Singing a human tragedy
Singing a human tragedy
Readers who have not encountered local cultures and traditions
might wonder how comedian Benyamin Suaeb, who died here on
Tuesday of a heart attack, became a legend. Fame followed
Benyamin, who was a Betawi (indigenous Jakartan) by birth and a
comedian by profession, from the grassroots to the middle class.
The actor, singer and all-round entertainer was phenomenally
sensitive to people's problems. His situational comedies and TV
programs managed to deal with daily life in the sprawling capital
in a comical way. His many rap songs in Bahasa Betawi also poked
fun at life in Jakarta.
His work caricatured the daily realities, only slightly
exaggerating the numerous defects of Jakarta. His sense of humor
was so warm and his jokes so light that his antics outshone all
contemporary Indonesian comedians.
Living evidence of his popularity is the way people call him
Bang (older brother) Ben. He was the first person from outside
the professional acting domain to be awarded a Citra Award (the
Jakartan equivalent of the Hollywood Oscar). Afterward, his fans
branded him "a bumpkin with a metropolitan fortune". He didn't
seem to mind the less-than-flattering alias because life was a
comedy to him.
Benyamin's widespread popularity was due his dexterity in
milking the Betawi dialect. His use of Bahasa Betawi, which is a
variety of Malay dialects, put his name in lights.
The urban dialect is becoming more popular because it is
intimate, simple and adaptable. Last, but certainly not least, it
lacks grammatical rules, which many Indonesians find appealing.
Benyamin, who spoke, gibed, jeered and joked in the dialect, was
able to leap over provincial borders. He was also reportedly
popular in Malaysia.
To ethnic Betawi, Benyamin was a powerful figure in a lonely
battle to keep their culture alive. The late comedian cum
singer's songs reflected the Betawi's vanishing culture.
The Betawi community feels it is an awkward phenomenon in a
fast changing city. The people, who are steadfast
traditionalists, were long ago pushed to the periphery by the
drive for modernization. Development and bulldozers threaten
their culture.
Four decades ago, various Betawi cultural activities, such as
Ma'ruf, Cokek, Tanjidor, Topeng Betawi, thrived. Now, many of
them are virtually extinct. Lenong, a very popular traditional
drama, was staged regularly at Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Center
until the 1970s. It is now on the wane. Even at a Betawi arts
festival here in 1986, the show failed to attract an audience.
The Betawi are vulnerable to metamorphosing Jakarta. Two decades
ago, the city governor wanted to create a Betawi sanctuary to
preserve their unique culture. Just the idea is lamentable.
In the end, Benyamin wasn't singing a human comedy but a human
tragedy.