'Rapai Pase' a symbol of peace in Aceh

'Rapai Pase' a symbol of peace in Aceh

Syahruddin Hamzah, Antara/Banda Aceh

"Pat ujeun yang hana pirang, pat prang yang hana reda" -- an
Acehnese proverb literally meaning, "There's no rain that cannot
be stopped and there's no war that cannot be ended in this area,"
is appropriate in reference to the peace pact between the
Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement, slated to be
signed in Helsinki, Finland on Aug. 15.

The Acehnese have held the adage for decades since the
separatist fighting first began.

The peace agreement was celebrated by the 350 drummers
participating in Sunday's Rapai Pase (traditional drum) festival,
who performed in seven conflict-prone areas in Aceh.

"When the Rapai Pase drums are beaten, gunfire will cease,"
said leader of the festival, Ayah Panton, alias Syamsuddin
Djalil.

The festival was organized by the Association of Aceh Native
Sons as Inheritors of the Traditions on a Mission of Resolving
the Aceh Conflict Customarily (KANAPAKAD).

The Rapai Pase drums are usually beaten after midnight and can
be heard up to two kilometers away. People were awoken from their
sleep and hailed the event with elation expecting it would lead
to the establishment of a more developed and prosperous Aceh.

"Those who hear the drums -- particularly those who see the
event directly -- will greet the occasion with prayers because
they believe the gripping fear they have been facing thus far
will end," he said.

Happiness was reflected in the faces of Aceh residents waiting
along the Trans-Sumatra highway -- the route taken by the Rapai
Pase group -- after kicking off from Banda Aceh at midnight on
Sunday.

A resident of Panton Labu, Mohd. Zeiriana, 35, said the parade
was also significant because the traditional drums had not been
played in public for years.

The parade featured 288 drummers beating 114 rapai drums as
they were transported by 10 trucks and escorted by more than 200
vehicles traveling through seven municipalities and regencies in
Aceh, from Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, Pidie, Bireuen, Lhokseumawe,
North Aceh and Peureulak in East Aceh. The peace parade wrapped
up in Panton Labu, 328 km east of Banda Aceh, prior to going
through Peureulak, known as the area most prone to armed
conflict.

The entourage was seen off by caretaker governor of Aceh,
Azwar Abubakar, witnessed by People's Consultative Speaker
Hidayat Nurwahid, Minister of Information and Communications
Sofyan Djalil, and a number of foreign representatives, religious
and community leaders in Banda Aceh.

Another Panton Labu resident, Usman Ibrahim, 65, explained
that when the Rapai Pase drums were beaten, they would produce a
colossal rhythm which would touch the souls of Aceh people.

The event is not merely entertainment, but full of meanings
hard to put it in words, he said.

Acehnese who are familiar with Rapai Pase would have found the
sound of the drums eerie, especially those hearing them from far
away.

"I was moved, my eyes welled with tears when I heard the
drums," said Usman.