'Bom' an explosive metaphor for the times

'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.