Tough times ahead for Indonesian art world

Tough times ahead for Indonesian art world

By Rita A. Widiadana

The constraints of bans, some imposed without clear reasons,
closures and censorship continue to haunt the organizers and
presenters of local art and cultural activities. Creative freedom
among Indonesian artists has been curbed in the name of the
nation's stability and security. This runs counter to the State
Policy Guidelines, which state that the support of art as a
cultural expression of the people is devoted to the development
of artistic creativity, the improvement of the public's
appreciation of art and their involvement with it.

JAKARTA (JP): "Only God and the government know exactly what
will happen to the Indonesian art world in the future," says
scholar Salim Said.

Such a comment is understandable, given the current political
atmosphere which precludes clear guidelines for artists to
follow. Most of the time they have to rely on their instincts to
avoid a ban or censorship because the criteria vary from one
place to another, from yesterday to today.

Tough censorship moves inflicted for often unstated or unclear
reasons have affected many art and cultural activities -- music,
dance, film, theater, fine art and literary events -- for the
last 25 years in particular.

Data at the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) reveal that dozens of
the banned cultural performances were heavy with social
criticism. The banned works include Mastodon dan Burung Kondor
(l971), Lysistrata and Perjuangan Suku Naga (l975), all by poet-
playwright W.S. Rendra, and Lho (l975), a play by Putu Wijaya,
which was considered pornographic due to the nudity involved. The
works of Teater Koma have often been subjected to government
bans. Teater Koma's Sam Pek Eng Tay (l988) was banned only in
Medan, North Sumatra, for its potential to expose Chinese culture
to the Indonesian people. The group's other works including Opera
Kecoa, and Suksesi have also faced bans because of their
satirical content.

Bitterness

People in the film, music, dance and other entertainment
industries have also had a taste of the bitterness of these
restrictions. A number of films, such as Saija dan Adinda,
(l977), Romusha (l974) and Nusa Penida (l990) were banned (see
box). Dancers Sardono W. Kusumo and Farida Feisal have had bad
experiences when their works were banned for containing erotic
scenes. The ban on the performances of Teater Buruh Indonesia and
two rock concerts by Iwan Fals and Harry Roesli are the most
recent examples.

"Many government officials still consider artists as
contaminators, who will pollute the life of the public. The
government is often suspicious that the artists's creations will
bring a negative impact to the public and to the nation in
general. This is crazy," according to Salim Said, who is chairman
of the Jakarta Art Council.

Salim is of the opinion that local arts will sooner or later
die if the government and the artists fail to bridge their sharp
differences on the meaning of the arts in society.

"The banning or prohibition against any artistic work not only
hampers creative freedom, but also prevents us from holding a
mutually beneficial dialog with the government," Salim noted. It
also reflects the government's unwillingness to learn to
understand the contents of art works, he lamented.

Salim added that many government officials ban artistic works
without even seeing or reading them first. There have never been
precise, understandable criteria on what type or quality of
cultural event might create social unrest, he complained. The
affected artists have never been informed about the "sins"
committed in their artistic works. The art council, a respected
art think tank and "home" to many of Indonesia's best known
intellectuals, has been consulted about such matters.

"We want to know exactly which part of a play or a scene in a
film or lyrics in a song that are viewed as having the potential
to rock the nation," Salim said.

Persistent bans on performing arts will certainly affect
artists and intellectuals, he added. "They are currently haunted
with fear whenever they want to exercise their rights to freedom
of expression," Salim explained.

Salim insisted there is no way that a play or other art
activity can trigger a "revolution", as some official seem to
think.

The frequent bans on cultural activities illustrate just how
wide the gap between artists and those in power is, said poet
Emha Ainun Nadjib, whose work Pak Kanjeng was banned by the East
Java authorities.

"To the authorities, art is subordinate to power. If this goes
on, we will have whole generations unable to appreciate art,"
Emha added.

Emha continued that such censorship or banning is common in a
developing country like Indonesia. Therefore, no ample room for
freedom of expression seems forthcoming in the near future.

Nano Riantiarno, leader of Teater Koma, said that the
government's banning should not discourage artists from
continuing to produce. "I'm not saying that these bans have not
affected our lives and our theatrical activities. They did cause
severe wounds deep in our hearts. But, do we have to give up?" he
asked in frustration.

Nano went on to say he is now adopting the philosophy that
"water flows every where it can".

"I try to remain active regardless of the fact that existing
conditions are not conducive," he said. Presently, he is busy
preparing his latest play, Semar Gugat, which is scheduled to be
staged at the Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM)
Arts Center, in November. Nano and his group will also take part
at the international festival on contemporary theater in Cairo in
September.

Nano said he personally does not object to censorship as long
as it is transparent. "But, the authorities should view our works
with clearer and positive minds. We don't want to destroy our own
country. If the government considers our works too critical, it
is just because we love the country. We want to arouse a sense of
awareness among the authorities and the public as well that
something wrong is happening around us," he explained.

He believes that a play or drama actually provides us with a
chance to maintain a healthy dialog -- with ourselves, with our
conscience, and subsequently, with other people. It is through
such dialogs that we can reach better mutual understanding and
avoid conflicts, all of which serves for the betterment of our
society. It is a pity that such a path for dialog is being kept
closed, he said.

Actually, a series of meetings between bureaucrats and artists
have been held and proved to be able to build a dialog between
the two parties.

Salim explained that in l988, former coordinating minister for
political affairs and security, Sudomo, had given assurances to
the art council that there would be no bans on artistic and
cultural performances. Sudomo said that the government would
consult the council before banning any cultural event. "That was
the deal which has never been realized," Salim said.

In October l994, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono gave
another solemn guarantee that "no plays will be banned, either
today or tomorrow". Many people welcomed the promise as a
refreshing breath of air.

Understandably, quite a number of people have viewed
Moerdiono's statement with considerable reservations. Although
they do not have the slightest reason to doubt Moerdiono's
integrity, several experiences have shown that coordination
between the upper and lower echelons of government has often been
wanting, particularly whenever the issue of security is at stake.

Despite assurances from these two high-ranking officials, the
banning of performing arts presentations still goes on. Early
this year, the East Java authority banned the performance of Pak
Kanjeng, a satirical play by outspoken Emha. This Pak Kanjeng
banning incident clearly shows how difficult it is to change a
perception. It also reveals the poor coordination between the
central and regional authorities.

Permits

Regardless of Moerdiono's assurance, cultural performances and
intellectual meetings, including seminars and discussions have
even been restricted.

Togi Sigalingging, public relations manager of TIM, explained
that "very special permits" are required if TIM wants to organize
performances by outspoken artists or scholars, including Guruh
Sukarnoputra, son of Indonesia's first president, playwright and
poet W.S. Rendra, Moslem scholar Abdurrahman Wahid and Teater
Koma.

Previously, TIM needed only to apply for an annual permit for
all the activities at the center. "Now, we have to apply for
special permits for even a seminar or discussion, let alone for
those people mentioned above. This is really a setback in our
cultural life. The authorities trying to silence our freedom of
creation and expression," Sigalingging commented.

According to the regulations, cultural performances,
gatherings, including seminars, and talks need special permits
from the police and other agencies.

"The processing of such permits is really time and money
consuming. We have to give 'extra money' to at least 18 desks to
obtain a permit," said an organizer who wants to remain
anonymous.

A number of House members, including Krissantono from the
government-backed Golkar faction, earlier revealed that the
banning of cultural performances and other forms of gatherings
will only make Indonesia a laughing stock in the international
community.

The government has also risked public criticism by applying
such an unpopular policy, he said.

Artist Franki Raden added that the cultural bans could become
a boomerang for the government.

"The policy has smeared the government's image because it
makes the people think the bureaucracy frowns on criticism,"
Franki said. Furthermore, government officials should realize
that by banning one's work, they help the artist climb into
stardom.