Tanah Abang locals praise, caution African neighbors

JAKARTA (JP): Residents in the Tanah Abang area in Central Jakarta have mixed opinions on the mushrooming number of Africans residing in and running businesses in the heavily populated area.

Interviewed on Saturday, some of the people -- especially garment traders, hoteliers and restaurateurs -- were highly enthusiastic about their new neighbors. Many of them said their presence had helped boost their incomes during the crippling economic crisis.

But others, particularly residents in the area, aired concerns that the foreigners' lifestyle was incompatible with local culture, and would affect locals, particularly teenagers. The residents suggested their new neighbors, who are mostly from Nigeria, curb their behavior and respect local customs.

According to many traders at the popular Tanah Abang textile and garment market, the Africans, who regularly make bulk orders to be shipped to their homelands, had "saved" them from the prolonged economic crisis.

Titi, a shop attendant at the Fanina embroidered cloth shop, said African businessmen were a godsend for market traders, many of whom had experienced a sharp drop in orders from local customers.

She said her African customers were always very happy when the rupiah rose sharply against the greenback.

"They will buy things in large quantities, so that it seems that everything in the shop has been taken away," said Titi, who had just completed a Rp 3 million (US$360) transaction with two Africans.

With a daily turnover of between Rp 5 million and Rp 20 million per day, Titi said that thanks to her African clientele, the economic crisis was yet to affect her business.

Similar praise was also made by the owner of the Rahmat cloth shop, Mrs. Rahmat, who said her daily transactions sometimes amounted to Rp 500 million.

"African traders have made a big contribution to my business. During the time when the U.S. dollar became much stronger against the rupiah, I even recorded Rp 1 billion in transactions in just a day, which forced me to serve them until late into the night," she said.

According to local residents, the Africans started to flock to the area about three years ago just as the country began to face the grim economic crisis.

No official figures of the African community at the Tanah Abang area were available, but they have a conspicuous presence in the neighborhood. Some were seen accompanying their children, walking to or from their hotels or rented houses in the neighborhood, leaving some locals to jokingly rename the area the "African kampong".

Resident Rusdi said: "Some of them have become part of our lives, as they usually stay for months and rent houses here."

He, however, acknowledged that some local residents were disturbed by some of the Africans, who could not adapt themselves to the local's way of life.

"Sometimes the black guys hug their teenage girls or kiss them in front of our eyes. This make local people unhappy," he said.

Saukani, a senior resident, shared the viewpoint.

The two men said that some of the foreigners met with prostitutes in the area.

On Thursday, 13 Africans were apprehended by the Central Jakarta Mayoralty on charges of overstaying their visas. A piece of equipment used to produce counterfeit U.S. dollars was also seized from one of the men, who managed to escape.

Petamburan subdistrict resident Darul, who has African neighbors, said local people could live together with foreigners who were willing to adapt themselves to the local culture.

"We, for example, have become good neighbors and never bother each other," he said. (ind)