Children's pictures show contrasting lives

Children's pictures show contrasting lives

By Ida Indawati Khouw

JAKARTA (JP): Twelve-year-old Jubaedah and Emma, who is nine
years of age, are just ordinary children in the world. They both
have dreams of what they want to be when they grow up. If
Jubaedah is dreaming of becoming a journalist, Emma simply wants
to be a hairdresser.

But both girls walk separate paths in life as Jubaedah has to
struggle with her parents at Bantar Gebang rubbish dump in
Bekasi, some 40 kilometers east of Jakarta while Emma is the
daughter of Dutch diplomat, whose family, of course, live in
relative comfort.

"It (the dream) could come true if my parents had a windfall,"
she said shyly and as uncertainly as her future study in an
elementary school is uncertain: her parents can't afford to pay
the monthly fees.

On one side, Emma enjoys the comfort of her beautiful house
with a big garden and swimming pool in South Jakarta's exclusive
Kemang area, while on the other Jubaedah lives in a tiny shack
made of cardboard boxes encircled by heaps of garbage.

Photographs showing the contrasting lives of the two girls
will be exhibited at the Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta from
Tuesday, Aug. 7 through Aug. 18. They are only two of the
children joining the real-life photography project managed by
Geert van Asbeck and Ivon Kemper, both of whom are the spouses of
Dutch diplomats.

The photos will also be exhibited at the National School
Museum in Rotterdam for three months starting October.

Their works can be seen in the My Life in Indonesia book which
is available in bookstores, while the money will be used to
finance the education of children living in Bantar Gebang.

The project, which is sponsored by various companies and
individuals, involves 85 children aged between eight and 12 years
old from Bantar Gebang, Desa Putera orphanage in East Jakarta,
and the students of the Netherlands International School in South
Jakarta.

Both van Asebck and Kemper taught the children how to use the
camera using an empty tin to get the proper angle. Then each of
them were given disposable cameras to make images of their
everyday lives; their living conditions, work, learning, family
and play.

The results are, of course, full of contrasts.

Contrast

The photos taken by the Bantar Gebang children mostly have the
rubbish dump as a background.

Darkiman, 12, took a picture of her mother wearing a caping
(broad, conical bamboo hat), scavenging on a heap of rubbish
under the scorching sun.

The caption is as follows: "My mother works all day. I'm glad
she works because she can earn money. I look after my younger
sister."

A photo taken by Sunanto, 12, shows his father lying on a
wooden divan bare-chested, with the caption being: "My father
works very hard. He's very tired after work so he just eats and
rests by putting his feet up."

Eleven-year-old Edis, who wants to become a truck driver, won
first prize in the exhibition with a photo of his younger sister
-- wearing a white hat and gown, and brown boots - posing in
front of a garbage heap.

"My younger sister is wearing her good clothes because she
wants to be photographed," the photo caption proclaimed.

Despite his win, Edis is just a boy who frequently falls
asleep in class as he has to work from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day
to scavenge pickings from the garbage before going to school at
7.30 a.m.

A completely different way of life was to be seen in the
photographs taken by the Dutch kids.

Tim, 10, photographed his mother as she relaxed in an easy
chair reading a magazine.

Alexander, 8, took a picture of his brother listening to his
mother reading a story book in a comfortable blue-colored
bedroom.

While the Indonesian kids must work hard at the garbage dump
only to earn around Rp 200,000 per month, their Dutch friends can
easily enjoy their childhood thanks to their relatively well-off
parents.

Twelve-year-old Mustofa said: "Living in Bantar Gebang is very
uncomfortable, so smelly and hot."

"Of course we want to live like them," he said with no sign of
jealousy while pointing to a picture of a Dutch family in their
beautiful home. "I'm sure we can be like them if we are strong-
willed enough."

Emma replied to Mustofa's comments by saying, "I really pity
our friends. How can they live in a dirty, smelly, hot place full
of flies like that ... But they are happy."

She admitted that since her two-day visit to Bantar Gebang,
she couldn't stop thinking about how her friends could sleep and
live there.

"I want to give them lots of money so that they can have a
better house."

Van Asbeck said the idea of the project was also "to give the
children fun, something to be proud of, a new experience and to
raise money for the education of (Bantar Gebang) children."

"Most of the (Dutch) children here are living in luxurious
houses hidden behind walls, so the project is also to broaden
their horizons.

Tonko, the son of a Dutch diplomat, expressed his feelings
about being surrounded by walls here when interviewed by
Holland's NOS TV station.

"I never play on the street any more (unlike in the
Netherlands), I really miss that here," he said gloomily.