Confronting blasphemy Duncan Graham
Indonesia normally makes international news only for terrorist attacks and disasters like landslips, ferry capsizes and aircraft crashes.
Reporting these tragedies tends to eclipse other significant but less startling issues underway in the world’s most populous Islamic country and third largest democracy.
A judicial review now underway has the potential to make this country of 240 million a more liberal society.
Indonesia’s Blasphemy Law is being challenged in the nation’s Constitution Court by Muslim liberals, backed by Protestants and Catholics, under the rubric of the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith. They claim the legislation is at odds with the Constitution that allows freedom of religion.
The reality is different. Indonesian citizens have to carry ID cards that include the holder’s religion. This must be one of six religions approved by the government – Islam, Catholicism, ‘Christian’ (meaning Protestant), Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
Those with no religion or who follow another faith you are listed as Muslim by default. Visitor guides warn atheists not to disclose their views in any discussion with locals. Questioning a stranger about their religion is standard in even the most casual encounters.
The Blasphemy Law, passed in 1965, was allegedly designed to keep hotheads under control in a country where religious slurs can rapidly lead to violence, and it’s no dead letter. Here’s one example:
Last year in an East Java jail I met and tried to interview a group of 11 Protestants imprisoned for blasphemy.
The room was crowded, noisy and stiflingly hot. There was no furniture. Visitors had to squat on the floor at the feet of the standing guards.
No surprisingly the chat was not a great success. The nervous few who did agree to talk were reluctant to comment on their situation except in whispers.
That wasn’t the situation outside. Mainstream Christian leaders were keen to denounce the prisoners and staged a major public event to fulsomely apologise for their colleagues’ faults.
Stupidity would have been a better term. The men who’d been arrested and sentenced to jail terms of up to four years had been in a training seminar organised by the Indonesian Student Ministry, also known as Campus Crusade.
This organisation has been running for 50 years, though before this event it was barely known outside the Protestant churches and Christian universities. But this time they made a DVD of their activities. This fell into the hands of a Muslim leader Muhammad Nidzhom Hidayatullah.Nidzhom was the executive secretary of the local branch of the peak Islamic body Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), the Indonesian Muslim Scholars' Council.
The 10-minute video showed about 40 people in a room, most dressed in traditional Muslim clothes – the women wearing headscarves, the men in sarongs and rimless caps. At the front a preacher waved a book that appeared to be a copy of the Koran.At one stage in the proceedings the book was put on the floor. In a grainy and shakily-shot scene the participants formed a ring and condemned the text with angry words and gestures.
Nidzhom is a moderate. Instead of using the video to trigger mob violence he discussed the issue with colleagues and local Protestant leaders, including
Pastor Johan Haryono.
"They (Campus Crusade) have walked too far, gone beyond the boundaries, been too emotional,” said Pastor Haryono."To be an evangelist is to love, but they are committing blasphemy against the Koran. That is evil. I have no idea why they did this."The tragedy is that we've lost the trust of Muslims and this must be retrieved. We have to improve our internal networking so this doesn't happen again."We are grateful to all the Muslim leaders. What they did was very good. They kept the balance." Despite this the police prosecuted and the courts convicted.
But the Blasphemy Law hasn’t just been used against insensitive fringe groups attacking other faiths. In the last two years fundamentalist Muslims calling themselves the Islamic Defenders’ Front (FPI) and claiming to be defenders of the law have been targeting Ahmadiyah. This is an Islamic sect that says Mohammed was not the last prophet.
Ahmadiyah mosques have been firebombed and worshipers assaulted. At one stage they were considering fleeing to Australia to seek asylum from religious persecution.
The present challenge to the legislation was triggered by these attacks, and FPI members violently ambushing a peaceful rally of liberals in central Jakarta. The legal action is being opposed by the Religious Affairs Ministry, which claims any change in the law will create chaos.
Also hostile are radical Islamic groups including the FPI, which has attempted to disrupt hearings. They say dumping the law will lead to Indonesia becoming a secular nation led by ‘neo-liberals’.
Despite some well-reasoned arguments there seems to be little chance that the law will be changed. Although those pushing for a judicial review have mustered an impressive list of authorities, they’ve lost their principal backer, the former president Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur.
A leading Islamic scholar and one-time head of the 40-million strong Islamic organisation Nahdlatul Ulama, Gus Dur was a noted liberal and supporter of pluralism. He died last December after being sick for many years.
Even if the Blasphemy Law was dumped or modified its unlikely that this would have an immediate impact on society. There’s a long history of individuals ignoring laws they don’t like, and that includes public servants.
The addition of Confucianism to the list of Indonesia’s approved religions only occurred in 2000 when Gus Dur was president. But ethnic Chinese complain that local officials still refuse to acknowledge the change.
(First published in On Line Opinion Monday 22 March 2010)
##
FAITH IN INDONESIA
The shape of the world a generation from now will be influenced far more by how we communicate the values of our society to others than by military or diplomatic superiority. William Fulbright, 1964
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
AUSTRALIAN-RI RELATIONSHIPS
IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
Duncan Graham
We’ve just had a week of whinges, as Australians call complaints. Politicians, academics and the commentariat have been bemoaning the state of Indonesian-Australian relationships.
There’s been plenty of basa-basi but little frank talk, though to be fair Ati Nurbaiti (13 March) identified the flawed rule of law as an impediment.
Eavesdrop any group of Ockers at Ngurah Rai waiting for their Airbus and the key talking points are personal encounters with petty corruption and cheating. These experiences stick, eclipsing memories of a generous culture, cheap food and great bargains. It’s not a good look.
Nor is Australia’s maintenance of travel warnings. Anyone going overseas has to watch their wallet. If you can’t follow the news and keep your nose out of demos then you shouldn’t be in charge of a passport. Do Australians really need the nanny state to tell them to take care?
If it came to a toss-up between getting lost after dark in Surabaya’s Dolly, full of pimps, prostitutes and drunks, or Perth’s Northbridge nightlife district with its heavy police presence, then I’d prefer the East Java capital’s sleaze center anytime.
(And just for the record, my experiences in Dolly have been purely for journalistic research.)
There’s one simple way for us to get to know each other better. Make travel easier. Compare Indonesia’s visa-on-arrival (US $25 = Rp 230,000) with Australia’s pre-departure 14-page application form and AUD $105 (Rp 880,000) fee.
Australia allows Malaysians, but not Indonesians, to apply for visas on line. The cost: AUD $20 (Rp 168,000).
Apart from the easier visa system, Indonesian tourism is the pits. Despite an army of uninformed government tourism officials, lots of silly slogans and fatuous promotions, Indonesia can’t hold a candle to its nearest rivals.
Tiny sterile Singapore attracts twice as many tourists as this extraordinary archipelago, while uptight Malaysia doubles that again. The figures prove my case.
Tourism is a highly competitive mega business in Australia and the rest of the West. It’s powered by agents who really know their stuff. They’re licensed, work in comfortable brightly lit offices in shopping malls and enthusiastically offer holidays almost everywhere in the world.
Want to compare prices? Have a big glossy brochure in flawless English, thick with details of flights and special hotel deals. Free? Of course. Morocco or Manhattan? The Eiffel Tower or the Pyramids? No problems. How about a cruise? North, South, East or West? You choose.
Want a recommendation? Ask anything, the chances are the staff have been there and can give you the good oil, which in Ozspeak means the right information.
Compare this with the travel agents in Indonesia. The ones I have to deal with in Indonesia work in musty rooms with 15 watt lighting. They print out schedules using machines with so little ink it’s almost impossible to read dates and times.
So no wonder our favorite consultant missed her freebie flight to Singapore sponsored by an airline so she could be better informed of her product. She misread her own ticket.
Why pick Indonesia? Tour wholesalers overseas do a good job with Bali, but ignore the rest of the country. Want to know why? Take a look at the quality of some of the official websites, like that for Surabaya’s Tourism Promotion Board (www.sparklingsurabaya.com). Get ready for a gigglethon, like this encouragement for visitors to go shopping:
Not many really enthusiastic of it, but antiques bussiness have never decline. However, this bussiness needs time to make money. More old the antiques, more money we can get. It is also happened in Surabaya. Mostly start from hobby.
More serious was the site’s advertised exchange of 1 US dollar to 6,605 rupiah when this newspaper was quoting 9,231. Hardly a great invite to take the next plane to Juanda.
In blunt terms, terus terang, Indonesian tourism has to lift its game.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono highlighted the large numbers of Indonesians studying in Australia, Sorry Sir; these people are not a representative sample. Most are ethnic Chinese and the pampered sons and daughters of top officials who can afford the high fees.
The people who should really be studying in Australia for the greatest impact on their return are the smart young Javanese with brains but no cash. Then they could pass on the skills they’ve learned to their colleagues.
At the moment Australia offers just a handful of post-graduate scholarships. It could and should do much more.
So could Indonesia. The working holiday visa scheme for 18 to 30 year olds, included in last year’s Free Trade Agreements between Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand is still in its early stages.
The dogs are barking that RI officials fear this reciprocal deal will mean Indonesia will be swamped by young Westerners taking jobs from the locals.
What nonsense. Can you imagine Aussie students wanting to be satpam (security guards) or rubbish pickers for Rp 500,000 (US $55) a month? The only jobs they might do would be as English teachers – though the Ozzie twang might deter many school principals.
The scheme has let tens of thousands of young people from most European countries, Japan and elsewhere visit Australia and supplement their stay by taking short-term jobs. They get to boost their English and their wallets while learning about the customs, values and idiosyncrasies of their host country.
If Indonesians join the throng then people like me might no longer be confronted by angry young men tugging their wispy beards, like those who heckled a lecture I gave at an Islamic institution.
“Your country is evil,” they said, “it allows free sex.”
Had they ever been to Australia? “No,” they said, “but we know what you do.”
An isolated example of SBY’s ‘preposterous caricatures’? I wish. But little different from the Ockers who swear they’ll never visit Indonesia, but holiday every year in Bali.
(First published in The Jakarta Post 18 March 2010)
##
Duncan Graham
We’ve just had a week of whinges, as Australians call complaints. Politicians, academics and the commentariat have been bemoaning the state of Indonesian-Australian relationships.
There’s been plenty of basa-basi but little frank talk, though to be fair Ati Nurbaiti (13 March) identified the flawed rule of law as an impediment.
Eavesdrop any group of Ockers at Ngurah Rai waiting for their Airbus and the key talking points are personal encounters with petty corruption and cheating. These experiences stick, eclipsing memories of a generous culture, cheap food and great bargains. It’s not a good look.
Nor is Australia’s maintenance of travel warnings. Anyone going overseas has to watch their wallet. If you can’t follow the news and keep your nose out of demos then you shouldn’t be in charge of a passport. Do Australians really need the nanny state to tell them to take care?
If it came to a toss-up between getting lost after dark in Surabaya’s Dolly, full of pimps, prostitutes and drunks, or Perth’s Northbridge nightlife district with its heavy police presence, then I’d prefer the East Java capital’s sleaze center anytime.
(And just for the record, my experiences in Dolly have been purely for journalistic research.)
There’s one simple way for us to get to know each other better. Make travel easier. Compare Indonesia’s visa-on-arrival (US $25 = Rp 230,000) with Australia’s pre-departure 14-page application form and AUD $105 (Rp 880,000) fee.
Australia allows Malaysians, but not Indonesians, to apply for visas on line. The cost: AUD $20 (Rp 168,000).
Apart from the easier visa system, Indonesian tourism is the pits. Despite an army of uninformed government tourism officials, lots of silly slogans and fatuous promotions, Indonesia can’t hold a candle to its nearest rivals.
Tiny sterile Singapore attracts twice as many tourists as this extraordinary archipelago, while uptight Malaysia doubles that again. The figures prove my case.
Tourism is a highly competitive mega business in Australia and the rest of the West. It’s powered by agents who really know their stuff. They’re licensed, work in comfortable brightly lit offices in shopping malls and enthusiastically offer holidays almost everywhere in the world.
Want to compare prices? Have a big glossy brochure in flawless English, thick with details of flights and special hotel deals. Free? Of course. Morocco or Manhattan? The Eiffel Tower or the Pyramids? No problems. How about a cruise? North, South, East or West? You choose.
Want a recommendation? Ask anything, the chances are the staff have been there and can give you the good oil, which in Ozspeak means the right information.
Compare this with the travel agents in Indonesia. The ones I have to deal with in Indonesia work in musty rooms with 15 watt lighting. They print out schedules using machines with so little ink it’s almost impossible to read dates and times.
So no wonder our favorite consultant missed her freebie flight to Singapore sponsored by an airline so she could be better informed of her product. She misread her own ticket.
Why pick Indonesia? Tour wholesalers overseas do a good job with Bali, but ignore the rest of the country. Want to know why? Take a look at the quality of some of the official websites, like that for Surabaya’s Tourism Promotion Board (www.sparklingsurabaya.com). Get ready for a gigglethon, like this encouragement for visitors to go shopping:
Not many really enthusiastic of it, but antiques bussiness have never decline. However, this bussiness needs time to make money. More old the antiques, more money we can get. It is also happened in Surabaya. Mostly start from hobby.
More serious was the site’s advertised exchange of 1 US dollar to 6,605 rupiah when this newspaper was quoting 9,231. Hardly a great invite to take the next plane to Juanda.
In blunt terms, terus terang, Indonesian tourism has to lift its game.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono highlighted the large numbers of Indonesians studying in Australia, Sorry Sir; these people are not a representative sample. Most are ethnic Chinese and the pampered sons and daughters of top officials who can afford the high fees.
The people who should really be studying in Australia for the greatest impact on their return are the smart young Javanese with brains but no cash. Then they could pass on the skills they’ve learned to their colleagues.
At the moment Australia offers just a handful of post-graduate scholarships. It could and should do much more.
So could Indonesia. The working holiday visa scheme for 18 to 30 year olds, included in last year’s Free Trade Agreements between Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand is still in its early stages.
The dogs are barking that RI officials fear this reciprocal deal will mean Indonesia will be swamped by young Westerners taking jobs from the locals.
What nonsense. Can you imagine Aussie students wanting to be satpam (security guards) or rubbish pickers for Rp 500,000 (US $55) a month? The only jobs they might do would be as English teachers – though the Ozzie twang might deter many school principals.
The scheme has let tens of thousands of young people from most European countries, Japan and elsewhere visit Australia and supplement their stay by taking short-term jobs. They get to boost their English and their wallets while learning about the customs, values and idiosyncrasies of their host country.
If Indonesians join the throng then people like me might no longer be confronted by angry young men tugging their wispy beards, like those who heckled a lecture I gave at an Islamic institution.
“Your country is evil,” they said, “it allows free sex.”
Had they ever been to Australia? “No,” they said, “but we know what you do.”
An isolated example of SBY’s ‘preposterous caricatures’? I wish. But little different from the Ockers who swear they’ll never visit Indonesia, but holiday every year in Bali.
(First published in The Jakarta Post 18 March 2010)
##
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A MILLION MOOS FOR LOMBOK
Coming to a plate near you: T-bone Lombok Duncan Graham
Could Indonesia achieve food self-sufficiency within four years? That’s the government’s goal with Rp 18 trillion (US$1.93 billion) allocated.
Ten per cent of the budget has been earmarked to improve beef production, with Lombok and Sumbawa destined to become the islands of one million cows by 2014. Duncan Graham reports on this slice of the ‘food resilience’ program:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cattle counters reckon they’re already halfway there. However there are huge fences to jump if the goal is to be reached, as Mataram University academic Dr Sudirman readily admitted.
“First we have to make sure that all farmers have enough to eat,” he said. “Otherwise they’ll be saying to us: ‘You ask us not to sell our cows so numbers can increase. But do you want us to die because we have no money?’
“There’s a culture of poverty in the province of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and we have to change the people’s mindset. That’s going to be a really big job. There are many difficulties.”
Indeed. If all were to be listed this story would spill onto another page, so let’s highlight just a couple - country conservatism and farmer mistrust.
Indonesian rural folk got badly burned during the Soeharto era’s Green Revolution. Then heavy-handed bureaucrats forced farmers to abandon traditional practices, grow new crops and soak these with costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Now the rule of the gun has passed they’re going back to the old ways.
“We’ve learned the lesson,” said rural sociologist Dr Rosiady Sayuti. “Change has to be done carefully and slowly. We think the land can eventually support 1.5 million cattle and hope this will boost farm incomes by 50 per cent.”
Sounds worthy, but the base is low. There are 340,000 farmers in NTB. Their average income is less than Rp 1 million (US $110) a month.
To help the 4.5 million people in Lombok and adjacent Sumbawa adjust to sharing their tiny islands with so many belching bovines the local government sent seven experts to garner tips in New Zealand, a world leader in efficient farming.
The delegation, led by Dr Sayuti, head of the NTB planning board, covered disciplines as diverse as veterinary science, agriculture, politics, administration and law.
Why law? “Because adat (traditional community law) still applies in rural areas and must be considered,” said Professor Galang Asmara, Dean of Mataram University’s Faculty of Law. “For example, adat prevents the sale of animals under two years old and is involved in determining ownership of cattle and responsibilities in husbandry.”
Not all know-how from lush and temperate NZ can be easily transferred to the NTB, a tropical zone with limited rainfall and unusual animal diseases.
In the South Pacific islands there are five million beef cattle and 4.5 million dairy cows - and half a million fewer people than in NTB. Some Indonesians are already working on NZ farms and expect to take Kiwi skills back to their homeland.
Governor Zainul Majdi initiated the million moos plan in 2008. It has a Rp 10 billion (US $1.1 million) budget last year and a Rp 15 billion (US $1.6 million) allocation this year. Most of this money is going on subsidies to farmers. Technical aid is being given by Australia.
Traditionally farmers in Lombok have three to five cows kept in stalls known as kandang. The bureaucrats want farmers to form cooperatives with 40 or 50 animals. Then they’ll be given a lusty young Bali, Brangus or Simmental bull with good genes to boost herd quality.
Artificial insemination using semen from top bulls known to be efficient converters of grass into meat is also being used. Controlled mating is an important factor in improving management.
In Sumbawa, which is three times bigger than Lombok, mini ranches may be organised with the cattle grazing in paddocks. New high-value crops are being planned to feed the cows. Till now they’ve been chomping low-protein native grasses, usually cut and carted by their carers.
To keep crops thriving through the dry months irrigation projects are being considered, tapping underground water reserves. Big dollars will be required. Investors are being wooed.
With high yielding crops and new land opened to the plough the days of buffalo power will be numbered. So tractors will be needed, beyond the financial reach of individuals. Hence the importance of cooperatives where resources and equipment can be shared.
Vets are in short supply – only 150. Unless more can be recruited they’ll be run ragged, confusing snouts with rumps.
The more the delegation talked to The Jakarta Post in the NZ capital Wellington about the issues they’re encountering, the more the adequacy of the Rp 10 billion budget diminished.
Lombok has the exclusive right to export cows to other provinces – a trade first started in 1831. The idea is that NTB can become the nation’s quality livestock bank, helping meet Indonesia’s growing hunger for beef. Last October Lombok held a ‘calf harvest’ to show off its animals and rustle up interest in the ambitious cow-led recovery program.
Inevitably a development slogan has been coined – one cow, one calf, one year. Brain curdling tables and targets, graphs and strategies have been devised to educate the locals.
There’s another disparity: NZ farmers are the country’s elite with political clout. Well-established farms generate huge wealth. But in Indonesia farmers are way down the status ladder. If the NTB plan is to get legs it will need smart young hands-on people to understand the possibilities and convert power-point presentations into wells and pumps, fences and fertile fields.
Governor Zainul used the ‘calf harvest’ to prod another message. Mataram mall cowboys hanging around the city at night hoping to lasso a lovely should be heading back to the land and a halal (allowed) occupation.
But how are they going to keep them down on the farm after they’ve seen Kuta? Indonesians who get their hands dirty scratching for cash don’t score in the social hierarchy. Better keep fingers clean, find a government job with uniform and pension and be respected by neighbors.
“Government policy is to encourage young people to undertake further education and upgrade their knowledge of farming and the new techniques,” said Dr Sayuti. “We have to build awareness that farming is an essential and valuable profession for the nation . It should be a job done with pride and attract respect.
“You can be an optimist or a pessimist. I’m the former.”
(Picture above NZ agriculture is intensive: Muhamad Ansori (left) and Arik Asmedi, both from Blitar, East Java, milk hundreds of cows every day in NZ. )
(First published in The Jakarta Post 23 February 2010)
##
##
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
SCHOLARSHIPS IN MALANG
DARMASISWA SCHOLARSHIP
at University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM)
Academic Year 2010/2011
DARMASISWA is a scholarship program offered to all foreign students from countries which have diplomatic relationship with Indonesia to study Bahasa Indonesia, arts, music and crafts. Participants can choose University of Muhammadiyah Malang, in the online-application form it is written Malang Muhammadiyah Universiity (UMM), in East Java, Indonesia. This program is organized by the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The interest of international students to participate in this program keep increasing year by year. In 2010, we offer to 750 students.
Darmasiswa RI Program is conducted in 2 schemes, i.e :
Regular 1 (One) Year -Darmasiswa RI scholarship ProgramRegular One Year program is a one-year scholarship program offered to foreign students from countries which have diplomatic relationship with Indonesia to study Indonesian language and Art (traditional music, traditional dance, and Indonesian craft) in selected Indonesian Higher Education Institutions.
Regular 6 (Six) Months - Darmasiswa RI scholarship ProgramRegular six-month program is a six-month scholarship program offered to foreign students from countries which have diplomatic relationship with Indonesia to study Indonesian language in selected Indonesian Higher Education Institutions.
--= The Scholarship Covers=--
Monthly allowance will be received by participant is Rp 1.500.000,00 (one million and five hundred thousand rupiah), and will be transferred to the University/college where they study.--= Qualifications of Applicants =--
Not more than 35 years old
Completed secondary education or its equivalent
Copy of academic transcript
In good health as proved by Medical Certificate
Passport size color photograph (5 pieces)
Full-page copy of passport valid for at least 18 months from time of arrival in Indonesia
Able to communicate in English and have a basic knowledge of the field they’re applying for
--= Procedure =--
The applicant should apply through the following procedures:
Contact one of UMM contact persons: to get letter of Acceptance as well as further information
Soeparto, Assistant Rector of International Relations
Cell Phone: +628123368597 email: partoumm@yahoo.com
Eka Rini Saraswati, Head of Bahasa Indonesia Program
Cell Phone: +6281 25229025
Jarum, Head of American and European Division:
Cell Phone: +628123358521 email: jarum_mlg@yahoo.com
Teguh Sri Wiyono, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +62 85646787373 email: teguh_sriwiyono@yahoo.com
Wahyu Taufiq, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +62 81242940765, email: wahyutaufiq@yahoo.com
Puji Soemarsono, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +6285 646 267575 email: poedji47@yahoo.co.id
Contact Indonesian Embassy/Consulate General in the country of residence, to get letter of recommendation by bringing the acceptance letter. In chase you want to apply online please notify the Indonesian Embassy/Consulate General in the country of residence before hand.
Filling out the application based on your chosen program that can be downloaded from http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/download.php, or apply online:
Regular 1 (One) Year -Darmasiswa RI scholarship Program go to: http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/daftar.php
Regular 6 (Six) Months - Darmasiswa RI scholarship Program go to:
http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/daftar3.php
--= Health Insurance=--
The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) will not provide health insurance; therefore the participants are expected to have the International insurance.
--=Procedure for both programs=--
The applicant apply by filling out the application available at the Indonesian Embassy or Consulate General in the country of residence or download from http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/download.php, or applying online:
Regular 1 (One) Year -Darmasiswa RI scholarship Program go to: http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/daftar.php
Regular 6 (Six) Months - Darmasiswa RI scholarship Program go to:
http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/daftar3.php
2. In case the applicant apply online, he/she should notify the Indonesian Embassy or Consulate General.
3. The application form should be submitted together with:
1. copy of academic transcript
2. health certificate
4. passport size color photograph (5 pieces)
5. full-page copy of passport valid for at least 18 months from time of arrival in Indonesia.
6. In spite of online application, the paper documents of applicants will be submitted by the Indonesian Embassy to the Directorate of Public Diplomacy, Department of Foreign Affairs or the Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of National Education (MoNE), addressed to:
1. Directorate of Public Diplomacy, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
Jalan Taman Pejambon No. 6 Jakarta
Phone: (62-21) 3813480
2. Head of Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation, Secretariat General, Ministry of National Education (MoNE)
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Senayan
Gedung C, Lantai 6
Phone: (021) 572-4707
Email: darmasiswa_kln@yahoo.com
5. The applicants’ documents will be selected every March for program commencing in September of the following year by a team consisting of officials from:
1. Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation, MoNE.
2. Directorate General of Higher Education, MoNE
3. Directorate of Public Diplomacy, Department of Foreign Affairs.
4. Host universities and colleges.
5. The results of selection will be communicated to the participants by the Indonesian Embassy or Consulate General or through website in April.
--=Schedule=--
Bundle of candidate’s application shall be submitted before the end of February 2010
Selection shall be conducted on the beginning of March 2010
The announcement is on the beginning of April 2010
Confirmation of participants’ agreement is on the beginning of June 2010
The arrival of participants shall be on the beginning of August 2010
Orientation program shall be conducted on the beginning of August 2010
Classes will be conducted from September 2010 until July 2011
For University of Indonesia, class will be conducted on beginning of July 2010
For participants of Regular 6 (six) months program class will be conducted as follows:
1. Period I (August 2010 – January 2011)
2. Period II (February 2011 – July 2011)
--=Why UMM=--
1. UMM has experienced handling International students around the world
2. UMM has international relations office which provides information and professional assistances for International students
3. UMM has three beautiful campuses in beautiful landscape, near to some tourism spots such as Bromo, and some local exotic places like waterfalls, natural rivers etc. click here for details: http://www.lombokmarine.com/malang-city.htm, http://pemkot-malang.go.id/eng/, http://www.malangpedia.com/, http://wisatamalang.com/,
4. Living cost is really affordable. The estimation:
a. Housing: Rp.150.000 – Rp. 250.000 monthly
b. Meal and drink: Rp. 600.000 – Rp. 900.000 monthly
c. Local Transport: one trip Rp. 2.500 – Rp. 3.000
5. UMM offers various activities inside and outside the class.
6. UMM has a number of international students who are ready to help you
--=Useful Links=--
University of Muhammadiyah Malang: http://www.umm.ac.id
International Relations Office, UMM: http://iro.umm.ac.id
Darmasiswa RI Scholarship: http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/index.php
Malang City: http://www.lombokmarine.com/malang-city.htm,
http://pemkot-malang.go.id/eng/,
http://www.malangpedia.com/,
http://wisatamalang.com/,
--=Contact persons=--
Soeparto, Assistant Rector of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +628123368597 email: partoumm@yahoo.com
Eka Rini Saraswati, Head of Bahasa Indonesia Program
Cell Phone: +6281 25229025
Jarum, Head of American and European Division:
Cell Phone: +628123358521 email: jarum_mlg@yahoo.com
Teguh Sri Wiyono, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +62 85646787373 email: teguh_sriwiyono@yahoo.com
Wahyu Taufiq, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +62 81242940765, email: wahyutaufiq@yahoo.com
Puji Soemarsono, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +6285 646 267575 email: poedji47@yahoo.co.id
University of Muhammadiyah Malang, UMM
Jl. Raya Tlogomas 246 Malang, East Java, Indonesia
Phone/Fax: +62341 460435
--=What They Say=--
1. Anwar Artaewee (Thailand), wawa_it@hotmail.com
UMM is very reliable. All the staffs, including administration staff and lecturers are friendly and always ready to help. The people are also capable and helpful. Malang is city of students, more than 20 Thailand students study here. So, living in Malang is the best luck for me. You will not regret it if you choose UMM as a place to study.
2. Hanna Szymanska (Poland), hallynka@gmail.com
Malang, where I study now is perfect place. It is near to some Indonesian popular tourism spots. I have visited Lombok, Bali, Yogyakarta, Bromo mountain, and many other exotic places in Indonesia. Indeed, it is easy and cheap to reach those places.
3. Rakotonirina Seheno Hobiniaina (Madagscar), rakotonirinasehenohobiniaina@yahoo.com
As an international education city, Malang offers an affordable price to live. We can easily get what we want in reasonable price. The living cost here is very cheap. So, studying and living here is excellent.
(Information from UMM.)
at University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM)
Academic Year 2010/2011
DARMASISWA is a scholarship program offered to all foreign students from countries which have diplomatic relationship with Indonesia to study Bahasa Indonesia, arts, music and crafts. Participants can choose University of Muhammadiyah Malang, in the online-application form it is written Malang Muhammadiyah Universiity (UMM), in East Java, Indonesia. This program is organized by the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The interest of international students to participate in this program keep increasing year by year. In 2010, we offer to 750 students.
Darmasiswa RI Program is conducted in 2 schemes, i.e :
Regular 1 (One) Year -Darmasiswa RI scholarship ProgramRegular One Year program is a one-year scholarship program offered to foreign students from countries which have diplomatic relationship with Indonesia to study Indonesian language and Art (traditional music, traditional dance, and Indonesian craft) in selected Indonesian Higher Education Institutions.
Regular 6 (Six) Months - Darmasiswa RI scholarship ProgramRegular six-month program is a six-month scholarship program offered to foreign students from countries which have diplomatic relationship with Indonesia to study Indonesian language in selected Indonesian Higher Education Institutions.
--= The Scholarship Covers=--
Monthly allowance will be received by participant is Rp 1.500.000,00 (one million and five hundred thousand rupiah), and will be transferred to the University/college where they study.--= Qualifications of Applicants =--
Not more than 35 years old
Completed secondary education or its equivalent
Copy of academic transcript
In good health as proved by Medical Certificate
Passport size color photograph (5 pieces)
Full-page copy of passport valid for at least 18 months from time of arrival in Indonesia
Able to communicate in English and have a basic knowledge of the field they’re applying for
--= Procedure =--
The applicant should apply through the following procedures:
Contact one of UMM contact persons: to get letter of Acceptance as well as further information
Soeparto, Assistant Rector of International Relations
Cell Phone: +628123368597 email: partoumm@yahoo.com
Eka Rini Saraswati, Head of Bahasa Indonesia Program
Cell Phone: +6281 25229025
Jarum, Head of American and European Division:
Cell Phone: +628123358521 email: jarum_mlg@yahoo.com
Teguh Sri Wiyono, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +62 85646787373 email: teguh_sriwiyono@yahoo.com
Wahyu Taufiq, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +62 81242940765, email: wahyutaufiq@yahoo.com
Puji Soemarsono, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +6285 646 267575 email: poedji47@yahoo.co.id
Contact Indonesian Embassy/Consulate General in the country of residence, to get letter of recommendation by bringing the acceptance letter. In chase you want to apply online please notify the Indonesian Embassy/Consulate General in the country of residence before hand.
Filling out the application based on your chosen program that can be downloaded from http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/download.php, or apply online:
Regular 1 (One) Year -Darmasiswa RI scholarship Program go to: http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/daftar.php
Regular 6 (Six) Months - Darmasiswa RI scholarship Program go to:
http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/daftar3.php
--= Health Insurance=--
The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) will not provide health insurance; therefore the participants are expected to have the International insurance.
--=Procedure for both programs=--
The applicant apply by filling out the application available at the Indonesian Embassy or Consulate General in the country of residence or download from http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/download.php, or applying online:
Regular 1 (One) Year -Darmasiswa RI scholarship Program go to: http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/daftar.php
Regular 6 (Six) Months - Darmasiswa RI scholarship Program go to:
http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/daftar3.php
2. In case the applicant apply online, he/she should notify the Indonesian Embassy or Consulate General.
3. The application form should be submitted together with:
1. copy of academic transcript
2. health certificate
4. passport size color photograph (5 pieces)
5. full-page copy of passport valid for at least 18 months from time of arrival in Indonesia.
6. In spite of online application, the paper documents of applicants will be submitted by the Indonesian Embassy to the Directorate of Public Diplomacy, Department of Foreign Affairs or the Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of National Education (MoNE), addressed to:
1. Directorate of Public Diplomacy, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
Jalan Taman Pejambon No. 6 Jakarta
Phone: (62-21) 3813480
2. Head of Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation, Secretariat General, Ministry of National Education (MoNE)
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Senayan
Gedung C, Lantai 6
Phone: (021) 572-4707
Email: darmasiswa_kln@yahoo.com
5. The applicants’ documents will be selected every March for program commencing in September of the following year by a team consisting of officials from:
1. Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation, MoNE.
2. Directorate General of Higher Education, MoNE
3. Directorate of Public Diplomacy, Department of Foreign Affairs.
4. Host universities and colleges.
5. The results of selection will be communicated to the participants by the Indonesian Embassy or Consulate General or through website in April.
--=Schedule=--
Bundle of candidate’s application shall be submitted before the end of February 2010
Selection shall be conducted on the beginning of March 2010
The announcement is on the beginning of April 2010
Confirmation of participants’ agreement is on the beginning of June 2010
The arrival of participants shall be on the beginning of August 2010
Orientation program shall be conducted on the beginning of August 2010
Classes will be conducted from September 2010 until July 2011
For University of Indonesia, class will be conducted on beginning of July 2010
For participants of Regular 6 (six) months program class will be conducted as follows:
1. Period I (August 2010 – January 2011)
2. Period II (February 2011 – July 2011)
--=Why UMM=--
1. UMM has experienced handling International students around the world
2. UMM has international relations office which provides information and professional assistances for International students
3. UMM has three beautiful campuses in beautiful landscape, near to some tourism spots such as Bromo, and some local exotic places like waterfalls, natural rivers etc. click here for details: http://www.lombokmarine.com/malang-city.htm, http://pemkot-malang.go.id/eng/, http://www.malangpedia.com/, http://wisatamalang.com/,
4. Living cost is really affordable. The estimation:
a. Housing: Rp.150.000 – Rp. 250.000 monthly
b. Meal and drink: Rp. 600.000 – Rp. 900.000 monthly
c. Local Transport: one trip Rp. 2.500 – Rp. 3.000
5. UMM offers various activities inside and outside the class.
6. UMM has a number of international students who are ready to help you
--=Useful Links=--
University of Muhammadiyah Malang: http://www.umm.ac.id
International Relations Office, UMM: http://iro.umm.ac.id
Darmasiswa RI Scholarship: http://darmasiswa.diknas.go.id/english/index.php
Malang City: http://www.lombokmarine.com/malang-city.htm,
http://pemkot-malang.go.id/eng/,
http://www.malangpedia.com/,
http://wisatamalang.com/,
--=Contact persons=--
Soeparto, Assistant Rector of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +628123368597 email: partoumm@yahoo.com
Eka Rini Saraswati, Head of Bahasa Indonesia Program
Cell Phone: +6281 25229025
Jarum, Head of American and European Division:
Cell Phone: +628123358521 email: jarum_mlg@yahoo.com
Teguh Sri Wiyono, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +62 85646787373 email: teguh_sriwiyono@yahoo.com
Wahyu Taufiq, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +62 81242940765, email: wahyutaufiq@yahoo.com
Puji Soemarsono, Staff of International Relations Office
Cell Phone: +6285 646 267575 email: poedji47@yahoo.co.id
University of Muhammadiyah Malang, UMM
Jl. Raya Tlogomas 246 Malang, East Java, Indonesia
Phone/Fax: +62341 460435
--=What They Say=--
1. Anwar Artaewee (Thailand), wawa_it@hotmail.com
UMM is very reliable. All the staffs, including administration staff and lecturers are friendly and always ready to help. The people are also capable and helpful. Malang is city of students, more than 20 Thailand students study here. So, living in Malang is the best luck for me. You will not regret it if you choose UMM as a place to study.
2. Hanna Szymanska (Poland), hallynka@gmail.com
Malang, where I study now is perfect place. It is near to some Indonesian popular tourism spots. I have visited Lombok, Bali, Yogyakarta, Bromo mountain, and many other exotic places in Indonesia. Indeed, it is easy and cheap to reach those places.
3. Rakotonirina Seheno Hobiniaina (Madagscar), rakotonirinasehenohobiniaina@yahoo.com
As an international education city, Malang offers an affordable price to live. We can easily get what we want in reasonable price. The living cost here is very cheap. So, studying and living here is excellent.
(Information from UMM.)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
LOMBOK POTTERY STRUGGLES
Going potty about Lombok
In the international aid business not all projects are worth the money and effort.
Like rockets some are launched in a great show of publicity but never reach the predicted heights. They burn out prematurely, dampened by confrontations with reality in the hard school of social engineering.
Others fizzle out in culture conflicts; messages are misread, expectations vanish and promises turn to ash in the crucible of corruption.
It might have been that way 20 years ago in Lombok when a New Zealand aid program set about reforming the traditional crafts of the Sasak potters, but this project seems to have been successful beyond hope.
“At first many villagers feared this was an exercise in Christianisation,” said Rohmiati, the manager of the Lombok Pottery Centre. (Lombok, the island adjacent to Bali, is mainly Muslim.)
“There was also some resentment because outsiders were getting involved. However after almost a year the locals slowly started accepting the ideas and applying changes.
“The potters were helped with designs, manufacture and marketing. An administration center was set up. The pottery became famous overseas and the women and their families have got the benefits of better health and sanitation.
“Just look at their houses. There’s the proof. They used to use the river for ablutions. Now they have toilets. They used to have bamboo walls, dirt floors and thatch roofs. Not now. They’ve spent their profits to better their lives. ”
The entrance to Banyumulek, 20 minutes south of Mataram, looks more like a drive into a resort with its avenue of pots. The houses are brick and tile or iron. The village has an aura of basic prosperity – not flash, just comfortable.
Some display their craft in little shops, seeking retail sale. Others have purpose-built workshops and storerooms behind their homes ready to supply big orders.
Yet the “glory days”, as Rohmiati calls the 1990s, have gone. Then up to 100 containers of pots were leaving Lombok for overseas every year. Now they’ll be lucky to fill one container in four months, and there are no busses of culture tourists keen to fill their backpacks with the rugged, russet-hued earthenware.
Rohmiati blames the church burnings during the 2000 religious riots – or, as some claim, political feuds using religion to stoke hatred – for the downturn in visitors. She said the global economic slump had caused the loss of overseas markets.
Or maybe the business just needs to be refreshed after two decades of selling the same things, with marketing given a boost. Perhaps other countries have pinched the style and are undercutting prices. The staff say more trade research is required.
Certainly the huggable pots are rich and beautiful, all hand made and fired in the open using rice straw and coconut husks. The designs, like the tones, are subtle. The grey clay is mined locally. Although a few concessions to modernity have been made, the basic tools and techniques being used now by 214 craftswomen in three villages are much like those centuries ago.
How long? No one knows for sure. One version has the skills being brought from Central Java 500 years ago when the Majapahit kingdom began to disintegrate and the Hindus moved east.
Another credits Sunan Prapen who brought Islam to the island, and may have included pottery in his basket of skills. This being Indonesia, there’s also a myth of the goddess Dewi Anjani being involved.
Potting is still female work, and this made it an attractive project for NZ aid, where empowering women, particularly the poor and single mums, has long been a national goal. Of the 20 staff at the center only five are men, employed to do the heavy lifting and packing, for some fat-bellied pots stand up to a meter.
The first adviser was NZ artist and craft expert Jean McKinnon who stayed with the project for more than three years. The overseas aid has finished and the local women now own the business.
The main office and showroom in Mataram includes a large packing shed and warehouse. Here thousands of glistening, multi-colored pots rest on racks ready for export should the orders start flowing again.
Originally the pots were purely functional, made as kitchen and cookware and hawked from door to door. Now most are decorative and have been embellished with designs making them fit to feature in Western lounges and gardens.
The women are no longer artisans, but artists.
The clay is mixed with fine river sand and the pots are built using rolls of the damp mixture, coiling the material by hand. The only tools are bamboo sticks, coconut husks, wire and sometimes kick-wheels.
Although some craftswomen have bought electric wheels these have not been successful; the power supply is too limited and unreliable. Unlike Western potteries there are no thermometers or other technology used to tell when the pot is too dry or too wet, ready to fire or cool. The potters just know, such are their skills.
For some designs tamarind seeds are crushed and soaked. The mix is sprayed on the pots to create a patterned effect. The artefacts are then dried in the sun for about half a day.
It’s the sort of work that fits in with domestic duties. When the kids are at school a few hours potting in the backyard doesn’t just fill time – it also makes money.
The health of the women working the clay seems to be unaffected, but there are concerns about inhaling smoke and ash from the firing.
“They continue to fire the pots close to the houses and we are getting reports of chest infections,” said Rohmiati’s colleague Ni Kitut Adi Widyati who has been with the project since its inception.
“We think they should move the firing to an open area far away, but they’re reluctant.
“We are grateful to the NZ government because it looked after our home industries and helped make them successful. Now we need to get fresh designs and get back into the international market.
“We’re still selling to Italy and the US but have to expand.”
(First published in The Jakarta Post 15 January 2010)
(Pic caption: Handle with care: Rohmiati (left) and Ni Kitut Adi Widyati.)
##
In the international aid business not all projects are worth the money and effort.
Like rockets some are launched in a great show of publicity but never reach the predicted heights. They burn out prematurely, dampened by confrontations with reality in the hard school of social engineering.
Others fizzle out in culture conflicts; messages are misread, expectations vanish and promises turn to ash in the crucible of corruption.
It might have been that way 20 years ago in Lombok when a New Zealand aid program set about reforming the traditional crafts of the Sasak potters, but this project seems to have been successful beyond hope.
“At first many villagers feared this was an exercise in Christianisation,” said Rohmiati, the manager of the Lombok Pottery Centre. (Lombok, the island adjacent to Bali, is mainly Muslim.)
“There was also some resentment because outsiders were getting involved. However after almost a year the locals slowly started accepting the ideas and applying changes.
“The potters were helped with designs, manufacture and marketing. An administration center was set up. The pottery became famous overseas and the women and their families have got the benefits of better health and sanitation.
“Just look at their houses. There’s the proof. They used to use the river for ablutions. Now they have toilets. They used to have bamboo walls, dirt floors and thatch roofs. Not now. They’ve spent their profits to better their lives. ”
The entrance to Banyumulek, 20 minutes south of Mataram, looks more like a drive into a resort with its avenue of pots. The houses are brick and tile or iron. The village has an aura of basic prosperity – not flash, just comfortable.
Some display their craft in little shops, seeking retail sale. Others have purpose-built workshops and storerooms behind their homes ready to supply big orders.
Yet the “glory days”, as Rohmiati calls the 1990s, have gone. Then up to 100 containers of pots were leaving Lombok for overseas every year. Now they’ll be lucky to fill one container in four months, and there are no busses of culture tourists keen to fill their backpacks with the rugged, russet-hued earthenware.
Rohmiati blames the church burnings during the 2000 religious riots – or, as some claim, political feuds using religion to stoke hatred – for the downturn in visitors. She said the global economic slump had caused the loss of overseas markets.
Or maybe the business just needs to be refreshed after two decades of selling the same things, with marketing given a boost. Perhaps other countries have pinched the style and are undercutting prices. The staff say more trade research is required.
Certainly the huggable pots are rich and beautiful, all hand made and fired in the open using rice straw and coconut husks. The designs, like the tones, are subtle. The grey clay is mined locally. Although a few concessions to modernity have been made, the basic tools and techniques being used now by 214 craftswomen in three villages are much like those centuries ago.
How long? No one knows for sure. One version has the skills being brought from Central Java 500 years ago when the Majapahit kingdom began to disintegrate and the Hindus moved east.
Another credits Sunan Prapen who brought Islam to the island, and may have included pottery in his basket of skills. This being Indonesia, there’s also a myth of the goddess Dewi Anjani being involved.
Potting is still female work, and this made it an attractive project for NZ aid, where empowering women, particularly the poor and single mums, has long been a national goal. Of the 20 staff at the center only five are men, employed to do the heavy lifting and packing, for some fat-bellied pots stand up to a meter.
The first adviser was NZ artist and craft expert Jean McKinnon who stayed with the project for more than three years. The overseas aid has finished and the local women now own the business.
The main office and showroom in Mataram includes a large packing shed and warehouse. Here thousands of glistening, multi-colored pots rest on racks ready for export should the orders start flowing again.
Originally the pots were purely functional, made as kitchen and cookware and hawked from door to door. Now most are decorative and have been embellished with designs making them fit to feature in Western lounges and gardens.
The women are no longer artisans, but artists.
The clay is mixed with fine river sand and the pots are built using rolls of the damp mixture, coiling the material by hand. The only tools are bamboo sticks, coconut husks, wire and sometimes kick-wheels.
Although some craftswomen have bought electric wheels these have not been successful; the power supply is too limited and unreliable. Unlike Western potteries there are no thermometers or other technology used to tell when the pot is too dry or too wet, ready to fire or cool. The potters just know, such are their skills.
For some designs tamarind seeds are crushed and soaked. The mix is sprayed on the pots to create a patterned effect. The artefacts are then dried in the sun for about half a day.
It’s the sort of work that fits in with domestic duties. When the kids are at school a few hours potting in the backyard doesn’t just fill time – it also makes money.
The health of the women working the clay seems to be unaffected, but there are concerns about inhaling smoke and ash from the firing.
“They continue to fire the pots close to the houses and we are getting reports of chest infections,” said Rohmiati’s colleague Ni Kitut Adi Widyati who has been with the project since its inception.
“We think they should move the firing to an open area far away, but they’re reluctant.
“We are grateful to the NZ government because it looked after our home industries and helped make them successful. Now we need to get fresh designs and get back into the international market.
“We’re still selling to Italy and the US but have to expand.”
(First published in The Jakarta Post 15 January 2010)
(Pic caption: Handle with care: Rohmiati (left) and Ni Kitut Adi Widyati.)
##
Monday, January 18, 2010
TOMOHON'S BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Jimmy Sumampouw
Don’t let the music stop
If brooding Mount Lokon had chosen the end of October to erupt, few in the surrounding North Sulawesi villages would have noticed.
For the youth-made explosions would have smothered any subterranean roars and growls, bangs and clangs as Tomohon’s battle of the bands (officially known as the ‘Tomohon Band Festival’) set out to prove noise beats nuance.
Keeping it all together and darting between the serpentine cabling and strobe lighting was the plump but agile figure of coordinator Jimmy Sumampouw, 24.
The first half of the two-day event in the hills one hour’s drive from Manado was staged under a rippling blue polycarbonate roof. It may well have been straight before the zillion watt sound system was turned on and tweaked to peak.
The four judges with trophies and prizes of up to Rp 5 million (US $ 500) to award wisely made their decisions beyond the sonic blast zone – a distance of what appeared to be several kilometers. The air was shimmering like a mirage, distorted through beat, not heat, so the gap may have been a little less.
The adjudicators awarded points for harmony, teamwork, skills and performance, with bonuses if the lads had written their own work. Although the area is known throughout Indonesia for its gender equality, there were no all-girl groups.
The event attracted 31 bands. Others had to be turned away because the committee couldn’t cope with more competitors from around the province. Said the jubilant committee chair Piet Arabata, a nuggetty music lover of another generation: “That proves it’s a success. We’ll go ahead in Tomohon next year.”
The local black-booted public order squad along with police in yellow Hi-Vis vests came along, maybe to dissuade anyone without acne from entering. They were greatly under-employed and spent much time sucking smokes, pondering their presence.
Despite the cowboy hats, short skirts, long hair and other signs of the supposedly wayward young, the crowd was appreciative, not rowdy. Noise doesn’t necessarily mean naughtiness, and music doesn’t always lead to mayhem
The banners and other advertising made this event significantly different from similar shows in other parts of Indonesia; there was no tobacco sponsorship.
“The audiences and performers are young – we didn’t want to encourage them to start smoking”, said Jimmy. Though only 24 he looked like an intruder from another era among the performers trying to grow beards and breasts. .
“So we didn’t seek support from cigarette companies - or the churches,” (North Sulawesi is a strong Christian province and denominations compete for souls through music.)“We got our backing from local government.
“We want to help develop the young generation’s interests and talent in music. We don’t have a drug problem in Tomohon, though there are some alcohol issues.
“We want young people to have other activities. This way we are getting in first, anticipating problems before they arise, keeping the kids off the street.”
Jimmy is a local lad who’s made it good in the Big Durian and the prodigal son came home to run this year’s event. He’s the drummer in the eight-piece Jakarta band Miracle that plays golden oldies and Top 40s in cafes and five-star hotels.
After leaving high school with little training, no tertiary education and no plans to do anything other than play music, he makes his living as a full-time music pro.
“Getting into the Jakarta scene was a little bit difficult,” he said, downplaying the hurdles he had to overcome. “There were a lot of challenges.”
Although a raw lad from the provinces he already had family in the capital so didn’t have to scratch for lodgings and regular feeds while building contacts and proving his abilities.
Having talent helped significantly. He can play every major instrument in a contemporary band and can understand music notation – skills that draw respect.
They also took him to Australia this year for an international ‘Ultimate Drummers’ workshop in Melbourne where he was able to click sticks and whisk skins with overseas talent.
He also had the backing of his parents. This isn’t the sort of story where distressed parents burn their offspring’s drum kit and demand they follow dad into brain surgery.
Jimmy’s father was an engineer with an overseas company based in Sulawesi and although he had to make his living in an office he loved to sing and play the guitar.
Another influence was his musician uncle Ventje Watupongoh who has long run an informal music school in Tomohon. Here he gave valuable advice to his smart nephew:
“When you’re on stage you must act as though you are the king of music. But when you’re off stage you must act with humility.”
The lesson seems to have struck the right chord. Jimmy doesn’t play the big man from the city among the people he left behind when he went west to seek fame and fortune five years ago.
Nor does he try to dissuade the bright young hopefuls who want to follow the pied piper. “I mustn‘t deny their spirit,” he said.
“I tell them that if they treat music as a hobby or fun, well, that’s OK, but don’t leave home. Don’t go to Jakarta – it’s tough. But if they are really serious, work hard and have got the talent then give it a go.
“The Minahasa people from North Sulawesi seem to have the ability to fit in anywhere, to adjust and make friends easily. That helps a lot.
“Whatever else you decide to play you should first learn the piano. You must believe in yourself and have confidence, but that doesn’t mean being arrogant.
“I’m a strong nationalist but I have no objection to Western music which has dominated this music festival. In many cases the performers have taken local compositions and given them a Western treatment. That’s fine.
“Music is universal – it doesn’t matter where it comes from. Tomohon (a city of only 80,000) seems to have a lot of creative talent. We welcome people from everywhere. (The final night of the festival clashed with a concert featuring bamboo instruments. Some churches have brass bands and classical music is taught locally.)
“Through the Internet musicians have access to all genres of music. There have been many good musicians at the festival, but they lack teamwork,
“Never stop practising – play every day. Music has no end. Music never stops.“
(First published in The Jakarta Post 2 January 2010)
##
Don’t let the music stop
If brooding Mount Lokon had chosen the end of October to erupt, few in the surrounding North Sulawesi villages would have noticed.
For the youth-made explosions would have smothered any subterranean roars and growls, bangs and clangs as Tomohon’s battle of the bands (officially known as the ‘Tomohon Band Festival’) set out to prove noise beats nuance.
Keeping it all together and darting between the serpentine cabling and strobe lighting was the plump but agile figure of coordinator Jimmy Sumampouw, 24.
The first half of the two-day event in the hills one hour’s drive from Manado was staged under a rippling blue polycarbonate roof. It may well have been straight before the zillion watt sound system was turned on and tweaked to peak.
The four judges with trophies and prizes of up to Rp 5 million (US $ 500) to award wisely made their decisions beyond the sonic blast zone – a distance of what appeared to be several kilometers. The air was shimmering like a mirage, distorted through beat, not heat, so the gap may have been a little less.
The adjudicators awarded points for harmony, teamwork, skills and performance, with bonuses if the lads had written their own work. Although the area is known throughout Indonesia for its gender equality, there were no all-girl groups.
The event attracted 31 bands. Others had to be turned away because the committee couldn’t cope with more competitors from around the province. Said the jubilant committee chair Piet Arabata, a nuggetty music lover of another generation: “That proves it’s a success. We’ll go ahead in Tomohon next year.”
The local black-booted public order squad along with police in yellow Hi-Vis vests came along, maybe to dissuade anyone without acne from entering. They were greatly under-employed and spent much time sucking smokes, pondering their presence.
Despite the cowboy hats, short skirts, long hair and other signs of the supposedly wayward young, the crowd was appreciative, not rowdy. Noise doesn’t necessarily mean naughtiness, and music doesn’t always lead to mayhem
The banners and other advertising made this event significantly different from similar shows in other parts of Indonesia; there was no tobacco sponsorship.
“The audiences and performers are young – we didn’t want to encourage them to start smoking”, said Jimmy. Though only 24 he looked like an intruder from another era among the performers trying to grow beards and breasts. .
“So we didn’t seek support from cigarette companies - or the churches,” (North Sulawesi is a strong Christian province and denominations compete for souls through music.)“We got our backing from local government.
“We want to help develop the young generation’s interests and talent in music. We don’t have a drug problem in Tomohon, though there are some alcohol issues.
“We want young people to have other activities. This way we are getting in first, anticipating problems before they arise, keeping the kids off the street.”
Jimmy is a local lad who’s made it good in the Big Durian and the prodigal son came home to run this year’s event. He’s the drummer in the eight-piece Jakarta band Miracle that plays golden oldies and Top 40s in cafes and five-star hotels.
After leaving high school with little training, no tertiary education and no plans to do anything other than play music, he makes his living as a full-time music pro.
“Getting into the Jakarta scene was a little bit difficult,” he said, downplaying the hurdles he had to overcome. “There were a lot of challenges.”
Although a raw lad from the provinces he already had family in the capital so didn’t have to scratch for lodgings and regular feeds while building contacts and proving his abilities.
Having talent helped significantly. He can play every major instrument in a contemporary band and can understand music notation – skills that draw respect.
They also took him to Australia this year for an international ‘Ultimate Drummers’ workshop in Melbourne where he was able to click sticks and whisk skins with overseas talent.
He also had the backing of his parents. This isn’t the sort of story where distressed parents burn their offspring’s drum kit and demand they follow dad into brain surgery.
Jimmy’s father was an engineer with an overseas company based in Sulawesi and although he had to make his living in an office he loved to sing and play the guitar.
Another influence was his musician uncle Ventje Watupongoh who has long run an informal music school in Tomohon. Here he gave valuable advice to his smart nephew:
“When you’re on stage you must act as though you are the king of music. But when you’re off stage you must act with humility.”
The lesson seems to have struck the right chord. Jimmy doesn’t play the big man from the city among the people he left behind when he went west to seek fame and fortune five years ago.
Nor does he try to dissuade the bright young hopefuls who want to follow the pied piper. “I mustn‘t deny their spirit,” he said.
“I tell them that if they treat music as a hobby or fun, well, that’s OK, but don’t leave home. Don’t go to Jakarta – it’s tough. But if they are really serious, work hard and have got the talent then give it a go.
“The Minahasa people from North Sulawesi seem to have the ability to fit in anywhere, to adjust and make friends easily. That helps a lot.
“Whatever else you decide to play you should first learn the piano. You must believe in yourself and have confidence, but that doesn’t mean being arrogant.
“I’m a strong nationalist but I have no objection to Western music which has dominated this music festival. In many cases the performers have taken local compositions and given them a Western treatment. That’s fine.
“Music is universal – it doesn’t matter where it comes from. Tomohon (a city of only 80,000) seems to have a lot of creative talent. We welcome people from everywhere. (The final night of the festival clashed with a concert featuring bamboo instruments. Some churches have brass bands and classical music is taught locally.)
“Through the Internet musicians have access to all genres of music. There have been many good musicians at the festival, but they lack teamwork,
“Never stop practising – play every day. Music has no end. Music never stops.“
(First published in The Jakarta Post 2 January 2010)
##
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)