Show marks anniversary of Sukarno's birth
Show marks anniversary of Sukarno's birth
By Primastuti Handayani
JAKARTA (JP): Guruh Soekarno Putra's Menggugat (Guruh Soekarno
Putra's Demands) would perhaps be a more appropriate title for
his show commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of his
father, first president Sukarno.
His piece, Perikemanusiaan (Humanity), which was presented by
pop diva Reza, might well represent his own reflections on what
happened to his father.
"Dia dihina, dicaci, dinista, dimaki/seakan tak pernah dia
berjasa/seakan dia makhluk tak berguna...." (He was insulted,
condemned, disgraced, cursed/as if he had never gave service / as
if he were a worthless creature ....), says Guruh as he attempts
to represent Sukarno's last days, especially after Soeharto took
power in 1966.
But Guruh, 48, did not let himself be carried away by
emotional memories of his father during the 90-minute show at the
Jakarta Convention Center's Assembly Hall in Senayan, Central
Jakarta, on Wednesday
He opted to present Sukarno's speeches to remind the audience
of the spirit of nationhood, which has been declining recently,
especially among the younger generation.
An archive film of Sukarno declaring Indonesia's independence
on Aug. 17, 1945, which was displayed on two giant screens on
each side of the stage, was preceded by an opening piece of
Javanese sacred dance, the Warsa Wijaya bedoyo, performed by nine
girls with long hair, wearing red camisole and parang batik as
costumes.
Instead of being accompanied by a traditional gamelan
orchestra, the dance was accompanied by the Erwin Gutawa
Orchestra along with a choir.
The show, which was also attended by Guruh's sister President
Megawati Soekarnoputri and husband Taufik Kiemas, along with Vice
President Hamzah Haz and his wife, featured some of Guruh's old
songs and dances from previous shows.
Melati Suci (Pure Jasmine) -- a duet by noted soprano Aning
Katamsi and Sundanese sinden (traditional singer) Nenah
Nurhasanah -- reminded viewers of Guruh's first work Untukmu
Indonesiaku (To You My Indonesia) in 1977 with his Swara
Mahardhika, a social and political organization he set up but
then changed into a foundation, as he featured the same
choreography where girls wearing white Makassar Baju Bodo
traditional costumes performed Korean style dance with fans.
Guruh's old friend Chrisye, a noted Indonesian singer and
songwriter, expressed his sadness about violence by singing
Chopin Larung. The song was included in the Guruh-Gipsy album in
1978 and also performed during Guruh's Untung Surapati show in
June 1998.
New boyband Fajar Baru Indonesia featured a new-rap-
arrangement Zamrud Katulistiwa (Equatorial Emerald) along with a
buffalo on stage, which raised a laugh from the audience.
But Guruh also presented new songs, including Simfoni Raya
Indonesia (Symphony of Great Indonesia) by child sensation
Sherina who proved her quality in the relatively difficult
repertoire.
Unfortunately, tenor Christopher Abimanyu, who sang Bela
Indonesia (Defend Indonesia), failed to perform to the maximum on
stage as the song was too "pop" for his caliber.
A call for unity was made when Joice performed Putri Tionghoa
(Chinese girl) in a Mandarin-arrangement accompanied by a lampion
paper-lantern dance. The giant screens displayed the faces of the
1992 Barcelona Olympics gold medalist Susy Susanti, former
minister of education and culture Fuad Hasan and other figures
from the country's minorities.
In general, the event was just like other Guruh shows where
young dancers from Kinarya GSP, his entertainment business,
performed cabaret-style choreographies in lavish costumes.
But the stage was much too simple for such a performance as it
was bare of decoration except for a kind of tower in the center
back, red-and-white backdrops and some poles bearing flags.
Despite some repetitions, Guruh still received a standing
ovation from the audience, which included former movie star
Rahayu Effendi, former state minister of youth affairs and sport
Hayono Isman, former model Sandy Harun, videoclip director Rizal
Mantovani and child psychologist Seto Mulyadi.
Profits from tickets sales, sold at between Rp 100,000 and Rp
300,000 each, will go to the Bung Karno Foundation to build the
Sukarno Center which is planned for a 10-hectare site close to
the capital. The center, expected to be completed in 2004, will
accommodate a museum, library, multipurpose hall, an archive and
a research center.
In his show, Guruh managed to keep the story on track with
documentary film of his father, including footage of when Sukarno
met U.S. former president John F. Kennedy, the start of the
construction of the Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, a
number of his speeches, and the last days before he passed away.
The chairman of the Bung Karno Foundation urged the country's
younger generation to keep loving the country even though its
image had been severely tarnished over the last four years.
In commemorating Independence Day, Indonesians should ask
themselves what they had done for the country? Had they helped to
improve it or had they helped to destroy it. Now was the time for
all of us to start working together for the sake of the country.