Wanted: Dramas with local touch

Wanted: Dramas with local touch

JAKARTA (JP): Director General for Culture Edi Sedyawati has
challenged Indonesian drama series producers to come up with
stories that have a touch of Indonesian identity.

"Producers should be challenged to discover their own national
identity and, if necessary, abandon the symbols which have become
the property of 'western' movies," she said.

Speaking at a hearing on Tuesday with House of Representatives
Commission IX, overseeing education and cultural matters, Edi
admitted this would be a difficult task for television drama
series producers because practically everything -- starting from
the science, technology and arts of filming -- originates from
the modern western culture.

"Most of the symbols, which are often seen as an inseparable
part of film arts and film courses, are actually only applicable
for the western culture," she said.

Lately Indonesian television drama series, popularly known as
sinetron, have become very popular among television viewers.
However, many complaints stream in, claiming that the stories are
too "western" and too sophisticated for most Indonesians.

Edi said western culture has blended into the film industry so
well that Indonesian producers have become used to "accepting all
western concepts without bothering to question them".

After the hearing, she led House members on a tour of the
national museum, the ancient Candranaya building and the
ministry's arts center in Jakarta.

"Museums are still a new thing for most Indonesians because
they are not a part of our original culture," she said.

"The appreciation of museums and history should start in the
children's early years," she said.

She said that for the time being, this should be the
responsibility of schools because many Indonesians were not
familiar with the concept of appreciating history. (pwn)