'Senyum Paramuda' speaks of hope, appeals to the young
'Senyum Paramuda' speaks of hope, appeals to the young
By Franki Raden
JAKARTA (JP): Leo Kristi's music, performed at last week's
show Senyum Paramuda (Young People's Smiles), speaks of hope and
appeals to Indonesian youths to build a better civilization.
Hands waving strongly/My dedication with a peaceful smile/Is
given to my country
Your smiles reflect the strength of millions/To build
civilization in close harmony/A vow of justice and unity
My country shines brightly/With the smiles of healthy
youths/Who build the eternal world/In line with their
conscience/Oh, Freedom
Kristi always manages to deliver his songs with a theme of
heroism, yet in an intimate way. In his hands, the hymn Satu Nusa
Satu Bangsa (One Country, One Nation) -- the last item on the
program -- could be conceived as an ordinary song. Such is
Kristi's humanistic vision in performing the piece that its hefty
ideological content becomes at once both intimate and effective
in rousing nationalistic sentiment.
Kristi's humanistic vision has been noticeable in much of his
music, from the 1970s onward. It is interesting to observe that
his daily life is consistent with his vision; he is neither an
artist nor an intellectual speaking from an ivory tower. He lives
amid the subjects of his songs, mainly those from the working
class who lead poverty-stricken lives.
His devotion to human values could be heard throughout the
evening, in songs such as Tepi Surabaya, Lewat Kiaracondong,
Bencana Tanah Negara, Di Deretan Rel, Nyanyian Malam, Gulagalugu
Suara Nelayan, Nyanyian Fajar and Lenggalenggung Badai Lautku.
Through his music, Kristi characteristically singles out the
essential problems facing people and the emotions that go with
these problems. As a result, his lyrics are not the sharp and
direct social protests like those of Iwan Fals and Sawung Jabo.
The lives of the subjects in his songs are revealed delicately
and poetically and touch our conscience deeply. Thus, without
cornering his audience, his songs leave an indelible mark on our
conscience. The more so because each Kristi performance endeavors
to depict pictures of people's environment via a visual language.
For this show Kristi donned a black jacket with a handbag
attached to his waist. He seemed to represent a newcomer from a
small town looking for work in metropolitan Jakarta. More
strikingly was the appearance of his three-year-old child,
carried by his wife dressed in traditional kain and a simple
kebaya.
The presence of Kristi and wife and child on stage presented a
forceful picture of working class life. The blend of music with
the chatter and cries of the young child represented a working
class environment soundscape. Kristi played on his worn-out
guitar and a plastic pail serving as a percussion instrument.
At the start of each song he said permisi (with your
permission) as street singers are wont to do. His lyrics told the
story of an old woman, hard work, fishermen's fate at sea, groups
of shirtless children on the side of a railway track, a bare
breasted girl behind a decrepit bamboo screen, quarreling women
and babies crying in train cars, an old teacher running a street
stall, a girl in a rice field holding a reaping knife, the
dejection of a fisherman's wife waiting in vain for the return of
her husband and an earthquake disaster.
Through these songs Kristi conveyed the "terror" of his chosen
topics to an audience who walked on the building's thick carpet,
sat on velvet-laid chairs and looked at the neo-classic interior
of the Jakarta Playhouse -- all symbols of the Indonesian middle
class lifestyle.
It is this class who can afford Rp 20,000 (US$8.40) for a
Kristi show and who are daily fed by the news media on Western
lifestyles. It is not surprising that Kristi's recordings,
marketed to this socioeconomic group, sell a maximum of 70,000
pieces, a figure too small for a mainstream pop music product.
Who wants to hear songs about the panorama of human life as
described in Kristi's lyrics amid the current forceful
development of this nation? Indosiar, the private television
station that relayed this show, felt the need to tame the
"terror" of Kristi's show with sophisticated lighting, making the
atmosphere resemble a discotheque in Jakarta.
Humanism for the greater part my have left the middle class;
they try to bury their feelings through expensive dreams and a
consumer life style. During the intermission a university student
asked me, "Excuse me, Sir, you seem to be an expert. Could I ask
you why I am the only one on my campus who likes Kristi's music?"
The question came to me so suddenly, I could not respond
readily. But my heart said, "If that is true, you must be a happy
man."