Let's laugh: Tragedy and humor in pictures

Let's laugh: Tragedy and humor in pictures

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

A middle-aged man with a cigarette in his right hand grimaces as he performs his ablutions over the Code River in Yogyakarta.

Visitors seeing the photographic work of Syahlul Fahmi burst into laughter as they notice that the second-hand cloth used to cover the public latrine carries the words "home sweet home".

At first glance the picture was indeed amusing. But closer observation reveals the tragic and ironic situation of the nation.

With its abundant resources and 60 years as an independent state, Indonesia has even produced poverty. Ordinary people are so destitute that their makeshift toilets are covered with old cloth instead of bamboo walls.

Fun and humor in tragedy, inviting a bitter laugh once in a while, was the idea behind the photo exhibition organized by the Indonesian Photographic Reporters Association (PFI) from Sept. 12 to 18 in Yogyakarta.

Fifty photographers from Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Surabaya, Semarang and Surakarta joined the event to mark the 23rd anniversary of the city's Bentara Budaya cultural forum.

With Ayo Ngguyu ("Let's Laugh") as the title of the exhibition, the fun it was supposed to bring about might not conform to the dire realities portrayed: plane crashes, earthquakes, malnourishment, students' poor exam grades, to mention a few.

But in fact PFI wanted to share the laughter with others as a cynical response to the seemingly endless misfortunes plaguing the country.

Another piece by Priyambodo from Surakarta depicted grinning councilmen behind bars. They were imprisoned after being convicted for corruption.

While their crime has brought disgrace and should have made them embarrassed, they are still all smiles. The picture tries to portray a reversal of social values, with corruption being seen as something normal rather than shameful.

Not all of the 50 photos put on show provoked cynical laughter, though. Some were amusing to everybody. A football player is in such high spirits that he accidentally pulls down the pants of his opponent. A football enthusiast appears nude amid spectators following his team's victory.

Exhibition curator Sindhunata said that human instinct for humor remains in spite of violent circumstances. In the world of soccer, often considered a game of violence triggering clashes between supporters, nuances of humor could still be found in a number of snapshots.

Mystical behavior surrounding the match was also portrayed for the amusement of more rational viewers. For instance, a soccer supporter urinates at the goal of his team's opponent during a competition, believing that by so doing his favorite eleven will score easily.

"All such matters such as fuel price hikes, widespread corruption, malnutrition and polio are of course not meant to be funny. But laughter amid tragedy serves to express cynicism of these realities," added Sindhunata.

Many visitors to the event were indeed laughing as they looked at the pictures. Erik, a visitor, commented that the photos represented neglected realities and had considerable weight in portraying present-day life.

Another visitor Anton commented that if closely examined, the tragedy depicted by these pieces aroused deep concern, yet the humorous side remained.