RI-Dutch poetry fiesta gets limited applause

RI-Dutch poetry fiesta gets limited applause

JAKARTA (JP): Dari Priok ke Kota: aduh mak, macetnya,
macetnya! (From Priok to downtown Kota, oww, such a jam, such a
jam!)

Hamid Jabbar's poem Permutasi Mas Merdeka was read at the
Indonesian-Dutch Poetry Festival held at the Dutch Cultural
Center, Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta, from Sept. 4 to 6.

Jabbar provoked comments, laughter and much applause when he
recited the poem for the first time at Chairil Anwar Plaza at
Monumen National (Monas) Park on Aug. 15. However, his reading
only got polite applause at Erasmus Huis. The poem hadn't
suddenly lost its power, but, because the audience consisted of
Indonesians and expatriates, Jabbar's poem fell somewhat flat.

Despite the poems universal theme of modernization, it is very
local. It looks at things very familiar to anyone who regularly
reads newspaper: the country's debt, conglomerates, smugglers,
the stock exchange, the paper shortage, the Internet, forest
fires and World Bank funds. The chaos the poem describes can only
truly be felt, however, by those who have ventured into Tanjung
Priok and Kota in North and West Jakarta.

The language Jabbar uses to emphasize the havoc is not
standard Indonesian. He employs Jakartan slang and mixes in
Japanese terms. Even Indonesians not familiar with Jakartan slang
might not catch all the meanings, let alone foreigners.

No wonder the applause was limited.

The festival, opened by former minister of culture and
education Fuad Hassan, was jointly organized by Erasmus Huis and
poet W.S. Rendra's theater group Bengkel Teater.

The festival featured six Indonesian poets, Diah Hadaning,
Dorothea Rosa Herliany, Hamid Jabbar, Afrizal Malna, Acep Zamzam
Noor and Sitok Srengenge; and six Belgian and Dutch poets, Jaap
Blonk, Remco Campert, Herman de Coninck, Anna Enquist, Esther
Jansma and Simon Vinkenoog.

Although allowing Indonesian poets to meet their counterparts
from other countries is a very good idea, extra effort is
necessary to make the performance interesting for people from
different language groups.

Translations could help. But the Dutch poems were poorly
translated into Indonesian. Translating other forms of
literature, such as short stories, is never easy. Translating
poems must be done with even more care.

Providing a narrator to explain the background of a poem might
help the mixed audience understand more.

It was a nice try. (als)