Benyamin Sueb helps preserve Betawi culture

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Benyamin Sueb, popularly known as Benyamin S., a rather ordinary seeming Betawi (indigenous Jakartan) man was catapulted into stardom with the humorous lyrics of a song titled Ondel-Ondel.

The song tells about a joyous Ondel-Ondel parade led by people dancing inside the huge Ondel-Ondel body puppets of the Betawi people. This art activity is held by Betawi Udik (villagers) on special occasions.

The singer, Benyamin, instilled the song with a great deal of humor and merriment by using a blend of the Gambang Kromong Betawi music genre and pop music. Benyamin's song of the early 1970s was particularly popular because the lyrics invited a direct and spontaneous dialog with audiences.

"Previously, only villagers living in rural areas outside of Jakarta would listen to such a song, or watch the Gambang Kromong or lenong (traditional drama) shows," Benyamin said during an interview, while filming the movie Mat Beken on location in Parung, 20 kilometers south of Jakarta.

Urban people were reluctant to listen to such music because they were afraid of being regarded as kampungan or countrified, added the artist who once worked at the Jakarta Military Commander Office.

It was not until the late 1960s that Betawi traditions began to be widely recognized as a part of Indonesian culture. Although he was not a pioneer, Benyamin, 55, played a very significant role in bringing the Betawi traditions into the Indonesian cultural mainstream along with other local ethnic customs.

At present, Benyamin and the Betawi culture are inseparable in the minds of the public. When people talk about Betawi people and culture, they will undoubtedly refer to Benyamin and his works.

Simple, humorous, spontaneous, cheerful are the main characteristics of the Betawi people. And all of these are appropriately embodied in Benyamin both when he is on stage and in his daily routine.

Many of his songs, most containing anecdotes, clearly portray the way of life of the Betawi people, as well as borrowing from Betawi folklore. Si Jampang, Kompor Bledug, Tukang Kredit and Nyai Dasima are among the popular and often influential tunes he has produced.

His song Ondel-Ondel even inspired the Jakarta administration to declare the traditional puppets as the city's mascots. Other forms of Betawi art, including Lenong, Tanjidor, Gambang Kromong, or even modern films or theater performances exploring the roots of Betawi tradition as background themes, are now enjoying popularity.

A number private television stations, are currently broadcasting programs with Betawi themes. These television programs, such as Lenong Rumpi (on RCTI), Lenong Bocah (TPI),Nurlela (SCTV) and Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (RCTI) have gained wide popularity among viewers nationwide.

"As a matter of fact, I just wanted to be called an Indonesian artist. But, my palm lines indicated the reverse. People have come to recognize me as a Betawi artist because I keep singing Betawi songs. But, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I have found a gold mine in this field," laughed the singer who has released 20 albums.

Rock `n' roll

Benyamin's music career started in l957, when he established a pop band called Melodi Ria with Rachmat Kartolo, a famous singer and movie star of the l960s and l970s, and Bill Saragih, now a prominent jazz musician. He often played with the late Jack Lesmana, one of Indonesia's jazz pioneers.

"We played rock `n' roll music by Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and other western musicians at a number of night clubs and restaurants in Jakarta and other cities," said Benyamin, who also once worked as a bus conductor.

His music career almost faded when the late President Sukarno banned any ngak-ngik-ngok (western) music in the early 1960s. A number of artists, including the members of Koes Bersaudara (now Koes Plus), were sent to jail for playing rock `n' roll music and adopting the long hair and tight pants favored by western music groups.

"I was very frustrated at that time, but suddenly I got the idea to perform Betawi music, while the other musicians also went back to their own ethnic music. Javanese artists played Javanese music, Batak (North Sumatra) musicians performed their melodious traditional songs. I am Betawi, therefore I had to foster my own culture," Benyamin exclaimed.

Born 55 years ago to a middle-class Betawi couple, H. Suaeb and Siti Aisyah, of Kemayoran, Benyamin became familiar with Betawi traditional music and keroncong, Portuguese style music.

"Kemayoran was once the city's center for local keroncong musicians," said Benyamin, who has a singing voice ranging from baritone to bass.

Even so, he had to walk a rocky path to introduce Betawi music to a wider audience. "At that time, I was quite pessimistic and found no way to win the hearts of audiences. Everybody seemed to refuse this musical style. TVRI, the only state-owned television company, and RRI, the state-owned radio station, banned my songs because they considered the Betawi language too vulgar," he complained.

The use of Betawi language terms such as elu (you), gue (I),Pale lu peyang (mind your head), were seen as a bad influence on the Indonesian language.

But, his humorous and satirical songs finally began to draw a large audience from the lower-middle to upper classes of society.

One music critic has commented that Benyamin's songs appeal to many people from all walks of life because of his humorous style. This is also an aspect of the Indonesian public's eventual acceptance of Betawi culture, its tradition and vocabulary as well, the critic said.

"Now, many young people from Sabang (the westernmost city in Aceh province) to Merauke (the easternmost city in Irian Jaya province) try to master the Betawi language in order to be called modern people," Benyamin said proudly.

His star truly began to shine when he had the opportunity to perform duets with female pop artists like Rita Zahara, Inneke Kusumawatie, Herlina and Ida Royani. His recordings of Betawi songs with Ida Royani were particularly popular.

After he gained popularity as a prominent Betawi singer, Benyamin took a look at the possibilities in the world of film.

It was the noted director Syumandjaya who discovered Benyamin's natural acting talent. The director, who died a few years later, cast him in the role of a tacky Betawi man who was struggling to keep up with the modernization process in a film called Si Doel Anak Modern. In this film, Benyamin played opposite of prominent actress Christine Hakim. This satirical comedy won both Benyamin and Syumandjaya prestigious Citra awards as best actor and best director (l976).

"I owe much to Syumandjaya for encouraging me to plunge into the film world. He knew how to deal with my "strange character". He wrote scenarios as if they were only intended for me," explained Benyamin.

His strong acting skills paved a golden road ahead for his film career. He played in a large number films, becoming one of Indonesia's most popular actors in the mid l970s, when the Indonesian film industry had its golden years.

"Now, the local film industry is collapsing. We should be creative to seek other sources. Most film artists are now moving to TV series (locally known as sinetron)," said Benyamin who has starred in a number of popular series, such as Si Doel Anak Sekolahan, which is based on a Betawi theme.

Many film critics say that the strength of Si Doel mostly lies in the apt portrayal of Babe Sabeni (by Benyamin) and Mandra (by Mandra).

He said that he was glad that the Si Doel series broadcast by RCTI, has become one of the favorite local television series nationwide. He is currently working on two other series, both exploiting Betawi culture. The first is Mat Beken for the TPI educational television station, and the second is Begaye FM to be shown on RCTI early next month.

"Thank God, I always receive so many orders. My schedule is so tight. All my prosperity comes from Allah, therefore we have to use it properly otherwise He will take it back from us," smiled Benyamin, who just completed his 12th Haj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The secret to the recent success of this father of eight children lies in his painstaking endeavor to promote Betawi culture. " Diligence and consistency are means with which to triumph in our lives," he added.

Benyamin, a drop-out of a Bank Academy, went on to say that he keeps reading and monitoring current news to widen his horizons. "It is important for an artist to learn as many subject as possible. Many people always think that Betawi people are lazy, but I want to erase this image," Benyamin said.

Having been involved in the entertainment world for more than 30 years, Benyamin feels that he should be retiring in the near future.

"Most Betawi artists are now in their 50s and 60s. We need a regeneration process to replace us. We are now grooming new talents by involving young Betawi artists in my projects," said the all-round artist, who is also popular as a master of ceremonies, a talk show host, a film producer and a radio station owner.

He said that it is very difficult to find new Betawi artists due to social obstacles. "Most Betawi families will not allow their children to pursue careers in the entertainment scene," Benyamin said.

Betawi people are very religious. Many families prefer their children to seek careers as ulemas, he said.

"But, I feel optimistic that Betawi arts and culture will remain alive if our younger generation continues our tireless efforts," he concluded.