Enlightenment in crisis

Enlightenment in crisis

One might wonder what line of reasoning the organizers of Art
Summit Indonesia were pursuing when they decided to hold a month-
long international event in Jakarta while the country is going
around bent double under the worst period of political and
economic uncertainty it has experienced in decades.

Quite a few cynics have aired their views about the matter
since the first advertisements appeared with the announcement
that "the most outstanding international arts festival of the
year", an "Art Summit", was to start on Saturday at the capital's
Taman Ismail Marzuki art center, with art troupes from nine
countries participating.

The organizers must forgive those critics for viewing such a
grand event with scornful eyes. After all, with thousands of
Indonesians every day joining the ranks of the millions who are
out of work and impoverished because of the protracted economic
crisis, relatively few can afford to spend money on a ticket to
attend such an impressive event.

Indeed, it does not seem very far-fetched to imagine that many
ordinary Indonesians might resent the very idea of holding such a
grand public festival amid the deprivation which so many
Indonesians are at present suffering. Certainly, under present
circumstances such an attitude is hard to fault.

However, there is another side to the case that is worth
considering. What the organizers -- including the art directorate
of the Ministry of Education and Culture -- expect to achieve by
holding the event, obviously, is that the Art Summit will cast
off some tangible benefits, not only for the art-loving community
in Indonesia, but for the nation as a whole.

First of all, of course, the event can be expected to inject
some fresh life into the currently relatively inactive art
community. Complaints from entertainers, art managers, artists
and performers about slack business have been heard often lately
-- including from those in the more popular performing arts such
as traditional theater and film. A revival, however modest, would
certainly help make life a little better for those active in the
arts and entertainment world and provide some necessary diversion
for the public at large.

So much thought has been given lately to political and
economic affairs that most people outside the art community seem
to have forgotten the significant role which the arts can play in
our lives. Indeed, it is perhaps because of the depth and
enlightenment that the arts can bring that the authorities in the
past -- and at present in countries under the control of
totalitarian regimes -- were fond of banning performances which
they believed could upset public order and stability.

Seen from this point of view, the Art Summit can be
justified, despite -- or perhaps because of -- the present
multifaceted crisis.

There is, of course, another benefit that the Art Summit could
bring. For tourists and investors, a revival of artistic life in
this country would undoubtedly be among the best indications that
conditions have returned to normal in this country and that
Indonesia, as a tourist destination and as a place of residence,
is no more risky or dangerous than most other countries in the
world.

If people outside Indonesia can be persuaded to accept this
view, the Art Summit could indeed make a valuable contribution
toward this country's economic recovery. As for the moment, it is
to be hoped that, more than just long-term benefits, the summit
will also bring immediate spinoff effects, however small, to make
life a little easier for small traders, taxi drivers and other
small-scale entrepreneurs.

If this happens, the cynical view that holding the event under
present circumstances is a mere waste of money and energy will be
dispelled easily enough.