary school dropout.

It was Dirjo Tambur, now 72, who in 1996 initiated the
ketoprak group with becak drivers as its main members. He was
inspired while accompanying his wife selling the famous
Yogyakarta gudeg (young jackfruit cooked in coconut milk with
spices, usually served with rice) on Jl. Kusumanegara.

He said he felt very concerned while witnessing the becak
drivers treat each other badly and get into serious brawls on a
regular basis.

What was no less disconcerting, according to him, was that,
with their relatively small earnings, most of them could only pay
for their daily basic needs. They did not have enough money to
pay for family entertainment or recreation.

"They did not even have time to think of such secondary needs.
They spent all their time working to fulfill their daily needs,"
Dirjo explained.

Moved by this sad state of affairs, Dirjo was inspired to
create something entertaining for the becak driver community that
did not require them to pay for it.

"Because the only thing I could do was ketoprak, I decided to
teach them to do it also," he said.

To start off, Dirjo visited each of the becak drivers he knew.
One by one they were encouraged to join him, practicing ketoprak
at his house in Janturan village.

What he did soon became very popular among the becak community
along Jl. Kusumanegara. More and more joined in and eventually
there were 60 drivers in the group.

Dirjo taught them in groups. How to play the role of king, how
to fight a knight, or how to act as an antagonistic character --
and all at no cost to them. And that was not all. He also spent
his own money to pay for their drinks and snacks while they
"studied".

"But it was alright for me. I did it happily. And money cannot
buy happiness, can it?" Dirjo stated.

Thanks to the weekly rehearsals, within a month the group was
able to put on a real performance. Since then, they often
perform, not just in Yogyakarta but also in the neighboring town
of Klaten, Central Java.

Yet, due to the decreasing popularity of the traditional art
performance these days, currently the group performs for money
just two or three times a year.

"We are paid Rp 3 million to Rp 5 million per performance,"
group leader Marjono said.

He also said that apart from the commercial performances, the
group was also scheduled to perform routinely twice a year. Those
performances, according to Marjono, were usually put on at the
house of one of the members.

"Anyone in the group can volunteer to host the performance,"
said Marjono who has now switched jobs and become a construction
worker.

Sometimes, when a member of the group has a party at his place
and he wants to host a performance, the rest of the group
performs voluntarily.

In addition, according to Marjono, members of the group are
changing all the time. One goes out, and another one will join
in. Their occupations, too, have expanded to include other lines
of work such as vegetable vendors, farmers and construction
workers. Currently there are 25 members in the group.

Surtinah, 28, a vegetable vendor at Kotagede traditional
market, joined the group five years ago and said that she was
attracted to join initially just to kill time. Yet, she said, it
turned out to be very interesting.

"Here I can also make and meet friends. Now they are like my
own brothers and sisters," Surtinah said.

Around two years ago, Wahyu Mataram was regularly scheduled to
play at the Sekaten Night Market held annually, in accordance
with the Javanese calendar, to observe the birth of the Prophet
Mohammad.

"Yet, since the night market was changed into the Jogja Expo
Sekaten (JES), we have no longer been invited to play at the
event," Marjono said, expressing hope that local government
officials would change their minds.