RI entertainers get on HIV/AIDS awareness bandwagon
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Little did the four young men know what they had started, but the song they made, Matahari Pagi (Morning Sun) and its English version Overcome, is the first song in this country to be dedicated to the national campaign against HIV/AIDS.
Singer Ariyo Wahab, whose name became familiar after he starred in the musical movie Biarkan Bintang Menari (Let the Star Dance), which was released late last year, has long been committed to helping the Indonesian AIDS Foundation (YAI)'s campaign.
"I have always wanted to contribute something to society through the thing I do best: singing," he said during a recent interview.
Along with music and lyric writers Andi Rianto and Monty Tiwa, and producer Jitta Papilaya -- whom he has known since the making of the earlier film Andai Ia Tahu (Wish S/he Knows), which uses his songs as the soundtrack, Ariyo worked out his dream.
Not an easy task, though, as emotionally they were not well prepared.
They had to contact a number of people living with HIV/AIDS to see for themselves what stigmatization and discrimination are like.
The lyrics say it all:
If you have the chance/Give a second glance/Do not look away/'Cause I'm here to stay/There's only one thing/I ask from you/To open your eyes and see the truth
I'm not a shadow/My world will not be dark/And I will always be the one who waits/Inside your heart/And when you see the truth about me/We are not that different/You and me
Although the whole process of recording and duplication took no more than eight days -- from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, with its launch being timed in conjunction with International AIDS Day on Dec. 1, Ariyo still had to do a number of retakes before completion.
"It felt like I was carrying all the woes of people living with HIV/AIDS on my shoulders ... a sensitive issue and I want to make it sound as it is."
To make it all happen they just needed one thing: a donor. It was a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, Church World Service (CWS) Indonesia, that enabled the four to put out their songs in 8,000 cassettes and 1,000 compact discs, which were distributed free on International AIDS Day.
The limited promotion afforded to the record prompted Jitta to open access to the public to download the lyrics and the songs for free from the internet via http://www.geocities.com/song4aids/.
"I would be glad if more people could listen to these songs in the hope that more and more of us will learn to respect those who make a choice by living with HIV/AIDS," he said.
These young entertainers -- all are still under 30 -- have even greater plans, however.
"We want to make a compilation album involving local bands who have released songs on the same theme -- the struggle of people living with HIV/AIDS -- such as Padi and Dewa. If other countries can organize concerts to mark AIDS Day, why can't we? Are we really that ignorant of the issue? But, again, we need donors," Jitta remarked.