Street children sing to fight drug abuses
Street children sing to fight drug abuses
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An emcee wearing a white-and-blue senior high school uniform
poses a question to a trio of street children singers from South
Jakarta who have just performed.
"How long did it take you to compose the song?" he said.
One of the trio pretended to think, then, with a cheeky grin,
quipped: "About a minute before we came on stage."
The answer sent the people in the audience into thunderous
applause and laughter.
The group, Gaeng, was one of five groups of street children
performers from five municipalities in the capital participating
in an antidrug jingle competition held last Saturday by students
of state senior high school SMU 47 in Tanah Kusir, South Jakarta.
If the South Jakarta group won the heart of the audience, it
was a group, ABI, or Anak Bangsa Indonesia (Children of
Indonesia), from East Java that won the hearts and minds of the
jury and won the competition.
ABI members (photo above) won the first prize with their
jingle, Generasi Antinarkoba (Antidrug Generation). Second was
Sabu (Sarapan Bubur or Breakfast Porridge) from North Jakarta,
while Gaeng made it into third.
The competition was held in conjunction with the International
Day highlighting Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking on Sunday. It
was also an event on the school's annual art festival program.
"We don't pretend to ourselves that this event will solve all
the street children's problems. We just want them to enjoy
themselves and have a good time," said M. Iqbal, a member of the
festival committee.
The students had also decided to hold this year's art festival
in a more modest way to save costs, he said. Three years ago the
school organized an extravagant celebration, during which two
students died and several others were injured when a hydrogen
canister they were using to color balloons during preparations
exploded.
"We don't want a repeat of such an incident. (The accident)
occurred because the students were cutting costs and trying to
hold a lavish festival despite tight budget constraints," said
school committee head Suparman Tresna Friya said.
"That's why when the students came up with the idea of holding
a jingle competition for street children, and we are right behind
the idea as the event helps raise the students' social
awareness," he said.
Jurors in the competition were representatives from The
Jakarta Post, the Warta Kota daily, RCTI, Indosiar and state-
owned TV and radio stations TVRI and RRI.
"We invited the media to take part in the event to help
disseminate efforts made by young people, students and street
children, to combat drug abuse and drug trafficking," said Azwina
Aziz Miraza, the head of the Cahaya Hati Bangsa Foundation, one
of the sponsors of the event.
Also present to support the competition were the Mercedes Benz
Tiger and the Harley Davidson clubs.
The school's principal, Laily Saher, said the festival would
end on a high with a talk show and musical performance on July 2
at the Gerbang Pemuda Complex in Taman Ria Senayan, Central
Jakarta.
The performance will feature singers including Andi of /rif,
Iton of Club 80's, Netral, film actress Nani Wijaya and actor Aji
Pangestu.