Cultural festival celebrates Indonesia's pluralism

Cultural festival celebrates Indonesia's pluralism

By Rita A. Widiadana

TIRTAGANGGA, Karangasem, Bali (JP): The rare Joget Pingitan
performance of the 79-year-old venerable Balinese artist Ni Ketut
Cenik marked the opening on Thursday night of the Milleniart
Cultural Festival and the Nusantara Cultural Festival. The
occasion was held at the Tirtagangga water palace in Karangasem,
about 60 kilometers east of Denpasar.

For about one hour, the living legend Ni Cenik mesmerized
thousands of viewers seated surrounding the amphitheater of the
historical Tirtagangga palace. The palace was one of the seats of
the Karangasem dynasty, one of the most influential aristocratic
families in Bali.

More than a folk dance, Joget Pingitan is a tool and an
alternative way to record local history, myths and legends, as
well as the study of human characters. All these events and
characters are related by the artist in her dance.

"The dance actually expresses Her-story as opposed to that of
the male point of view -- His-story -- a trademark of the second
millennium society," said Dr. Bulantrisna Djelantik, a descendant
of the Karangasem dynasty.

The opening ceremony was also highlighted by a variety of
traditional performing arts from Sulawesi, East Nusantara
Tenggara, North Sumatra and Bali.

The performances on show included Uning-Uning, a folk song
from Samosir Island in North Sumatra. Uning-Uning is usually
performed to accompany a rare Batak opera.

The performance of Nyanyian Berasi, the Berasi Song
Tanjung Bunga, East Flores, received a standing ovation from the
audience.

Traditionally performed during harvest time, this folk song
has a unique position in ethnomusicology. It resembles
traditional folk songs from the Balkan region (Bosnia and
Croatia). It remains a mystery how this Balkan-style song
developed in the remote village of Tanjung Bunga in East Flores,
whose community presumably never experienced cultural contact or
cultural interaction with the Balkan people.

Tarian Bissu, the centuries-old travesty dance of the Bissu
traditional community in Sulawesi, offered a rare opportunity for
the Balinese people and other viewers to observe the beauty and
sacred traditional art form of this secluded community.

Cakepung, an oral tradition from Budakeling, Karangasem,
reflects intercultural interactions from various regions in Bali.

The event presented a true picture of this pluralistic nation,
going beyond the paper cutouts in Jakarta to present pieces of
Indonesia, which most people seldom have the chance to
experience.

The Milleniart festival is a part of the Nusantara Cultural
Festival which will present from Sept. 9 through Oct. 19, 1999,
the myriad cultural delights of Indonesia at four different
venues: Karangasem (Bali), Pontianak (West Kalimantan), Tanjung
Pinang (Riau) and Jakarta.

Pudentia MPSS, chief coordinator of the Nusantara Cultural
Festival, said at the opening ceremony that the one-month long
festival is a telling reminder to us all of the richness and
importance of Indonesia's ethnic diversity and culture.

"Over the years, the country has pursued its relentless march
toward economic growth and material gain, and it has deliberately
ignored its cultural wisdom," maintained Pudentia.

Social and political tensions currently occurring in several
places in Indonesia such as Aceh, Ambon (Maluku), Irian Jaya and
East Timor partly stemmed from a lack of tradition and cultural
understanding.

"The government's rigid and bureaucratic policies regarding
every aspect of the lives of Indonesian people, traditional
communities in particular, have always been based on economic and
political interests," Pudentia said.

The government has failed to adopt cultural and traditional
approaches in dealing with various social issues in the country,
she added.

"The nation's motto Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity),
remains just a slogan," she noted.

In reality, the diversity of our culture, ethnic groupings and
traditions has never gained acknowledgement from the central
authorities.

"This is the possible root of disintegration of Indonesia as a
united nation," she added.

In the dwindling days of the 20th century, the fate of these
cultures and traditions hangs in the balance, and their survival
will continue to be a vital issue for Indonesia's thousands of
ethnic groups in the next millennium.

The festival also promotes intercultural dialog and cross-
cultural exchange and understanding, which are the stepping
stones for the nation to march into the new millennium.

The festival is jointly organized by the Indonesian Performing
Arts Society in Bandung, the Institute of Dayakologi in
Pontianak, the Center for the Study of History and Traditional
Values in Tanjung Pinang and the Indonesian Manuscripts Society
and Oral Traditions Associations.

Daily events will include a series of seminars, workshops and
discussions involving prominent scholars from local and overseas
countries. Participants include Umar Kayam, Edi Sedyawati,
Pudentia MPSS, Ishadi SK, Sardono W. Kusumo, Anderson W. Sutton,
Bondan Winarno, Rahayu Supanggah, Mohamad Sobari, and also film
director Garin Nugroho, actress Christine Hakim and playwright
W.S. Rendra.