Art for Allah’s sake

Inside Indonesia

A unique pesantren, founded and led by an internationally recognised Indonesian calligrapher, attracts men and women from all over the archipelago

Virginia Hooker

Pak Didin (first right) entertains visitors to the calligraphy pesantren, with marawis ensemble waiting to play. Virginia Hooker

Concentrating intensely, a group of young Muslims guide their pens to form the flowing Arabic letters which spell out the verses of the holy Qur’an. They are talented artists who have come from across the Indonesian archipelago to study with Didin Sirojuddin, one of Indonesia’s leading calligraphers and to devote themselves to mastering the complex rules of Islamic calligraphy.

‘Writing for Allah’ is both an act of devotion and a peaceful and positive expression of Islam. The first letter of the Arabic alphabet, the upright single stroke called ‘alif,’ is believed to have been created by a divine pen activated by mystical light. The students studying with Pak Didin, as he is known, use a range of different sizes of styluses made from wood imported from Saudi Arabia for classical calligraphy. The sizes and proportions of each letter are based on a strict code of geometric rules devised by the 10th century master, Ibn Muqla. The size of the dot made by the point of the stylus is used as the basic measure to calculate the height and width of each letter.

Pak Didin’s students follow the ancient rules of calligraphy. But they are firmly planted in the here and now. They do modern calligraphy using felt pens. And when they need to double-check the wording or spelling of a Qur’anic verse they borrow an iPhone to log in to a Qur’an website, locate the verse, and check their copy against it. Modern technology makes its contribution to the accurate rendering of God’s sacred words.
A unique pesantren

Indonesia has thousands of pesantren, Islamic schools and colleges, which teach the Islamic sciences, including Arabic calligraphy. But Pak Didin’s pesantren is the only one which is devoted entirely to the study and practice of calligraphy. Although he has taught calligraphy both in Jakarta and in a number of provinces since the 1980s, he believed only the establishment of a special centre dedicated to advanced accredited courses would produce a new generation of professional calligraphers.

It was a painstaking process, beginning in 1996, to garner support from religious leaders, identify a suitable location, and raise funding to buy land and build a pesantren. In August 1998 the first students were enrolled at the Pesantren for Qur’anic Calligraphy. At present it is a modest group of buildings located on the outskirts of West Java’s beautiful hill resort of Sukabumi, although Pak Didin hopes to expand. The buildings feature open-air pavilions surrounded by trees and overlooking terraced rice fields, misty mountains, and fast-running streams. Pak Didin encourages his students to take their materials out into the beautiful surroundings so that their work can be inspired by the natural beauty and reflect God’s power of creation.

Didin admires the civilisation of ancient Greece because it valued and loved knowledge. It continues to inspire him, especially Socratic philosophy. ‘Socrates was very close to God and would hold dialogues with members of society – I do that too,’ explains Didin. Socrates would walk through Athens asking questions of those he passed so that he could try to help them. Didin practises the same philosophy with his students. He also applies it at national calligraphy competitions which bring together Indonesian calligraphers from all over the archipelago. Beginning in 1988 he started asking the participants what they felt they needed to develop Indonesian calligraphy and what the obstacles were. Their replies became a stimulus for his work.

The 120 students who enrol annually for the full-time, two semester, diploma course at the pesantren study classical and contemporary styles of calligraphy. They also study Qur’anic interpretation and Islamic civilisation, marketing and entrepreneurship, social service and preparation for calligraphy competitions. There are regular visits to galleries, museums and exhibitions, and meetings with established calligraphers. The pesantren also encourages music and the marawis (drum) ensemble of young men often accompanies groups of young women who sing kasidah, or religious songs, set to lively tunes with subtle, beautiful rhythms. A part-time, intensive course is offered at Pak Didin’s Jakarta base in Ciputat which is well-attended every weekend. Children can learn the basics of calligraphy at a kindergarten run by his wife at the Sukabumi pesantren or in special school holiday courses. Pak Didin has published many books on calligraphy, including sets of graded texts for his students.

Pak Didin’s staff are as dedicated as he is and all teach for minimal pay. This means that even the poorest of students - if they have talent and commitment - can enrol for courses. Pak Didin stresses that all his staff are appointed on merit. He does not follow the old tradition of pesantrens dominated by one religious teacher whose relatives and family hold key positions in the pesantren. He says that the calligraphy pesantren belongs to all who use it.
From comics to calligraphy

Born near Kuningan in West Java in 1957, Pak Didin was always drawing. Between 1969 and 1975 he attended the famous Pondok Moderen Gontor in East Java and began his formal study of calligraphy. He continued his studies at the State Islamic Institute (now University) Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta, where he has long been a lecturer. One of his hobbies was illustrating comic books and his talent was recognised by Hamka’s son, Rusydi. He was so impressed that he invited the young Didin to become a reporter with the magazine Panji Masyarakat, where he worked during the 1980s. This was also the period he was making his name as winner of national and international calligraphic competitions.

Pak Didin is acknowledged as one of Indonesia’s best practitioners of classical calligraphy. He is also well-known for his calligraphic paintings in which ‘classical’ calligraphy is combined with abstract art, featuring icon-like representations. These works have been shown in many public exhibitions and purchased by collectors. Even in his abstract art calligraphy, we can see Pak Didin’s interest in social issues. But it is in his designs for calendars that his conviction that calligraphy can serve society is most evident. Since the early 1990s, Pak Didin has been preparing calendars with each month’s picture featuring a vibrantly inscribed verse from the Qur’an. The themes differ from year to year based on the key social issue of that time. The annual themes have included corruption, justice, education for children, poverty and hunger, using Qur’anic verses appropriate to each issue. In this way, he is providing a daily reminder to his fellow Muslims of God’s words of guidance for them.
Calligraphy competitions

Pak Didin encourages his students to enter calligraphy competitions. He believes competing fosters their talent, broadens their experience and deepens their religious practice. Pak Didin was himself grand champion of the all-ASEAN calligraphy competition of 1987. He serves as a judge for Indonesian competitions and is invited to exhibit and judge in contests throughout the Middle East, in Turkey and Pakistan, as well as in Southeast Asia.

There were not many contestants in the early 1980s, when calligraphy had just been accepted as a serious category in the Indonesian National Qur’an Recitation Competition. Gradually, with the encouragement of masters such as Pak Didin, the numbers have grown into the hundreds. Women and men enter a range of categories, the most demanding of which lasts for seven hours. During that time contestants have to inscribe a set Qur’anic verse in seven different styles of script, and illuminate the verse with a decorated border.

Pak Didin judges at calligraphy competitions across Indonesia, from local to provincial and national levels. He takes the opportunity to use his ‘Socratic dialogue’ technique to ask judges, officials and competitors for their opinions and their needs. Based on this feedback he says, ‘Young students of calligraphy in regional areas are crying out for attention and for more intensive training.’ His pesantren at Sukabumi and his centre in Jakarta teach hundreds of students each year, but not thousands. It is Pak Didin’s dream to make specialist teaching available to more and more Indonesians across the country. Many of the graduates from his courses become teachers and return to their home villages to continue and extend his work.
Piety and beauty

Calligraphy is multi-faceted in its effects on Muslims. Those who actually write the letters experience a direct relationship with the sacred words of revelation as each letter is inscribed and placed on a surface. They perform an act of devotion as they re-create and give substance to the words of the Qur’an. Viewers of a completed work of calligraphy, whether it be placed on a wall, a calendar, a plate, or even a headband, may or may not be able to understand the meaning of the Arabic words. Even if they do not understand the message from Allah, they are able to appreciate the visual effect of the beauty of the letters as a work of art.

The harmony between the dimensions of each letter, their relationship to each other, and the pleasing symmetry each calligraphic phrase presents to viewers, is symbolic of the perfection of Allah and His essential oneness. It serves as a reminder of Allah’s power and omnipotence in all spheres of creation. It invites the viewer to reflect, if only briefly, on the spiritual aspects of being. As Panji Masyarakat noted, for Pak Didin ‘calligraphy is not only about aesthetics it also about metaphysics’.

Recognising the grace and benefits that contact with calligraphy brings, Indonesian Muslims purchase objects decorated with Qur’anic calligraphy to display in their mosques, offices and homes. As the Muslim middle class strengthens, its members increasingly dedicate part of their income to pious acts. And more and more members of this new middle class are deciding to spend money on learning calligraphy. If they have insufficient talent or time to devote to classes, they buy calligraphic works, even if these are calendars and wall hangings.

Graduates from the certificate course at the unique calligraphy pesantren are conscious of the spiritual benefits their calligraphic practice brings. They are also increasingly confident that they can make a livelihood selling serious and not so serious works of calligraphic art. Many also say they want to continue Pak Didin’s work of teaching calligraphy to those young Indonesians who are ‘crying out for attention and for more intensive training.’ As a result of Pak Didin’s work, his graduates are ensuring that calligraphy, the noblest of the Islamic arts, remains a living tradition. Not confined to museums or art galleries their writing for Allah is within reach of almost all Indonesian Muslims.

Virginia Hooker (Virginia.Hooker@anu.edu.au) is a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Political and Social Change, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University. She would like to thank Bapak and Ibu Sirojuddin for their hospitality and patience and Ismatu Ropi MA who introduced the author to them. Pak Didin very kindly gave the author permission to photograph and re-produce his work here.

Indonesia: End Policies Fueling Violence Against Religious Minority

Image by mlutfi via Flickr

Human Rights Watch

Rescind Laws That Oppress the Ahmadiyah Community

August 2, 2010

Related Materials:
Indonesia: Court Ruling a Setback for Religious Freedom
Indonesia: Reverse Ban on Ahmadiyah Sect

Indonesian officials have again reacted to official discrimination and vigilante violence against the Ahmadiyah by restricting their right to practice their religion. The government should show that it is serious about ending religious violence by holding those responsible to account.


Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director


(New York) - Indonesian authorities should end discriminatory policies against the Ahmadiyah religious community and investigate and prosecute anti-Ahmadiyah violence, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to revoke a local government order to close Ahmadiyah mosques and a repressive national decree against the Ahmadiyah community.

Since July 26, 2010, municipal police and hundreds of people organized by militant Islamist groups have made several attempts to force an Ahmadiyah mosque in Manis Lor village, Kuningan regency, West Java, to close, resulting in violence. The municipal police were acting on the orders of the regent of Kuningan to close the mosque. On July 29, the religious affairs minister, Suryadharma Ali, publicly stated that the Indonesian government would not tolerate violence in religious disputes, but he also warned that the Ahmadiyah followers "had better stop their activities" and said the police would enforce a 2008 decree barring them from spreading their faith.

"Indonesian officials have again reacted to official discrimination and vigilante violence against the Ahmadiyah by restricting their right to practice their religion," said Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The government should show that it is serious about ending religious violence by holding those responsible to account."

About two-thirds of Manis Lor's approximately 4,500 residents are Ahmadiyah, making it the largest Ahmadiyah community in Indonesia. Ahmadiyah identify themselves as Muslims but differ with other Muslims about whether Muhammad was the "final" monotheist prophet; consequently, some Muslims perceive the Ahmadiyah as "heretics."

A June 2008 national decree requires the Ahmadiyah community to "stop spreading interpretations and activities that deviate from the principal teachings of Islam," including "spreading the belief that there is another prophet with his own teachings after Prophet Mohammed." Violations of the decree can result in prison sentences of up to five years. Human Rights Watch has long called for the government to rescind this decree as it violates freedom of religion, recognized in various human rights treaties that Indonesia has ratified.

Aang Hamid Suganda, the regent of Kuningan, reportedly ordered the closure of eight Ahmadiyah mosques following a recommendation in June by the Indonesian Ulama Council, the country's top Muslim clerical body. Suganda claimed that the Ahmadiyah's religious activities had provoked conflict and that the closures were necessary to prevent the conflict from escalating.

On July 26, the municipal police - Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja, or Satpol-PP - acting on an executive order issued by Suganda, tried to close the An Nur mosque, where some of Manis Lor's Ahmadiyah conduct religious services. The police withdrew after hundreds of Manis Lor residents blocked the street leading to the mosque.

On July 28, police and local government security officers again tried to seal the mosque. Ahmadiyah residents resisted by throwing rocks and sticks. Later, hundreds of protesters organized by militant Islamist organizations, including the Movement against Illegal Sects and Non-Believers (GAPAS), the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), the Indonesia Mujahidin Council (MMI), and the Islamic Community Forum (FUI) attempted to forcibly close the mosque. Police blocked the mob from reaching the mosque.

The next day, at least 300 protesters again tried to close down the mosque. About 600 officers, including Mobile Brigade police (Brimob) and public order officials, tried to block their advance, using tear gas, but were unsuccessful. Protesters briefly clashed with approximately 200 Ahmadiyah members. Minor injuries and some property damage were reported. Suganda then issued an ultimatum to the Ahmadiyah community, saying that he would order the municipal police to close the mosque if religious activities there did not cease two days before the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which starts on August 11.

West Java police reportedly deployed around 500 reinforcement officers from the anti-riot and Brimob units to the area in response to the violence. On July 30, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Djoko Suyanto, called on the police to be "stern" in dealing with "anarchic action," and reported that President Yudhoyono had asked him to make sure that the police are "strict" in doing so. To date however, the police have not arrested anyone in connection with the violence and intimidation.

"When the Indonesian authorities sacrifice the rights of religious minorities to appease hard-line Islamist groups this simply causes more violence, as in Manis Lor," Pearson said. "While the police rightly stopped mobs from entering the mosque, their failure to arrest a single person will only embolden these groups to use violence again."

Suganda, the Kuningan regent, has said that he and other community religious leaders will travel to Jakarta in August to press senior government officials to do more to carry out the June 2008 national decree.

Indonesia's 1945 constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of religion in article 28(E). Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Indonesia ratified in 2006, states are to respect the right to freedom of religion. This includes freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching." Members of religious minorities "shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of their group ... to profess and practice their own religion." Restrictions on the right to freedom of religion to protect public safety or order must be strictly necessary and proportional to the purpose being sought.

"Indonesia is obliged to prosecute those responsible for anti-Ahmadiyah violence and to repeal discriminatory laws and decrees, which militants rely on to justify their actions," Pearson said. "These laws actively undermine religious freedom in Indonesia and jeopardize the safety of members of religious minorities."

Indonesian Social Science Review, Vol. 1, 2010

Vol.1 - 2010

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Engaging the Dragon : The Dynamics of Indonesia-China Relations in the Post- Soeharto Era Download
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Impact of Decentralization Toward Natural Resource Utilization and Environmental Damage in Indonesia : A Study at the District of Bintan and South Kalimantan Province Download
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The spirit of Sudirman

Inside Indonesia

A mural competition in Yogyakarta sees Indonesians reinterpreting their revolutionary past in the light of present concerns

Matthew Woolgar

Between midnight and 4am on 15 November 2009 approximately 2000 people took part in ‘Yogya Wall Nation’, a mural competition held in the centre of Yogyakarta. The participants produced around 500 murals for the competition which were then displayed for several weeks along the length of Jalan Malioboro, a famous shopping stretch in central Yogyakarta.
The theme of the mural display was 'The Spirit of Sudirman' - Sudirman being the first Commander in Chief of the Indonesian armed forces. He is also officially recognised in Indonesia as a national hero for his role in the revolutionary struggle against the Dutch.

One competition, many motivations

The competition was organised with the involvement of local army units and the Yogyakarta city government. Registration took place in army posts and the army also provided logistical support, for example installing the completed murals on bamboo frames along Jalan Malioboro. Indeed, the idea for the competition emerged during inspections of student accommodation by the army and police forces as part of an anti-terrorism exercise.
Lieutenant Colonel Arudji Anwar explained that most student rooms were ‘without posters of the Indonesian heroes who founded the nation’. He saw, however, ‘lots of posters of people from foreign countries’, which deeply concerned him. This led to the idea of a mural contest as a means to raise consciousness of, and pride in, Indonesian national heroes.
If for the army the competition offered the opportunity to promote its national heroes, for the city government the competition supported their efforts to develop Yogyakarta as a centre for culture and tourism. In particular, the competition provided the chance to help develop Yogyakarta's reputation as a 'city of murals'. This is part of a wider effort that has seen the local authorities commission street art around the city, for example, to mark Yogyakarta’s Biennial celebrations.
Although the competition was aimed at young people, it drew participants from diverse backgrounds. Competitors ranged from tattooed punks to policemen and came from as far away as Bali and Sumatra. They were partly drawn by the attraction of cash prizes for the winning murals, with a total of Rp.21,000,000 (A$2500) to be divided between six prize-winning murals. More importantly however, the competition offered them the chance to express their own interpretation of Indonesia’s past.

One spirit, many interpretations

The theme of the event gave competitors wide scope to re-interpret the life of Sudirman and the Indonesian national struggle. The organisers judged the images against values they took to represent the 'Spirit of Sudirman': a refusal to give up, simplicity or modesty and a willingness to make sacrifices for the nation.
In practice, however, participants used the contest’s theme as a stimulus to tackle a range of concerns about present Indonesian politics together with its society and culture. Murals dealt with issues in the news at that time or with local significance, as well as exploring the themes of national and cultural identity.
Corruption was a theme of a number of murals. This issue had particular potency because the contest took place not long after evidence had emerged implicating the police and public prosecutors in a conspiracy to frame two leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission, which sparked demonstrations across the country. In the above mural the simplicity of Sudirman's life is contrasted with the greed of corrupt officials. The text on the right reads 'General Sudirman persevered in struggling for independence, a modest man and leader.' The lead rat is saying 'I'm the king of state corruption.'
Education was another prominent theme, given its special importance for Yogyakarta, which is known as a centre of learning and is home to a large number of institutions of higher education, including the prestigious Gadjah Mada University.
Some of the complexities of the influence of western culture were evident in the use of the figure Superman. The first image shows Sudirman, on the left, facing Superman as an equal. Sudirman is wearing a blangkon, a type of Javanese headdress. Behind him are bamboo spears, weapons that are particularly associated in Indonesia with the struggle for independence. The caption reads 'A great and mature nation is a nation that values its heroes.' In the second, Sudirman, again wearing a blangkon, tears back his Superman suit to reveal a batik-style design. The caption reads 'It’s time we were proud of our own culture.'
Insecurity about Indonesian cultural identity was apparent in several images. The caption in the above image reads: 'Struggling to defend Indonesian culture’. The inclusion of a dancing woman is particularly significant. Earlier in 2009 a widely publicised dispute erupted over the use of the Balinese Pendet dance in Malaysian tourism adverts. Many Indonesians felt this was a case of Malaysia trying to 'steal' Indonesian culture. Other symbols of Indonesian cultural identity are visible in the background: on the left is a becak and at the top of the image are two signs for shops selling batik.
Several murals, including this one, had captions in Javanese, demonstrating the enduring significance of a distinctly Javanese culture in Yogyakarta. The caption of the above image encourages people to act themselves in defence of the culture rather than leaving the work to others.
Others, such as the one above, interpreted the spirit of Sudirman as a journey striving towards a bright future for the nation. However, there was also a note of uncertainty about what that future would entail. The mural below highlights this uncertainty. The caption asks where Indonesia is, or should be, heading.
Yogya Wall Nation was a great success, attracting more participants than were expected and bringing together people from diverse backgrounds. The organisers were so impressed that they extended the length of time the murals were displayed and there are plans to make the competition an annual event. Contestants became involved for various reasons but the contest acted as a focus to bring these disparate groups together.
A key attraction for the artists was the opportunity to freely express their particular view on the importance of the ‘spirit of Sudirman’. The result was that the competition's theme acted as a starting point to make varied statements about a whole range of pressing issues, showing how vibrantly Indonesia's past and present are being contested in post-reformasi Indonesia.
Matthew Woolgar (matthew.woolgar@googlemail.com) graduated in History from the University of Oxford. He is currently in Yogyakarta studying Indonesian language.

Playing with the past

Inside Indonesia

Critics say it’s just a fad but some young upper middle-class Indonesians are rediscovering forgotten histories

Yatun Sastramidjaja

Authentic costumes make for authentic fun Yatun Sastramidjaja

Young Indonesians, particularly those of the urban middle class, are often criticised for being indifferent to their history, spending all their time in malls and being more interested in western pop culture than local heritage. However, recently new communities have emerged that seek to raise historical awareness and appreciation among their peers by showing them that history is interesting, cool and fun. These groups of young ‘history and heritage lovers’, as they call themselves, have created a remarkable trend which has spread to many cities in Indonesia. Now, history is the new hip in urban youth culture and heritage sites are the new place-to-be.

This trend has taken root especially in Jakarta, closely followed by Bandung, because of its high density of historical sites and museums. These young people are not drawn to just any museum. They are keen to explore those that focus on the colonial past, not those established by the New Order state in support of the official version of national history. For many of Jakarta’s clued-up youth, the proper place for dating is no longer McDonalds but the National Museum, which was founded by the Dutch to house ethnographic and archaeological collections from across the archipelago. Likewise, their favourite hang-outs alternate between the up-market Pondok Indah Mall in south Jakarta and the rundown colonial district of Kota Tua (Old Town) in the poverty-stricken north of the city. These sites of the colonial past used to be seen as grim places to avoid. But these days, throngs of young people regularly go there to rediscover forgotten histories – and have great fun while they’re at it.
Learning through fun

It is no coincidence that this trend emerged in the era of reformasi, a time when the official version of national history is being contested. Growing attention to suppressed histories in leading media such as Tempo has made people aware of the gaps in history as it is taught in schools or through other official channels, yet this has not led to any official historical revision. History is still associated with the state and the more the state version is proven to be flawed, the more people distrust official programs to raise historical awareness. No one understands this better than the young people, mostly university students, who have founded their own history communities.

Among the first and most popular of these is Sahabat Museum (Friends of the Museum), which better known as Batmus, like the action figure Batman, or so members joke. It was founded in 2002 by a Dutch Literature student at the University of Indonesia, as a way of doing what he liked to do best: exploring the city’s forgotten histories and spreading his passion among ‘mall-addicted’ friends. Previously, he had assisted in the organisation of an official heritage trail in Kota Tua, run by the Jakarta History Museum, but left as he felt that it was ‘too government-style’. He then decided to organise his own heritage trails, called Plesiran Tempo Doeloe (Old Days Fun Trip), punning on the Dutch word for fun (plezier) and playing up the irony of the term tempo doeloe (good old days) as the key phrase of Dutch-Indies colonial nostalgia.

In these Tempo Doeloe Fun Trips young people visit museums and heritage sites in Jakarta and other places across the country. There have also been trips to Singapore and a trip to the Netherlands is being planned. As the name suggests fun is central to these heritage trails, but the underlying purpose is very much educational – not in the sense of merely teaching historical facts, but of opening young people’s minds to historical places as a source of fascinating stories that still matter. A senior expert is usually invited along, who can tell lively stories about places for which there is no room in a class curriculum.

The principle of learning though fun is also the foundation of another popular group, the Indonesian History Community (KHI), which was founded in 2003 by a history student at the Jakarta National University. He too had been involved in the heritage trail of the Jakarta History Museum and similarly felt that a different approach was needed to reach the younger generations. KHI organises heritage trails and other historical events that are at once ‘recreational, educational and entertaining’, so as to create an atmosphere where ‘history sticks to the heart’. Their intent is to ‘build cultural and historical awareness’, with the objective to ‘foster critical minds’. But the main attraction is fun.

This mixture is most clearly reflected in KHI’s night events in Kota Tua. In 2009 they hosted the world’s first ‘museum sleepover’ in the Mandiri Bank Museum. This year they organised a midnight trail from the Maritime Museum, via the Ciliwung River, to the colonial warehouse district where they spent the night watching movies that painted a critical picture of the colonial era from a Dutch point of view. The advertisement said, ‘Wuah, what a cool event!’ But the thrill is eventually meant to trigger discussion.

Batmus and KHI boast around three thousand members each, registered on mailing lists and social networking sites, and their events can attract as many as five hundred participants. Following their success, similar groups have been set up in Jakarta and other cities, with names like Komunitas Jelajah Budaya (Cultural Exploration Community), Klub Tempo Doeloe or Mooi Bandoeng de Indische Plezier Compagnie (Beautiful Bandung the Indies Fun Company, in Dutch). Each has its own style and attracts its own, though often overlapping, following. But they all play up a sense of youthful enthusiasm and open-mindedness in their interactions with history and heritage, along with a do-it-yourself approach.
Colonial play

In a typical youth-style Kota Tua trail, participants first gather in a vacant historical building, where they receive a badge and a ‘tempo doeloe’ meal inspired by the Indies ‘rice table’. The consumption of traditional food is an important part of the event, reflecting a broader revival of traditional cuisine, which is replacing western fast-food as the favourite cuisine of the middle classes. While enjoying this meal in a relaxed atmosphere, often seated on the floor, they watch an old film or documentary with footage of colonial street scenes, for example, with commentary by a guest expert or community member.

Then they head out onto the streets. This is a groundbreaking phenomenon in itself, considering that the upper middle classes are conditioned to avoid the streets as much as possible and move through the city in the safety and comfort of air-conditioned cars. But as true history lovers these middle class adventurers are willing to brave the streets. Without complaint they walk the trail in the blazing sun amidst the chaotic traffic and the stench of pollution and waste of Kota Tua. Along the trail they take snap shots or video shoots, at times wandering off in smaller groups, exploring alleys or buildings to get a better feel for the place.

Young people are hungry for alternative histories based on real experiences and the stories become part of the fun

Most importantly, they listen to stories, ask questions and discuss historical occurrences at buildings, street corners, bridges or any other location along the way. In addition to guest experts and organisers, local residents or shop keepers tell their stories, giving personal insights into the past and passing on local knowledge which the participants could never learn from school or in books or on the internet. Young people are eager to learn alternative histories based on real experiences, and both experts and local residents tell them with such enthusiasm that the stories become part of the fun.

The most eye-catching part of the fun is their play with colonial costumes. Onlookers should not be surprised to stand eye to eye with a ‘Dutch Mynheer’ dressed in an impeccable white suit and hat or his lady dressed in an eighteenth century ball gown, a ‘Dutch soldier’ bearing a rifle or trumpet horn, a ‘Javanese princess’ dressed in royal batik, or a miserable coolie or slave dressed only in a loincloth and wearing chains. The young people clearly take pleasure in dressing up this way and it creates excellent photo opportunities.

But this role-play also serves a serious purpose, bringing the colonial past to life in a way that grates with the totalising claims of official national history. Official categories of identity are turned upside down by blurring the boundaries between ‘our’ Indonesian past and ‘their’ Dutch-colonial past, as participants re-imagine a crucial part of Indonesia’s history that the state had purposely made unimaginable. The New Order cast the colonial period in overly simplistic terms of joint suffering and oppression, as a prelude to the great story of National Struggle. But the role-play demonstrates that the colonial era was more complex (and interesting) than that as the fun trips serve to tell different stories of everyday life and the intricate ethnic and class relations that have deeply influenced urban life and relations in contemporary Indonesia.
Fad or future?

This youthful trend has gained the support of some open-minded senior experts – such as the journalist Alwi Shahab, who has written extensively about colonial Jakarta and now regularly joins the fun trips as the invited story-teller – but most professional historians have kept themselves aloof. Critics, including some members of conventional history and heritage societies, say it’s just a fad for a bunch of rich kids playing a lifestyle game that makes a farce out of history. How can such frivolity convey seriousness about the past? What they fail to see is that a sense of fun is also imbued with a more serious purpose.

Many of the organisers are university students or recent graduates – some are part-time lecturers – who spend weeks or months in archives preparing for an event. They rummage through old newspapers and manuscripts, mulling over different perspectives and sharing thoughts with experts. This way, they equip themselves with fascinating off-the-record stories to share with participants, typically in an informal manner that belies the hard work that goes into this. And yes, they like to play. As one organiser exclaimed when I confronted him with the criticism: ‘Why can’t I do archival research and play football games on my Playstation, why can’t I love history and spend time in malls? Just because I’m not a nerd doesn’t mean that I don’t take this seriously. I’m on a mission to build something for the future here! Sure we play, but we also want to make a difference!’





A group photo of some of the 500-odd participants at the Intan Bridge in Kota Tua
Yatun Sastramidjaja


Although the communities tend to reject a formal organisation structure, they do have formal vision and mission statements which typically contain such statements as ‘to make history and culture available for all’, ‘to make people feel that they own their history and culture’ and ‘to nurture critical perspectives on national history and culture’. Such statements express an awareness that official policies have deprived people of their history and culture along with an intent to claim it back. The way to do this is not by replacing one totalising national history with another, but rather by recognising the importance of local histories, which in themselves contain the seeds of ‘critical perspectives’.

Their seriousness is also illustrated in the fact that many groups engage in some form of social action. For example, during last year’s fasting month KHI organised a heritage trail for some 100 street children in Jakarta, leading through the Arabic district and old mosques in Kota Tua. The aim was not just to educate the children or simply entertain (and afterwards feed) them, but also to give them a sense of being included in the atmosphere of Ramadan. There have also been projects to clean up waste in Kota Tua, as well as efforts to ensure that local vendors can profit from the growing stream of visitors.

Such small steps illustrate their hands-on approach. As one organiser put it, ‘The difference between official programs and ours is that, like the Nike slogan, we ‘just do it!’ This statement further illustrates how deeply the new history communities are rooted in contemporary youth culture, in which apparently clashing values (global Nike and local history) are merged into their ‘own style’. This eclectic approach has proven its worth. The communities continue to grow, and their trails have also become popular with foreign tourists and expatriates looking for an insider experience off the beaten track, as well as with parents infected by their children’s enthusiasm. Their success has not gone by unnoticed by the lifestyle industry either. Starbucks and Coca Cola have sponsored some communities, although others reject corporate sponsorship, and their founders have appeared in popular media such as MTV Indonesia, Cosmopolitan Radio and youth magazines, in addition to leading newspapers.

Ironically, the success of the youth history communities may also become their biggest threat. The question is how long they can remain idealistic and resist lucrative offers from corporate sponsors looking to enhance their image in the competitive youth culture market, or from upper class women looking for a credible guide to escort them in now fashionable historical districts. Should they succumb to such offers, their rediscovery of forgotten histories could indeed be reduced to lifestyle games. But if they can resist, they really could make a difference.

Yatun Sastramidjaja (yatunsastramidjaja@gmail.com) is an anthropologist and teaches Indonesian History at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. She has done research on globalisation and heritage in Indonesia, the Indonesian student movement and youth cultures.

Tharman: Singapore is already an “activist” state

Image via Wikipedia

Temasek Review

July 31, 2010

Speaking at the annual dinner organised by the Economic Society of Singapore yesterday, PAP Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam warned that “layoffs will continue in developed economies for at least another five to eight years or possibly longer.”

He also added that income disparity will continue and Singapore needs to provide incentives for ”foreign talents” to come to Singapore in reference to the PAP’s unpopular pro-foreigner and ultra-liberal immigration policies.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal, the relentless influx of foreigners into Singapore has depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, increased the cost of living and led to an overall decline in the standard of living.

While Singapore economy has grown by an average 5 percent for the last ten years, the median wages of the average Singapore worker has remained stagnant at $2,400 monthly.

The income gap between the rich and the poor has also widen considerably and is the highest among developed countries after Hong Kong.

Mr Shanmugaratnam noted that “governments need to question existing policies, re-mould entire social contracts and prepare the ground for a new era of growth” and in order to achieve this, governments needs to be an “activist” state like Singapore.

“An activist state which intervenes with spirit, to promote social mobility especially among the poor. That promotes opportunities for its people, that frees up competition and that is able to sustain optimism in the future,” he was quoted as saying in Channel News Asia.

By Mr Shanmugaratnam’s definition, an “activist” state is one which is completely controlled and dominated by one single political party, broaches no dissent and is active in fixing the opposition as and when it sees fit.

Singaporean wishes MM Lee a happy retirement!

Temasek Review
July 31, 2010

Dear MM Lee,

We Singaporeans are a simple lot: we are merely seeking new management.

If Singapore today is somewhat the same as it was 20 years ago, you would probably be even more popular than Jay Chou, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson & Oprah all put together, period! However, times have changed. Singapore has advanced at such a velocity that even Carl Lewis has a problem keeping up, much less you.

While your methodology & system are sound, it has, unfortunately, become very unsuitable in the 21st & 22nd century’s context. Running a country is much less a single man’s job today. Teamwork is of the utmost importance. If a team cannot work well together, something has to give. Either you change the unhappy citizens (& end up having monkeys for your subjects) or change the mentally-challenged lot that are currently running the country.

Singapore requires the average Singaporean to work his hardest. At the other end, its leaders have to work at their maximum capacity as well. This cohesion of efforts between the two ends of the workforce make up “Team Singapore”.

It is, with bitter regrets, that not everyone is 100% capable of performing their duties. In a profit-driven organisation (which Singapore so obviously is), those who do not cut it are told to leave.

Looking back at recent events, it is very obvious that certain heads should roll. R&D conducted by our Environment Ministry generated findings that were already well-known facts. Primary school students would be able to tell you confidently that floods are caused by intense storms, coupled with drainage issues. The A-star student would even be able to tell you that rain/thunderstorms are acts of nature, not God. The scholar would add that sufficient engineering would be able to avert most, if not all calamities.

With all due respect, the entire department just does not cut it. We urge those responsible for making “ground-shaking” statements be removed from our “board” & replaced with genuine talent.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines “talent” as a natural ability &/or attractive person(s). It will be rather scandalous to have a country run by pretty boys & sexy women. So we are left with the other alternative: leaders with natural abilities. As the current “board’s” only natural ability is to receive obscene pay cheques & humiliate the people who pay them, I sense the time has indeed come for a complete revamp.

Dear MM Lee, should you still insist on working (post-retirement occupation), I’m sure the country is more than gracious to offer you a relatively slow, easy & less demanding job. How does “Facebook correspondence” sound to you? There won’t be the necessity to travel long punishing distances just to attend press-conferences or interviews. However, should you feel the need to be a little more active, how does child-minder sound to you? I’m sure your great-grandchildren will be more than sufficient to cause you to break sweat every once in awhile. The most beautiful thing is, you could work from home!!!!

To be brutally honest, you have little or no talent (if according to the Cambridge’s definition). At 86, you have definitely lost your natural ability (to do anything & everything). On the other hand, you are neither attractive (have you seen yourself of late?).

Hence, the axe should be brought upon you, apart from many others within your cabinet. It is a win-win situation as far as Singapore is concerned (that is the whole point we are arguing about in here). We spend less on excessive employment, & for those that we replace, we get value-for-$ talents. Only thus will Singapore be further propelled into the future – 101% efficiency. This will ultimately pave a golden path for the current & future generations.

They say karma is, more often than not, executed upon our following generations. Let us protect them now. I do not wish for what we do wrong today, to come back & punish our descendants.

Please MM Lee, if forecasting is your forte, keep it to yourself & perhaps forecast how your next medical appointment will turn out. Leave the larger & heavier stuff to the professionals. There is absolutely no sense in overworking yourself.

Singapore will be very upset should you go & wreck your health, doing what is absolutely pointless, for her. Think of the amount of security (apart from costs) required for one of your interviews, which lately have become non quote-worthy. The by product of your speeches is deeper misunderstanding between the common man & the government.

It has long since not been your responsibility (or jurisdiction) to “look after” Singapore & its people. We currently have a Prime Minister to do that job. Should, for any reason(s) he does not live up to the reputation, a replacement should be made ASAP, in the best interests of the country.

Male citizens suffer in the military, learning the various methods to protect & guard our land. Let us not let them down by giving them a worthless piece of land to defend. Keep up the little good work that you all have done & clear up the multitudes of rubbish you all have created.

Redistribution of wealth (your incomes): I am sure every party-member is more than willing to work for Singapore for a much less pay cheque, say SGD 500,000 per annum? We strongly believe that our politicians are not “in it” for the succulent pay. Many CEOs have reportedly worked for their company(s) for a dollar a year. While it may be ridiculous to be earning S$1 per annum, any self-righteous man would gladly carry the load of governing our Motherland for much less than S$500,000 per year. Care to disagree, MM Lee?

In conclusion MM Lee, stay healthy. Stay at home. Stay away from the press (both foreign & local). Stay away from politics already. Singapore wishes you a happy retirement. Thank you!

EDITORS’ NOTE

The above is posted as a comment on our site by a reader