Indonesian 'sinetron'

Indonesian 'sinetron'

"A house, a wife and a singing bird" and "a mobile phone,
Mercedes Benz and a luxurious house".

When I was working with USIS in the late fifties in Surabaya,
East Java, I was part of a team in the cinematography section
showing films in various towns. The two films I liked best were
Tanglewood Story and "A house, a wife and a singing bird"
starring Bambang Hermanto as a Yogya peasant. The film depicted
Bambang living in a modest bamboo house, with a well, and his
singing bird, a small turtle dove. His well was unhygienic and
Bambang became ill.

Enter USAID, helping him with an ordinary water pump. Bambang
and wife lived happily ever after, with his singing bird
chirping. I've seen this film so many times. I'll never forget
it.

When I came back home, I was surprised to see Indonesian soap
operas depicting a luxurious house, a mobile phone and a Mercedes
Benz, while about 40 million people are living below the poverty
line, some of them unemployed, glued to their TVs watching this
utopian Indonesia.

Why can't Indonesian soap opera producers produce films
depicting Indonesian/Malay legends like Hang Tuah, Hang Lekir,
Hang Kesturi, Hang Jebat or the heroine Christina Tiahahu, our
heroes like Teuku Umar, Imam Bonjol, Prince Diponegoro and
Pattimura?

AGOES SOEJONO

Jakarta