'Yogyaku Kampungku' tries to portray old Yogyakarta
'Yogyaku Kampungku' tries to portray old Yogyakarta
Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta
The photograph of a madman in the middle of the modern scenery of Yogyakarta looks so anachronistic.
And so are the photographs of children playing dakon (a traditional game) in Kandang Menjangan, an old building of the Hamengkubuwono I era in Krapyak, or of a bekakak (a traditional doll used in a Nini Thowong ritual, in which the doll, made of tapioca dough, is slaughtered as a sacrifice). The same is true of other photos that show the old traditions of the long- established city, displayed in an exhibition held at Gramedia bookstore, Jl. Sudirman, until July 31.
Titled Yogyaku Kampungku (My Yogyakarta, My Kampong) and held in conjunction with the 2004 Yogyakarta Arts Festival, the exhibition features 51 photos by local photographers depicting scenes of Yogyakarta traditional life, including that of becak (pedicab) drivers, traditional soldiers from the Yogyakarta palace, artists and children playing traditional games from the old days.
According to secretary of the exhibition's organizing committee Effy WP, who is also a photographer for local daily newspaper Kedaulatan Rakyat, Yogyaku Kampungku was deliberately chosen as the central theme of the exhibition to show the struggle of the city's people in the globalized era.
"Through the exhibition we want to show how Yogyakarta people are able to survive in a globalized world with their own traditions and culture," Effy said.
It was tradition and culture, according to Effy, that enabled Yogyakarta to exist in the globalized world. Unless it was capable of selling its traditional way of life, Yogyakarta would be nothing. That accounted for the Nini Thowong ritual.
"The bekakak is slaughtered of course, not to preserve the tradition but instead to sell it so that it will attract people to come to Yogyakarta to enjoy viewing the kampongs and their lifestyles," Effy said.
That also explained why becak and andong (traditional horse- drawn carriages) have become favored transportation for tourists visiting the city, even though modern cars are available.
Similarly, nasi kucing (cat's rice), or rice wrapped in a cat- sized portion served with either sambal (traditional chili sauce) or other side dishes sold in an angkringan (hampers slung at either end of a shoulder yoke), is attractive enough for tourists to try, despite the presence of modern restaurants that are easy to find here.
"It is this kind of life that we want to record in the photos exhibited here. All depict Yogyakarta in its original state, full of traditional nuance," Effy added.
Oblo Dwi Prasetya of the exhibition committee, similarly, said that the photographs of luxurious, modern, star-rated hotels or luxury cars were deliberately excluded from the exhibition, arguing that both were perceived as symbols of extravagance.
"It's ironic that while people waste clean water in star-rated hotels, people in the barren areas of Gunungkidul and Kulonprogo suffer due to a lack of potable water for which they have to wait in line," Oblo said.
"Such a contradictory and paradoxical situation is what we want to show in the exhibition. We want to show how people are struggling to live, to survive in this globalized world, so that we can learn something from it," said Oblo, adding that the exhibition would also strike a nostalgic chord with visitors.
Bantul Regent Idham Samawi, who officially opened the exhibition on Monday, agreed that he felt a twinge of nostalgia while viewing the photos on display. He said he missed the days of yore when he often played football with children from a neighboring village.
"I'm sure that today's children would also miss such a nuance. They would love to play football in a vacant field and enjoy the fresh, morning air while listening to birds chirping. But, of course, those living in an urban environment will find such nuance a rarity. Open fields have been turned into shopping malls or luxury buildings," Idham said.