Discourse attempts to address problems of multiculturalism
Discourse attempts to address problems of multiculturalism
JAKARTA (JP): Rarely in the world is there a city that has as
diverse a cultural history as Jakarta. In this city recently
swept by savage acts of ethnic violence, cultural influences from
Hindu, Islamic, Sinic and Western civilizations have settled and
blended into the local culture.
Jakarta, then, seems to be the right venue with the right
timing for a discourse on multiculturalism to take place, that is
if any Jakartan, or local artists, would be interested in the
event.
Although more than 140 participants registered for the
discourse, the room was hardly filled close to that figure after
the opening ceremony. Most of the attendants were expert
academicians, though some prominent art figures, like playwright
Putu Wijaya and choreographer Linda Hoemar appeared when the
topic touched their field of interest.
After the closing ceremony, an official said, "Many attendants
select their own topic, so that is why the room seemed to be half
full at all times."
The International Discourse on Performing Arts was organized
in conjunction with Art Summit Indonesia II, 1998. The discourse
was held recently at Hotel Alia, Central Jakarta, with the theme:
Contemporary Performing Arts: The Problem of Multiculturalism and
Exploration of Local Sources.
The problems of multiculturalism and exploration of local and
alternative sources were two topics that were meant to be raised
in the discourse. With speakers from various cultural backgrounds
and art disciplines, the discourse offered a composed-yet-
colorful exchange of views on multiculturalism.
Three genres of performing arts -- music, dance and theater --
were discussed in the dialog; each genre was represented by two
expert speakers in the corresponding fields.
The speakers were Alvin Lucier, from America, and Yuji
Takahashi, Japan, on music; Sal Murgiyanto, Indonesia, Janet
Adshead-Lansdale, England, and Chua Soo Pong, Singapore, on
dance; Rustom Barrucha, India, and Saini Kosim and Bakdi Sumanto,
both from Indonesia, on theater.
Interestingly, almost none of the speakers was a performing
artist. Sal and Rustom are distinguished art critics, Chua is the
director of the Chinese Opera Institute and the rest are
scholars, academicians and government officials. Nevertheless,
from their positions, these experts experienced, and in some
cases determined, how cultural interaction modifies the elements
of performing arts.
Without being partial to other forms of arts, the Ministry of
Education and Culture's Director General of Culture, Edi
Sedyawati, remarked in her keynote address on the significance of
performing arts in our society.
"Performing arts are bound to be related, in whatever mode, to
the structure of institutions within a society," said Edi.
According to Edi, the role of performing arts may range from
the descent of supernatural power to the expression of social
criticism. In every culture which has a great tradition, the
significance and role of performing arts is specific and
sometimes incomparable, a fact that many of us tend to neglect.
Rustom Barrucha remembered his experience 20 years ago when
viewing Chau, a dance theater originated from Orissa, India, and
encountered a group of foreigners busy taking pictures. The
intercultural interaction between the "foreigners" and their
cameras, with the "indigenous" art event disturbed Rustom.
Art, no longer isolated from foreign eyes, stirred Rustom to
questioned the property rights of one's culture.
In the discussion, Rustom questioned the right of a foreign
culture to interfere with a native culture. He sees that in some
cases such interaction could be disadvantageous. Using the
introduction of Kentucky Fried Chicken to India as example, he
explained how a global icon was interpreted in different
cultures. While it is regarded as "junk food" in one culture, it
becomes a prestigious status symbol in India.
"In other words, the cultural signs of this commodity are
totally different in Third World economies, thereby challenging
one of the most illusory norms of globalization that is capable
of leveling differences across borders," Rustom said.
Rustom, however, believed that every culture should open
itself in order to find existing commonalities in cultural
struggle -- artists social welfare, systematic destruction of
cultural basis -- that could create bonds between the cultures of
the world. Shared values like these are more cohesive than
creating a universal value based on, say, the western culture.
In his observation of Indonesian performing arts, Sal
Murgiyanto sees that intra- and interculturalism occur at
different levels of intensity: recreational, popular,
entertaining, creative, contemporary and experimental.
Exposure to foreign cultures, observed Sal, arouses varying
creative reactions from artists.
Sal illustrated the importance of intercultural exposure using
the experience of Gilang Ramadhan, a popular percussionist.
Having pursued a career as a (modern) drummer in Indonesia,
Gilang was, at times, dumbfounded by the excitement of his
Western counterpart on studying Indonesian traditional drums.
After learning the forms and tone of various Indonesian drums,
Gilang explored ways to adapt the traditional music to Western
settings.
From Gilang's experience, Sal noted that, "it is not easy to
assess which one is one's own culture and which one is the other
(foreign) one."
The original forms of Gilang's compositions can no longer be
distinguished in a distinct cultural area. Not only does Gilang
draw his references of popular music to his cultural roots, he
also considers the importance of jazz, classical and contemporary
music for the foundation of a good popular musician.
Jakarta, like many other metropolises in the world, is
expected to produce more individuals with pluralistic qualities
like Gilang.
Borrowing Saini Kosim's closing statement on his talk on
multiculturalism in Indonesian theater, the key to honorable
cultural sensitivity may be: "multicultural interrelationships
and (persistent) effort". (46)