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.