Photo exhibition reveals contrasting worlds

Photo exhibition reveals contrasting worlds

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It's a totally different world from the stinking, fly-filled
garbage dump where Aas, Akrom, Rasniah and their friends live and
the glittering existence of young entertainers like Agnes Monica,
Leony, Marshanda and Bertrand Antolin.

But the entertainers are the "idols" of the children, who are
residents of Bantar Gebang, the country's largest garbage dump,
located on the outskirts of Jakarta.

Unlike most of us, Aas, Akrom, Rasniah and some 21 other
children of scavenger families got to meet their idols and spend
some brief time with them in a project jointly organized by
Dinamika Indonesia Foundation, the Netherlands-based Homeless
World and JakArt@2003.

The children were asked to use simple pocket cameras to
photograph the celebrities and their surroundings at the dump
site.

It's only to be expected that most of the pictures are not of
the highest quality, often out of focus or a bit blurred. Still,
the images send a strong message by showing the interaction
between the children and the entertainers.

Some of the celebrities let down their guard, appearing
natural and carefree as they pose for the camera or sit amid the
children.

The children also turned the lens on the people around them,
producing revealing and affecting photographs of their daily
lives, such as the one pictured on the front cover of the
accompaning catalog, showing a young girl posing coyly in her
best dress and hat amid the squalor of the dump.

Although initially reticent to discuss their experiences, the
children eventually opened up about the excitement, anxiety and
joy of meeting the stars.

"My idol is Marcella (Zalianty). I met her sometime ago at her
apartment, I don't remember when but for sure it's on a Monday
because I had to miss my classes," said Aas Asia, 11.

Aas, who helps her parents pick through garbage at the dump,
likes Marcella, the star of SCTV's Shepia, because of her
kindhearted character on the TV show.

"We talked a lot. She took pity on me, saying what a shame for
me, it must be so hot there. Before leaving her apartment, she
gave me and my sister Rp 100,000 each," Aas recalled.

She had dreamed of becoming a singer but, after meeting
Marcella, she said she would like to be an actress.

Fourteen-year-old Akrom got the chance to meet dangdut singer
Iis Dahlia at her apartment in Ancol, North Jakarta.

"The meeting was usual but her place is fantastic," said
Akrom, who has finished elementary school but does not plan to
continue his education because his mother wants him to help with
scavenging.

Akrom only smiled shyly when asked why he was a fan of Iis,
but a friend blurted out, "He likes her because she's sexy, but
he's too ashamed to admit it".

Most of the children enjoyed positive experiences, but there
were some who felt hurt by the dismissive attitude of a
celebrity. One model-actress kept the children waiting for hours,
and then made a hasty exit after five minutes.

It's telling that nearly all the chosen celebrities have made
their name in TV, the children's window into a world far removed
from their reality.

Some observers may be uneasy at the thought of desperately
poor kids being invited to sit down for a few minutes with
wealthy celebrities, but at least no big-mouthed politicians or
pompous activists got to use the project as a photo opportunity.

Project coordinator Geert van Asbeck said the concept for the
children as the photographers came from a larger project last
year that involved street children photographing their daily
lives.

"This is an art project. We train the children how to use the
camera and take pictures," Van Asbeck told The Jakarta Post.

"With the project, we hope it will help the children to
develop their creativity, to feel strong about their own capacity
and to create a medium to communicate with others."

The photographs may reach a worldwide audience as the pictures
by the Bantar Gebang children are scheduled to be exhibited
abroad.

"I'm personally impressed with their work. They make fabulous
pictures of their idols or people around them, but I leave it up
to the people to judge the artistic aspects," he said.

Van Asbeck emphasized that the main objective was to instill a
greater sense of confidence in the children in facing the future.

"Most of all we hope the children gain self-esteem," he said.

In conjunction with JakArt@2003 (the International Arts
Cultural and Educational Festival of Jakarta), the pictures made
by the children have been compiled in a catalog, Idols(*) of
Children from The Dump Site.

Published by Homeless World Foundation, the book is sold at Rp
75,000. All proceeds from its sale will go to the Bantar Gebang
children's community radio station Radio Anak Kampung Bantar
Gebang. More information is available from vanasbeck@link.net.id

The photographs will be on exhibit from June 11 through June
30 at Senayan Square (next to Plaza Senayan) in Central Jakarta.