Children's books industry struggling

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.