Children's books industry struggling

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Do not be surprised if many Indonesian children are more familiar with Western superheroes Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Japanese space cat Doraemon, Cinderella or Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck than local characters like Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih.

The reason is clear. Today's children are widely exposed to foreign characters from an early age through books, films and merchandise.

Local children's books are rarely found in Jakarta's bookstores which display mostly translated versions of foreign comics and children's books like Ninja Turtles, Kungfu Boy, Smurf, Disney's series like Mickey Mouse, or movie tie-in products like Lion King, Pocahontas, Aladdin, Little Mermaid or Toy Story. Local children's books like Sangkuriang, Lutung Kesarung, Si Leungsi or Malin Kundang will be found in the corner of the display room.

Several people, including Murti Bunanta, an avid observer of children's books, are concerned about this.

"It is discouraging to let foreign and translated books dominate the market. There are too many comics and translations," Murti said.

Murti has just obtained a doctorate in children's literature from the University of Indonesia.

Translated books are good because children can absorb other countries' cultures and traditions, Murti said.

"But, children should also learn about their own culture and values, all of which can be drawn through folk stories and other native sources," Murti said.

Problems arise because they have no chance to get such information, Murti said.

Gone are the days when parents passed on centuries-old bed time stories to their children and local children's books are scarce.

"How can we introduce our children to local cultures if we don't fill their memories with such material. People should not blame children for choosing Western heroes as their idols," she said.

The situation was not so alarming in the early l970s when the production of domestic books flourished. Many talented writers including Soekanto, Moch. Sobary and Djoko Lelono produced many good books for children. Government supports were also there. Under the Presidential Instruction, thousands of books were published to provide children with cheap and interesting books.

In the early l980s, foreign and translated books started dominating the market overshadowing domestic ones. No official numbers are available, but the production of local books has gradually decreased.

Difficulty

The head of the children's fiction section of publisher PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Listiana Srisanti, said local books were rare now.

"Publishers actually face no problem in producing local children's books since we have a lot of sources. But how can we sell them in this tight market currently dominated by translated foreign books," Listiana said.

The local market is shaped by the demands and trends of young readers, she said.

Listiana agreed that the l970s was the best period for local children's and teenagers' books.

"But the trend is changing. Fiction no longer appeals to young readers. They prefer to read comics which are visually more attractive," she said.

Gramedia encouraged local writers to submit work but only a few responded, she said.

The company has also produced a series of folk tales including the Balinese story Pangeran Katak, the Prince of Frog, Si Leungli, Sangkuriang, Lutung Kasarung from West Java, Cindelaras and Jaka Tarub from East Java.

"Publishers must subsidize 50 percent of production and overhead costs if we want to produce such books. For the time being it is still too costly," Listiana said.

Translated books are easier to make.

She said several foreign publishers offered samples regularly. "We need about a month of negotiation before we decide to translate one of their products," she said.

The negotiations include payment fees, royalties and other necessary agreements.

More than 50 percent of the company's children's books are translated Disney products.

"We must admit many foreign books deal with a large variety of subject matters which can enhance children's imagination and knowledge," she said.

PT Elex Media Komputindo's children's book editor, Retno Kristy, said her company wanted to provide a wide range of books which were informative but appealing to children.

Elex published a series of Misteri Alam (natural mystery) books, which describe various natural phenomenon simply and informatively. Attractive illustrations have helped children understand the books' contents better than school text books, she said.

These visual books are intended to complement school text books.

The company has also published more than 1,400 comic and children's book titles since l990.

The first comics Elex published were Candy-Candy,Akira, and Kotaro, etc.

The company releases 27 comic and children's books every year.

Retno said her company encouraged local writers to create more stories.

But Murti said problems would not be solved if publishers were not idealistic enough to give opportunities to local writers.

"Many writers and book illustrators received meager payment for their works. No wonder, many of them have given up writing," she said.

Efforts to boost local children's books have been carried out by both government and private sectors.

The Ministry of Education and Culture and local publishers have frequently held children's book contests. But the results were discouraging.

Writer Arswendo Atmowiloto said solving the problem required strong political will from the government.

Arswendo urged the government to exempt publishers from various taxes and ease permits for the publication of children's books and magazines.

He said the government could subsidize local publishers which produce children's books.

"Without such strong will, our local book industry will remain awful," Arswendo said.