Legend Benyamin has gone but the memories remain

Legend Benyamin has gone but the memories remain

JAKARTA (JP): It's been three years since legendary Betawi
actor, comedian and singer Benyamin Sueb passed away, but many
people still remember his humorous songs and his typical
anecdotes of the native Jakartan culture, Betawi.

People from all walks of life packed a seminar on Benyamin's
contributions to Jakarta, held at the Nyi Ageng Serang building
in Kuningan, South Jakarta last week.

"I am still a fan of Benyamin's even though he has already
died," said a man, who claimed that he watched all Benyamin's
movies.

But only a few celebrities were spotted in the audience. Among
them were comedian Ateng, artist and designer Ida Royani and
Aminah Cendrakasih, who starred with Benyamin in the TV series Si
Doel Anak Sekolahan (Doel The Graduate).

Benyamin, owner of Ben's Betawi radio station, died of heart
attack in September 1995 at the age of 56, leaving his role as
the father of Doel (played by Rano Karno) in the TV series Si
Doel vacant. It was a big success and the production of the TV
series continued. The final episode was screened last month.

Chairman of the Indonesian Movie Archives, Misbach Yusa Biran,
recognizes Benyamin's significant role in promoting Betawi
culture.

"One of Benyamin's contributions is in making Betawi's dialect
popular among people, even teenagers, not only here in Jakarta,
but nationwide," he told The Jakarta Post after the seminar.

The seminar was organized by the Betawi Arts Foundation as
part of a 12-day Betawi cultural event, entitled In Memory of
Bang Ben.

The event culminates in a photo exhibition featuring
Benyamin's activities, a Betawi food festival, and an operetta,
Betawi: Kemaren, Sekarang, Besok (Betawi: Yesterday, Today,
Tomorrow), to be held at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, today.

Misbach said that formerly there were many traditional Betawi
performances, which also used Betawi's dialects, but were popular
only among the lower-classes.

"But Benyamin, through his songs and the screening of his
movies on TV, was well-accepted not only by the lower and middle
classes, but also by the upper class people in society," said
Misbach. He particularly cited the success of Benyamin's Si Doel.

Starting his career in music in 1957, Benyamin set up a pop
band, Melodi Ria, along with musician Rachmat Kartolo and famous
jazz musicians Bill Saragih and the late Jack Lesmana.

In the late 1960s, Benyamin, who was born into a middle-class
family, began exploring Betawi music. He performed duets with
female pop singers, such as Ida Royani. Most of his songs
contained anecdotes, featuring Betawi people's day to day
activities. Jakarta's mascot, the ondel-ondel puppet, was
inspired by his song, Ondel-Ondel.

He began his movie career in 1970, when the late director
Sukarno M. Noer, father of actor Rano Karno, asked him to act in
his film, Honey Money in Jakarta Fair. In 1976 he played in
Sjumandjaja's Si Doel Anak Modern (Doel the Modern Kid) opposite
noted artist Christine Hakim, and later received a Citra award,
the highest Indonesian film award for his role as a tacky Betawi
man struggling to keep up with modernization.

Misbach said that Benyamin's role in popularizing and
preserving Betawi culture should not end because he has passed
away.

"Younger generations (of Betawi people) should do something to
preserve Betawi culture... the initiative should come from Betawi
people themselves," he said.

He lamented that many Betawi people were still obsessed with
their glorious past without doing anything to keep up with the
present.

"I think it's about time people stopped reminiscing about the
past... younger generations, who are more dynamic, should do
something, make a breakthrough...," Misbach said.

For instance, he said, younger generations of Betawi people
should not be satisfied with only preserving some of Betawi's
culture, such as gambang kromong, or Betawi's musical orchestra.

"If necessary, gambang kromong can be developed into something
like a real, modern, orchestra...," Misbach said.

He said that even Topeng Betawi, a Betawi traditional dance,
was not preserved by the Betawi people, but by an artist from the
Jakarta Arts Institute. "So, it's no use feeling angry all the
time, for being ousted to the city's outskirts. People should
think about why this is happening and do something about it,"
Misbach said. (ste)