Dorce: On duty and charity
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Almost three weeks after I contacted Dorce Gamalama for an interview, I finally met her in a makeup room of television station Trans TV during the taping of her show.
She welcomed me warmly, but without a big hug -- like the way she greeted the petite singer Kristina who came in later.
Unlike her exquisite on-screen appearance -- with a nice wig and beautiful dress -- Dorce showed up wearing only a sarong.
Exposing her shoulders and her bra straps, Dorce was sitting on a sofa casually.
"Sorry for wearing this. I still have another scene to tape. It is too hot to wear a dress here," she said, adjusting her sarong.
A bag full of hairpieces lies next to pairs of shoes in the room. Various cosmetics fill the makeup table. They all show the kind of person Dorce is. She is an entertainer.
Hailing from Surabaya, East Java, the career of the little- known local singer took off in 1985. Dorce is now known as a multi-talented artist. She sings, hosts a talk show and often cracks jokes for her audience. She really is an entertainer, a professional.
She now has a very tight schedule. She is in Jakarta on Thursdays and Fridays for the taping of Trans TV shows. She often appears on entertainment programs on other TV stations and entertains shoppers at malls.
Sometimes, we see her on stage entertaining a community gathering at Taman Mini or at other locations.
"I am an artist. I will entertain people from various backgrounds. Although I grew up in Surabaya, I hope I am able to entertain all people," she said.
Despite her tight schedule as an artist, Dorce is still humble. She emphasized that until now she did not consider herself a famous artist.
Perhaps, she always looks back at her past and the hardships she endured as a valuable lesson. She said that her achievement today did not come instantly, but rose through a period of struggle and humiliation.
"I have faced so many things. I have been through bad days. This is the outcome of my childhood suffering," she said.
Dorce was born as a baby boy named Yuliardi in Solok, West Sumatra on July 21, 1963. His mother died when he was three months old and his father died one month later.
As the youngest of nine brothers and sisters, his grandmother brought him to Jakarta. He lived with his mother's younger sister Dalima after his grandmother died when he was eight years old. He sold newspapers and worked as a bus conductor, collecting fares from the passengers.
Outside his working hours, he often sang and later made money from singing.
Afterward, Yuliardi joined singing group, the Bambang Brothers, and performed in several shows. At the age of 15, Yuliardi moved to Surabaya, East Java, and formed Dorce & Co. in the early 1980s. It was in this period that Yuliardi took Dorce as his stage name.
Popularly known as Dorce Gamalama on her show, her passport name is Dorce Ashadi; Ashadi was her father's name.
On her website www.dorcegamalama.com, Dorce stated that she always had the wish to become a woman one day. Since childhood she liked to get dressed up and sometimes acted attractive.
In 1985 at age 22 Dorce met Johansyah Marzuki, the doctor who led his sex change surgery in Surabaya.
That year was a milestone in Dorce's life as "he" was finally recognized as a woman.
The surgery triggered controversy as many people considered it in conflict with Islamic teachings. The controversy has apparently not died down as many people raise the issue as a topic of discussion on the Internet.
In response to the controversy, Dorce insisted that by becoming a woman, she could improve her faith in God. And she has tried her utmost to prove it.
She traveled to Mecca for the haj pilgrimage twice and for the minor pilgrimage six times. As it was apparently not enough to silence her critics, Dorce was then active in charity programs. She set up a foundation using her own money.
Slowly but surely, the public has accepted Dorce as an entertainer. She, however, does not deny the fact that many people still dislike her. "That is normal in life," she said.
Despite the controversy, Dorce has gained more fame after the surgery. Aside from singing, Dorce also starred in two comedy movies Dorce Ketemu Jodoh (Dorce Meets Spouse) and Dorce Sok Akrab (Dorce's Intimacy).
After the surgery, she married a man but the union did not last long.
"I am legally a woman. I have female genitalia and the attitude of a woman," she said, adding that she would reject a request to perform as a transvestite in shows.
"While on stage for a show, I have to look beautiful and professional, but outside the show I am just an ordinary person," she said.
According to her, everyone has to carry out his or her work seriously to gain appreciation from the public.
Today, 20 years since her first nationwide performance on state-run television TVRI, Dorce has matured and is wiser -- and definitely wealthy. Dorce declined to mention how much she is paid for each show.
However, with all this achievement, she is still modest.
"I don't want all these things (fame and fortune) to become burdensome for me. Despite the public perception that I am a celebrity, I still enjoy riding ojek (motorbike taxi) or bajaj," she said.
In terms of her work, Dorce emphasized that she always tried to avoid hurting other people. That is why she accept job offers from all sides, even for minimum payment.
"Although I know that I work for a big gambler, for example, I will accept it. My income is halal (acceptable under Islam) because I have been working very hard. I don't want to hurt people (by rejecting a job offer)," she said.
After concluding her contract with Indosiar TV station, Dorce subsequently made a contract with Trans TV to host a talk show Dorce Show.
The one-and-a-half-hour program is aired at 9:30 a.m. from Monday to Friday. Dorce invites two or three people from various backgrounds and ages as guests on her show. Her guests could be fellow artists or beggars and they can be teenagers or elderly people.
Having the opportunity to watch the taping of her program, I could see that Dorce "rules the waves".
No doubt, it is because Dorce is often involved in the early preparation of every topic for her show. "I often give ideas. I get a script, a very short one. They give me their trust and I manage the show with skill," she said.
Due to the skill with which she manages the show, many of her colleagues call her bunda (mother).
"They see me as a woman. The give appreciation and respect by calling me bunda," she said.
Through the Dorce Show, Dorce is not only seen as a singer but also as a talk show host. But, again, she is not comfortable with this recognition.
She said that she was neither a singer nor a TV host. She only tries to make people happy.
"As a singer, my voice is not good and as a show host, I am not good either. I only try to use the talent that God has given to me. Whenever I am asked to become a master of ceremonies, I will do it as professionally as possible."
"Still, it is impossible for me to sing like Krisdayanti or Yuni Shara. So, I perform crazily," she said, referring to the two sister singers who have stunning voices.
To support her appearance on the show, Dorce has a private makeup team she has known since 1997. She also avoids wearing the same clothes twice.
"I have been with the Dorce Show for 200 episodes, so for this show alone I have 200 outfits," she said.
About her ability to keep up with the latest developments in society and to crack jokes on the show, Dorce said that she read a lot.
According to her, although the content is more or less the same, she reads 15 newspapers almost every day. She also often browses the Internet and observes popular language in society.
It is reading that has made her better understand the big responsibility the president has.
"By reading a lot, I know that becoming a president is not an easy thing. The president has many responsibilities, but he or she cannot do what ordinary people do. People can sleep more than 10 hours a day, but a president may only sleep for three to four hours. As an artist, I can sleep on a chair -- anywhere," she said.
Aside from reading, Dorce said that she also likes to talk with others. But, she likes talking about real things not gossip.
"My concern is how to contribute to the nation. For example, what can I do for the Acehnese children? I have traveled to Aceh at my own expense. I am a celebrity on stage, but then descending from the stage I am an ordinary person who must help others. We may not have suffered in the disaster, but we must feel the pain," she said.
Dorce has been giving generously for charity because she never thinks her income hers exclusively. It also belongs to others.
"There is a portion in my income for orphans and other people. Thank God, my income is steady," she said.
Dorce takes 60 percent of her income to support herself, the other 40 percent goes to her foundation Dorce Halimatussa'diyah.
"I take care of orphans and adopt children. As long as the people like me and I get work, I can feed them all. This is God given," she added.
Through the foundation, Dorce takes care of about 800 children in Citayam and Jatibening, West Java. She runs an Islamic kindergarten without any assistance from the government. Next year, she will open an elementary school for the poor. About 40 children have registered for the free education.
She has also adopted five children Rizky Sutrisno, 19, Rachmat, 18, Siti Fatimah, eight, Siti Khatijah, six and the seven-month old Abubakar Ramadani.
Calling her foundation Halimatussa'diyah in remembrance of Prophet Muhammad's wet nurse, Dorce uses her foundation "to breast-feed" poor orphans.
Despite her tight schedule and social activities, Dorce has good stamina. She said she could maintain her stamina because of the prayers of the people -- her audience.
"I am tough and strong because people love me," she said.
She, however, does not ignore the fact that there are people who still don't like her, but she takes it in her stride.
Showing a book titled La Tahzan (Don't Be Sad), she said that she found some suggestions in the book to survive even when people dislike her.
"People who don't like us are apparently showing their love in a different way. Don't ever retaliate with dislike," said Dorce, who wears a Muslim dress and a head scarf after the show.