Kites, theater make Sari Madjid tick

Kites, theater make Sari Madjid tick

Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta

The old adage "like father like son" does not apply to the
Madjid family.

While her father, Abdul Madjid, is a respected elder of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) -- the
political party led by President Megawati Soekarnoputri -- Sari
Madjid is devoted to the theater and kite-flying.

Born in Jakarta on Feb. 25, 1962 as Sari Sabda Bhakti Madjid,
Sari joined the theatrical world when she was only 10. Since 1978
she has been one of the members of Teater Koma, established by
her brother-in-law, N. Riantiarno and her elder sister, Ratna
Madjid.

One of dozens of plays that this theatrical group has produced
is Sampek Engtay, in which Sari plays the role of Engtay and
Idris Pulungan stars as Sampek.

Since 1980, Sari has played two roles in her theatrical group,
that of an actress and as a stage manager. She is a professional
stage manager not only for Teater Koma but also for other
performances both at a national and international level.

She was a stage manager also for magician David Copperfield's
performance and for Lear, a performance produced by the Japan
Foundation involving art workers from a number of countries.

Then she was the stage manager for the celebration of the
golden anniversary of Indonesia's independence at Monas Square in
1995 and also for some performances by Indonesians in other
countries, for example the performance of Sardono W. Kusumo's
group in Japan in 1996.

Of late, she has also been the production manager for a number
of performances, such as Boi G Sakti's contemporary dance
performance, Sena Didi Mime's pantomime, Laksmi Simanjuntak's
dance performance, the Lemah Putih performance of Suprapto
Suryosudarmo and Epi Martison's Jakarta New Ensemble. At the
recent JakArt@2002, she was entrusted as the program manager.

One of her outstanding qualities is that she can maintain her
patience and calmness even during crisis situations. Sari, who
goes for a Javanese massage whenever she becomes exhausted.

Her background in formal education consists only of completing
senior high school. She has learned many things by actually doing
it and through reading. For a brief period, she learned stage
management in the United States. Of course, what she has learned
in the U.S. could not be applied to Indonesia because of the
cultural differences.

However, due to her loyalty to her profession, Sari, who is
now the mother of a teenage son, is considered to be one of the
country's best stage managers and production managers.

As far back as 1992, when Sari was in Bali, she started to
become strongly attracted to kites.

"Flying kites is like a grand theatrical performance. I can
feel a togetherness in doing both," said Sari, now the secretary-
general of Pelangi, which is the Indonesian Kite Association.

Her passion for kites has led her not only to frequently
organize the Jakarta International Kite Festival at Monas Square
and in Ancol, Jakarta, but to be present at various kite
festivals in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, France, New Zealand,
China and Japan.

She fell deeper in love with kites after studying the wealth
and potential of kites in Indonesia in terms of the different
types and functions they have.

Bapangan kites from East Java, for example, can produce a
buzzing sound that can scare away birds, which otherwise would
harm the rice fields. Kagathi kites or leaf kites from Muna,
Southeast Sulawesi also produce a buzzing sound and can drive
away monkeys, which would otherwise harm the rice fields.

In Bali, janggan kites are believed to be able to drive away
evil spirits so they get special treatment. There are many other
kinds of kites. There are kites that are good for flying in
contests. There are also creative kites, which are a blend of
beauty and technology.

They are available in various shapes and sizes and can be
played by virtually anybody. Kites can also be effectively used
for election campaigns in which they fly the symbols of political
parties.

Aware of the great potential that kites have, Sari has shifted
the aim of Le Gong, which was originally set up in 1990 to handle
art events, to focus on organizing kite events and the kite
business. The office, which is located at Jl. Setiabudi Barat No.
4, Jakarta, the house of her parents, is manned by 10 employees.

Through Le Gong, she has exported kites to Europe and the
United States and has, since 1993, also organized international
kite festivals at Monas Square and Ancol. One thing worth noting
is that at every kite-flying festival, she involves state
electricity company PLN so that the company gets an opportunity
to provide the public with information about how to fly kites
safely without endangering power lines or people's lives.

Sari will attend the kite festivals in Holland and France this
month. She will also announce to the international kite community
that in Southeast Sulawesi a cave with pictures of kites on its
walls has been discovered.

The cave needs further study, but unfortunately Indonesia has
yet to find a kite researcher. This year Sari and her friends
have set up the Indonesian Kite Society Foundation, an
organization expected to prepare some kite researchers in the
country.

Sari Madjid has added beauty and purpose to her life: on land
with her work in the theater, and in the sky with the kites she
flies.