See the person, not the problem
The
test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members. Nobel Prize winner and author Pearl S.
Buck.
The World Health Organization estimates
about 15 per cent of the global population are disabled. In Indonesia that translates as 36
million. Duncan Graham reports on the handicapped helping themselves.
This
story could have been about a cripple squatting at an intersection, his
self-esteem in the gutter, hoping pitying motorists might cast a coin to ease
their conscience. That’s how many of the
disabled survive in Indonesia.
Instead
it’s about a dignified artist who has done better than most despite a handicap
that would drive lesser people to mope, rage or suicide.
Sadikin
Pard was born in Malang, East Java, in October 1966. He entered the world without arms. Despite great advances in medical science,
the cause of half of all birth defects is unknown. He was the eighth of nine children. All the others are normal.
“Birth control wasn’t popular in those days,”
he said. “My parents were traditional people, but exceptional. Their priority was education. They never treated
me with pity.”
Also
exemplary is the way they reacted to their son’s disabilities. Instead of hiding him to deflect neighbor
nastiness, for such births were considered a curse for imagined sins, Sadikin
went to school.
Aided
by his siblings he rapidly learned how to use his feet and mouth to compensate
for a lack of arms. Handless, sure – helpless,
not.
Was
there discrimination? There must have
been, but Sadikin moves on: “Being handicapped doesn’t mean we’re unintelligent
or can’t contribute to society,” he said.
“As they say in the West – see the person, not the problem.”
For
many children from poor families an elementary education is enough. The kids
have got to get out and work. Sadikin kept
learning.
Not
only could he write and draw, he also mastered chess. At Muhammadiyah University he studied
psychology.
By
now he might have been practising professionally, assuming he could have found an
equal opportunity employer. Instead he read a newspaper story that changed his
life.
It
was about an European organization offering scholarships to help disabled
artists get the security of a regular income.
He applied and was accepted in 1989.
The
scholarship provided him with equipment, materials, tuition and a stipend for
three years. His work improved. Eventually
he became a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists of
the World, internationally better known as VDMFK after the German title.
Although it has more than 800
artists on its books from 85 countries, only nine are Indonesians. Tiny
Singapore has 14.
“I don’t know why this is so,”
Sadikin said. “Of course many can’t be artists.
I was lucky. I always liked to
draw and paint. VDMFK isn’t a social organization – it’s commercial. I send them ten paintings a year. Our work is
evaluated and then distributed to publishers for sale, mainly to illustrate
calendars and cards.”
At a two-storey house in the Malang
suburb of Sawojajar where Sadikin lives with his wife Sutini, 45, and their two
teenage sons, workmen are building a studio to ease crowding. There’s a new car in the yard – all from the
proceeds of his work.
The couple have been to European and
Asian countries, meeting disabled artists, exchanging ideas and anecdotes,
transforming perceived tragedies into positive outcomes.
Sadikin prefers to use oils and
specializes in landscapes, though he’s now branched into social commentary. Some of his bigger canvasses feature
characters from the wayang kulit
[shadow puppet] theater in modern urban settings, their batik more money than
cloth.
“I’m concerned at the
commercialization of society,” he explained. “I want to change Indonesia so
people are better educated and smarter. These paintings don’t go abroad.”
VDMFK maintains quality
control. The works it sells are
technically competent, the subjects familiar, not confrontational. Pets, landscapes and seascapes, still life
and nature. One of Sadikin’s most
popular international prints featured a Balinese dancer on a calendar cover.
“If you dream low, you go low,” said Sadikin. “I
have many teachers, my wife, nature, and our friends.
“I teach art at an orphanage. Like it or not we are role models and
ambassadors representing the millions who are disabled.
“We have to accept what we have –
behind a handicap is a reason. My challenge is to show I’m equal to anyone.”
Being disabled is not a choice
Although
the final principle of the nation’s Pancasila philosophy is Keadilan Sosial bagi seluruh Rakyat Indonesia [social justice for all citizens] this
doesn’t always get translated as State care for the disadvantaged and disabled.
“It’s a fine ideal, but there’s a
disconnect between the words and what happens in the field,” said
rehabilitation specialist Dr Djoko Witjaksono (left)
“Many handicapped children don’t get an
education. In Indonesia the disabled are still considered
different. We are behind world standards in providing opportunities for
acceptance, training and employment.”
Dr Djoko, who is also on the board of
Malang’s Yayasan Pembinaan Anak Cacat
[YPAC – Foundation for Educating Disabled Children] said there were only 17
YPACs in the nation. They were originally
established to cater for polio victims, but now handle other impairments.
 |
| Cynthia, 9, helps her friend YPAC student Eka Aprilia, 9, disabled as a premature baby. |
“Most disabled children suffer double
handicaps – physical and mental,” he said. “We need at least one YPAC in every
regency. That’s 405. The leaders of the country should look at
what’s happening and respond. We have
the resources. But it’s not just a government issue – families and society also
needs to take ownership.”
Indonesian
sidewalks show how the disabled are ignored – many are full of holes and
hazards. Then there are steep steps into shops and public buildings – public toilets
with narrow doors and no rails. How does anyone in a wheel chair or who uses
crutches, cope?
Ma Chung University, which does have
disabled access to its buildings, joined with other donors to sponsor a seminar
to mark YPAC Malang’s 60th anniversary.
Economic and business lecturer Hallie
Sahertian (right) brought four of his students to the event “so they understand the
issues in society.”
“Being disabled is not a choice,” he
said. “Part of citizenship is having social empathy. Education doesn’t stop in class – people need
to know what’s going on beyond their school and get involved.”
Self help – not charity
If an art work is outstanding should buyers be concerned
whether the creator is a man or women,
young or old, able or disabled?
Had Shakespeare written his plays with a quill between his
toes would we admire his works more, or
subject them to softer criticism?
VDMFK tackles these ethical issues by reminding members that
high artistic standards must be maintained because: ‘In general [critics] do
not take into consideration the fact that most works by mouth and foot painters
have been created under severe physical restraints and difficulties.’
The VDMFK, which started in 1957, describes itself as a ‘democratic
collective’ and a ‘for-profit’ business.
Its motto is Self Help – Not Charity.
Its marketing strategy is to mail unsolicited
cards and calendars just before Christmas hoping recipients will buy. Although some complain this is junk mail and
bin the cards, the major threat is the Internet.
Surface mail is rapidly declining;
the era of a card in an envelope delivered by a post person will soon be
history. Earlier this year VDMFK urged
its members to ‘assert themselves’ in the market to help ‘enlarge our client
base’ through exhibitions and workshops.
(First published in The Jakarta Post 31 May 2015)
