Suriname poet too curious to visit Java

Suriname poet too curious to visit Java

JAKARTA (JP): Unlike homecomings for many others, Surianto's
first visit to this country was devoid of emotion.

"I am curious rather than emotional about being here," said
the 63-year-old poet who was born of Javanese descent in a
village in Suriname. He refers to Indonesia as the home of his
ancestors and not his own, and his interest in the country as
academic and cultural rather than sentimental.

Surianto, who participated in the recent poetry festival at
Teater Utan Kayu, is also a member of the 21-seat provincial
parliament from the Percaya Luhu Party and has followed the
interesting turn politics has taken here. He finds politicians in
Indonesia too emotional, and religion given far too much
importance in public life.

Surianto points out that one of the most striking
characteristics of Suriname society is the heterogeneous ethnic
composition of its population, which includes native Indians,
people known as "bush Negroes", Asian Indians and Javanese, who
make up 15 percent of the population. There is even a small but
thriving Jewish community. They maintain their own identities to
a large extent, mingling nevertheless with each other in
commercial and social activities.

Although the son of a farmer, Surianto graduated in business
administration and traveled for further studies to the United
States. His father died before he could return for a visit to
Java as he could never afford the trip. His priority has remained
to work hard and educate his children.

His mother's family was the first to migrate as workers on
sugarcane and cotton plantations owned by the Dutch. His father's
family from Pekalongan, Central Java, followed soon after and the
two married on the faraway island located on the north central
coast of South America.

Although his parents were Muslim by religion, Surianto
was brought up observing rites and rituals practiced by the
family according to Javanese adat (tradition). He married a woman
from the Javanese community in Suriname and both eventually chose
to follow the Hindu religion as practiced in Java during pre-
Islamic times. Only two of his four children are practicing
Muslims, while one is a Protestant and the eldest a Roman
Catholic.

"We spoke Javanese at home and grew up listening to our
parents say how living in the village of Lasmborek in Suriname
was just like being in Pekalongan. I did not recall them being
too sentimental about Java," Surianto told The Jakarta Post.

Surianto was sent along with his siblings to study in the
city. While some from his generation returned to the countryside
to farm, Surianto chose a job in the government. In his spare
time he pursued his love for literature and music and today is
able to play a variety of instruments.

He uses a form of Javanese for his poetry and short stories in
which the vocabulary from all the other languages of the country
also creeps in. Again it was curiosity that made him keep in
touch with the Javanese language through magazines published in
Java; he also studied Indonesian at the Indonesian Embassy.

It is the dream of every one in Suriname whose family came
from Indonesia to visit this country once, he says, but few are
able to afford it. From the moment he landed in Jakarta, he never
felt that he was on foreign soil. He finds the climate and
landscape here the same as at home and he is happy to find young
Indonesians far more traditional than in Suriname. "We are
westernizing too fast in Suriname."

He does not expect any big reception awaiting him when he
visits Pekalongan. He knows nobody there and it will not sadden
him if he is unable to locate the home of his ancestors.

"There are no unrealistic expectations on my part. The
first set of Javanese sailed for Suriname in 1890. My
father left in 1931. It is all such a long time ago. I
am not at all sentimental about this trip. I am just
happy to be here."

But some of his friends with Javanese roots did give him a
little money to buy souvenirs like batik shirts, sarongs and
wayang (shadow puppets), only proving that home really is where
the heart is. (Mehru Jaffer)