Last Wednesday a blue day for Rendra 'the peacock'
Last Wednesday a blue day for Rendra 'the peacock'
By Johannes Simbolon
JAKARTA (JP): Rendra, whose poetry reading usually stuns his
hundreds of fans, fell flat last Wednesday amid protests.
Wednesday's show at the Graha Bakti Budaya auditorium in the
Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center that was marred by some
youngsters who tried in vain to make a fuss, crying "Long Live
Tempo!" and "Go to Hell with Gatra". The show was sponsored by
Gatra.
Tempo was one of three publications banned by the government
last year, and Gatra is its government-approved replacement.
On the second night protesters unfurled banners and read poems
condemning the Rendra and Gatra cooperation as going against the
struggle for press freedom.
Rendra, who protested the banning of Tempo last year, was
aware that the cooperation looked somewhat expedient to some
people.
He stated at the beginning of his Wednesday's reading, "In our
joint struggle, let none brag as having struggled more than the
others, because each person struggles in his or her own way."
Nobody can argue that he is not one of the most attractive
Indonesian poets, or that he basically founded modern Indonesian
poetry reading. He has made poetry reading a commodity that can
even compete with films and music.
The "Peacock", who earned his nickname for his notorious flair
with women, managed to lure five hundred fans to his performance
but many ended up falling asleep or leaving before the show
finished.
Boredom? Apparently.
The show was technically flawed. Rendra didn't allow his
audience a break for the entire three hours. He was too confident
that his theatrical talent would glue people to their seats.
Besides ego, Rendra's biggest mistake was his selection of
poems. Only two of the 20 long epics and ballads he read were
biting, cynical or touching; the rest were too serious,
meditative and philosophical.
Rendra broke the tenets of the country's theatrical arts that
he himself formulated.
During his 20-year domination of the country's theatrical
arts, Rendra successfully developed poetry reading as a time when
people could take a break from their routines to channel their
frustration or laugh at the hypocrisy or Indonesia's rulers and
sociopolitical system. Through Rendra, poetry reading and
theatrical arts in general became a symbol of resistance.
Rendra painted himself as a dauntless leader of public
resistance against oppression. He served jail terms for several
months and was forbidden to perform for years.
Lately, however, he has become less controversial, less biting
and less critical towards his environment.
It was obvious that many in the audience were expecting to see
the same old Rendra, to hear his trademark poetic sociopolitical
critiques and touching description of human tragedies.
Rendra is known as an excellent entertainer, whose poems are
deep but conceivable to all ages. So much so that some people
dragged their kids to the show.
To their disappointment, Rendra was more occupied with serious
thoughts and read few critiques and human tragedies that night.
Only Rendra's old poems Pesan Pencopet Kepada Pacarnya (A
Pickpocket's Advise to His Girlfriend) and Disebabkan Oleh Angin
(Because of the Wind) really managed to grab the audience.
In Pesan Pencopet Pada Pacarnya Rendra relived past glories by
piquing the audience with cynical critiques.
In the poem, the pickpocket advises his pregnant girlfriend to
continue her affairs with several people, including a minister,
which he describes as no different from the pickpocket. Here and
there in the poem, Rendra launched his innuendoes.
"Ajarlah anakmu mendapat kedudukan tinggi/ Jangan dia nanti
jadi professor dan guru/Itu celaka uangnya tidak ada/ Kalau bisa
ia nanti jadi polisi atau tentara/ Kalau dia perlu beras, dia
dapat dari negara... (Teach your son to vie for high position/
Don't let him become a professor or a teacher/ It would mean hell
because he will have no money/If possible, let him become a
policeman or soldier/ if he needs rice, the state will provide
him..."
The audience laughed throughout the poem.
Among the few tragic ballads was Perjalanan Aminah (Aminah's
Journey), which is about a pregnant woman from the village who
seeks her younger sister in Jakarta and finds that the money her
sister routinely sends home comes from prostitution.
Rendra has produced many touching poems which tell of the
tragic lives of the people.
Rendra read most of his best tragedies during a show at the
same venue in July. It was far more successful and interesting
than this week's show.
It was a blue week for Rendra who turned 60 recently.