TV soap operas portray Betawi folk as dumb: Pundit

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta

Many sinetron (TV soap operas) portray Betawi people in a bad light, and mislead viewers, because they only show one aspect of the native Jakartan, an expert says.

Head of the Anthropology Department at the University of Indonesia (UI), Yasmine Shahab, told a press conference on Wednesday that nearly all TV dramas on Betawi people and their culture depict them as stupid and backward.

"When people watch those TV dramas, they will think that Betawi people are stupid and uneducated. Betawi culture is also often described as static and not dynamic," she said.

The UI and the Jakarta Culture and Museum Agency will organize a seminar entitled Betawi and Jakarta: A Cultural Perspective at UI campus in Depok on June 28 and June 29.

Yasmine cited many episodes of Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (Doel, the schoolboy) that showed scenes where Mandra, an uneducated Betawi, always swallowed whatever Karyo, his Javanese neighbor, said.

She also named other TV series that exploit the Betawi people in a negative way.

Yasmine regretted that those dramas did not explore the real lives of many Betawi people, who are modern and progressive. She pointed to the emergence of organizations established by Betawi people and the fact that many of them have held strong position in the administration.

"In the past, it was difficult to find a Betawi as a subdistrict chief. Now we have many Betawi figures holding important positions such as Pak Fauzi Bowo (deputy governor)," she said.

The seminar steering committee chairwoman, Edy Sedyawati, said that sinetron on Betawi people would be among the topics to be discussed in the two-day seminar. Other important topics will include Betawi history, Betawi arts, Betawi language, Betawi literature and the contemporary Betawi people. A number of cultural experts and observers are also expected to attend.

Edy said there was still controversy over the elements that led to the Betawi culture and she promised that this topic would be one of the most interesting.

Old literature says that the Betawi people are is a mix of various other ethnic groups from Indonesia and other countries, who were used by the Dutch colonial administration as workers in Jakarta.

The Betawi people are said to have Malay, Balinese, Sasak, Chinese, Arab, Dutch, Sundanese and Javanese ancestry.