Indonesia needs its own comic identity through cergam
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is considered to need an identity in the world of comics through illustrated stories, or cergam, that reflect the way Indonesian society works.
“Cergam is not a style, but a point of view. When we eventually find a style, whether it is European, American, or from anywhere else, that is fine. But there is a different point of view,” said Iwan Gunawan, a lecturer at MNC University, during a talk session in Jakarta on Sunday.
Iwan said cergam does not have to be marked by a particular visual style, but rather by a point of view in responding to issues.
According to Iwan, the differences in social, political, and economic experiences of Indonesian society will lead to different ways of responding to issues compared with people in other countries.
He cited feminism as an example of a topic that is widely explored in comics from various countries. However, he said, the way Indonesian society responds to such issues should be able to show a difference because it stems from different life conditions and education.
Meanwhile, cartoonist Beng Rahadian said cergam can be used to showcase Indonesian identity, while its content can be diverse. According to him, one distinguishing factor can be the way Indonesians speak and interact in everyday life.
“When we mention this, we are showing a cultural territory. Not just a cultural area, but a cultural territory for Indonesia,” Beng said.
Beng gave the example of using honorifics when addressing older people in dialogue as one way to show the context of life in Indonesia.
According to Beng, the influence of manga’s visual style is not a problem as long as there is a common thread that shows Indonesian culture in the work.
“We look at manga from Japan, for example. The manga we see are the ones translated in Indonesia. But if we look at Japan, there are all kinds. They have a distinctive style of speaking that shows everyday life,” Beng said.
On the same occasion, Iwan also recounted his efforts to introduce Indonesian comics to the younger generation, starting with helping to organise an Indonesian comic exhibition at the National Gallery in 1997 at the invitation of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
At that time, he said, many young people were still unaware of the existence of Indonesian comics and were more familiar with Japanese comics.
Efforts to introduce Indonesian comics then continued through various activities, including at the British Council. He assessed that the development of Indonesian comics was also boosted by a demonstration at Gramedia bookstore outlets in the 1990s, where the crowd demanded that more cergam be sold to the public.
He also mentioned that one of the peaks of cergam regaining public interest was the publication of “Benny & Mice”, whose print run reached hundreds of thousands at the time.