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.