Jakarta's `sahibul hikayat' a tale rarely told today

Jakarta's `sahibul hikayat' a tale rarely told today

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ahmad Sopiyan Zahid is the last of his breed, the final exponent
of the story-telling tradition of Jakarta's native community.

Although Zahid, popularly known as Bang ("older brother")
Zaid, has no direct competitors in his art form of Sahibul
Hikayat, the 62-year-old is not raking in the dough.

"I'm already doing well if I'm asked to perform once a month.
Many people today prefer to have a performance by a single
organist and a singer who can sing dangdut or pop music at their
wedding parties, rather than an old man talking by himself," Bang
Zaid said.

In the past, he could receive up to Rp 1 million to travel to
Cirebon in West Java or Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) for a
performance, which lasts from two to three hours depending on the
length of the story.

But those days are long gone, and he wonders who will carry on
his tradition.

"I don't know who else will become a sahibul hikayat teller
once I retire. None of my children show any interest to follow
me," said Bang Zaid, who has also tried various other
professions, including a stint as a jeweler.

"No one knows if this tradition will just be forgotten and
lost forever."

Sahibul hikayat is said to have originated in the Middle East
and reached Jakarta through the Malaysian peninsula. The stories,
often about royalty, show influences from Persia and Egypt.

It's a one-man show, without any music or other accompaniment,
and in many ways it appears to be a form of stand-up comedy. The
only thing that brings the entertainment to life is the
storyteller himself.

He tells a story, mimicking one role one minute and in the
next changing to another, using body movements to convey the
acts. The storyteller is also free to improvise in the middle of
a story to put current events into context.

It takes wit, spontaneity, a thorough knowledge of Islamic
teachings and resourcefulness to keep the audience's attention.

"There is no school for what I do. One must really have the
passion and talent to become what I am now," said the father of
six daughters.

He finished his studies at a madrasah Islamic elementary
school and never continued on to high school.

His skills were passed down to him by his father, Mohammad
Zaid, who also was a popular sahibul hikayat teller. Listening to
his way of telling a story, reading various old books and
observing what his father did during a show were his routine
lessons in life.

"My first performance was back in 1971 after my father passed
away," said Bang Zaid, who had several live radio shows in the
1970s.

The Betawi have been given short shrift by those who decide
the Indonesian cultures that deserve the spotlight, but Betawi-
themed TV shows, such as Si Doel Anak Betawi, Gado-Gado Betawi
and Mandragade, were hits in recent years.

Unfortunately, these are often patronizing in their
depictions, showing country bumpkins perplexed by the city
growing up around them.

But there is also a regular Betawi traditional lenong theater
performance on TV, another rare example of the arts of the inner-
city Betawi community.

Like sahibul hikayat, lenong, samrah (Islamic music sung in
chorus) and tonil (Betawi theater performance) are increasingly
overshadowed by the art of Betawi pinggir (suburban Betawi) from
outlying areas, such as Srengseng Sawah, Cileduk and Karang
Tengah, all in South Jakarta.

"People focus more on the art and culture of the suburban
Betawi, because they are more expressive and entertaining," he
said.

"Lenong and Betawi leather puppets are also included in their
art forms. They speak a more expressive Betawi dialect which to
some people sounds so rural and straightforward. Me and my
sahibul hikayat are part of inner-city Betawi," Bang Zaid said.

Betawi culture is actually a treasure trove of color,
tradition, song, dance, clothing, cuisine, language and dialect.
It absorbs and is influenced by varied cultures, such as
Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Dutch.

In Jakarta, the Betawi are considered to be the hosts of these
cultures, having emerged from the melting pot of races, ethnic
groups and cultures of Indonesia in the 19th century.

"I don't yield, but we all have to admit that Jakarta grows
too fast, with more people coming along with their tastes. I just
can't cater to all of them. Others serve them well with movies,
contemporary music and modern art performances," he said.

"I just have to live with what I get."