'Bom' an explosive metaphor for the times

By Kartika Bagus C.

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): The chilling words rang out in the closing scene of a recent performance by Kelompok Tonil Klosed (Kloearga Sedjahtera).

"Bombs everywhere: at churches, in the markets, in schools and even in the President's mouth."

Bom (Bom), performed at the arena theater at Taman Budaya Surakarta with a simple stage setting, successfully kept the audience enthralled.

It was a tale of the times, a reflection not only on the terrible fear and destruction wrought by the mysterious bomb blasts in Jakarta, Medan and other cities during the past year, but also the societal ills which have provided fertile ground for evil to prosper.

It told of how the truth can be manipulated, when forces ("certain parties" in newspeak) create situations to keep the public ignorant of the terrible deeds being committed around them.

The performance began with a report from headquarters that the enemy would shortly attack the country and the population was therefore told to be prepared. The headquarters also sent a commander to train the locals, who were known to nurture a high sense of nationalism and were therefore prepared to serve as war volunteers.

The locals were trained day and night to be capable soldiers. Meanwhile, the wives of the volunteer soldiers enthusiastically took part in the preparations for war by making food for their husbands and washing their uniforms.

Their enthusiasm fanned an extraordinarily strong, almost jingoistic nationalism. Merrily and seemingly without any burden, they took up the training to turn them into professional soldiers.

Thanks to the highly disciplined commander, the subordinates participated in several mock battles intended to make them really ready for the real fight. Locals who used to be able only to till the land now had the courage -- some would say callousness -- to take someone's life.

After two years went by, the locals began to show signs of boredom because the enemy had not yet arrived. What was worse, they no longer received reports from the central headquarters. They became jittery and worried, while their wives began to feel exasperated as their husbands, due to their great fatigue, no longer paid any attention to the family.

As a result, small-scale rebellions occurred. The commander was at a loss what to do in order to quell the rebellions. A meeting of the commanders was held at the central government and they came up with a surprising decision: the bomb issue had been specially cooked up to quell the rebellions because the enemy had already infiltrated the locals, who were then required to be on the alert.

The performance that night was laden with satire about the condition of the Indonesian people: narrow-minded nationalism, soldiers losing legitimacy in the eyes of the public and the disordered condition of this nation.

But as everything was delivered in a fresh comic way, the satire hit home without necessarily being too prominent throughout the performance.

The circular arena was packed and the audience did not leave their seats until the two-hour performance ended.

The Tonil Group was established on April 20, 1998, and its Bom performance successfully highlighted the talents of its members like Udin UPW, Cristian, Tri Komando, RSW Lawu, S. Subagyo and Sosiawan Leak. All of them contributed fresh improvisation during the performance.

Bom was adapted from Perang (War), a play manuscript by Puntung CM Pudjadi reflecting the present condition of the country, said Sosiawan Leak, the director and actor in this performance. He added that it had been staged twice earlier, at the auditorium of UMS and in the context of the Cuk Durasim Festival in Surabaya in October 2000.

"In principle, the Tonil Group will always seek to bring the theater closer to the public," he said. "That is why its performances have taken place in a number of public places such as terminals, railway stations, orphanages, jails, night bazaars and rural fields."

With this approach, Sosiawan said, Klosed tends to cater to the needs of the public.

"We don't wish to complicate our message in a struggle for symbolism. Instead, we've utilized theater materials and instruments which are highly familiar to the public.