Jakartass Home thoughts from abroad. Alien thoughts from home.

… when Jakarta goes quiet. It's the start of a week long holiday, and possibly longer, and the best time to not go anywhere outside Jakarta.

Yep, it seems as though nearly all those all practise mudik, the return to home villages at Idul Fitri to celebrate their 'celebrityness' because they've spent a year grafting away to pay for mudik, are on their way. Convoys of those pesky little motorbikes are doing their best to avoid big buses whose usually manic drivers are suffering withdrawal symptoms as their urine is regularly tested for excessive quantities of Red Bull.

The police have placed snipers at those black spots where premen (thugs) are prevalent, and trains are packed to "150% capacity".

The banks are shut for the duration as are several financial institutions. That shouldn't be a problem though as the country is awash with debt; all and sundry having stocked up on life's little luxuries because this is what everyone has been grafting away for since the last time they came back to Jakarta.

One notable lass, a pembantu (maid), was highlighted in the Post because she'd bought the latest model of a handphone to replace the one she bought last year, just so she wouldn't feel embarrassed using an old one. Of course, if she lives in a remote kampung, there's no guarantee that she can get a signal.

Some won't make it home because they're in jail because of their graft, and for that we can give praise.

Mind you, it hasn't been easy convincing 'Er Indoors that she doesn't have to spend everything in my bank account just to have some of her famous beef rendang in stock for all those visitors who probably won't come because they're out of town.

Whatever, the sun is shining and there's only the occasional motorbike without a silencer revving by to disturb my peace.

Mohon ma'af lahir dan batin is the traditional phrase used to say at this time. Roughly translated it means 'Please forgive me for any wrongdoings I may have done to you in the past year, and please accept my sincerest apologies for what I might do to you in the next'. This seems highly appropriate for those with arrested development of moral values.

One such is the governor of the South Sulawesi province who has banned members of the Ahmadyah Muslim community from conducting religious activities durung the Idul Fitri holiday in case they spark violence among mainstream Muslims.

I'm not a Muslim, although it says so on the piece of paper saying that I'm married because the government of this supposedly secular state decrees that everyone must 'belong' to a religion, and one that believes in One God. Still, what I do know about Ramadhan, the fasting month, is that devotees should not succomb to temptation. It seems strange to me that certain 'fundamentalists' Muslims are so weak that they have to remove all temptations in case their faith isn't strong enough to overcome them.

Thus, the 'special' province of Yogyakarta has banned the sale of alcohol. Mind you, the Jakartass correspondent there reports that "there still appear to be places selling drinks albeit discreetly." For this, he gives thanks.

So, what to do in Jakarta? If you have the herd instinct, then head to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), Ancol Dreamland or Ragunan Zoo. It may be somewhat easier getting there than in previous years because the Transjakarta Busway has added a few extra routes for the duration.

But you won't see me or my tribe at any of them because I'm all for the quiet life. Our Kid (14) has been very controlled in his fasting, so you may see us at Ya 'Usual towards the end of next week when he can eat in public in daylight hours.

Until then ….

As I posted yesterday, I’m grooving to a pre-release of In Nem, which was recorded in Surakarta and can be pre-ordered here.

In Nem is a gamelan version of Terry Riley’s In C, a seminal minimalist work which has been the subject of much scholastic discourse, such as here.

In C proposes a delicate balance between the individual and the group. It demands of its players a high degree of individual responsibility. No matter how many performers participate, they must listen carefully to one another for the performance to have any chance of success.

In C is very much a product of community. That act of listening implies that all the players devote themselves to the greater good of the piece, that they not only listen to their interaction with immediate neighbors but also hear the influence of their actions on the total work.

Dedek Wahyudi is a gamelan musician from Surakarta, in Central Java and there’s a profile cum interview with him in today’s Post.

Dedek says, “Gamelan constitutes a collective performance. To maintain harmony, gamelan players have to listen to each other.”

Living in the helter-skelter, hurry-worry, self-absorbed, consumerist and consumptive urban environment that is Jakarta, I yearn for “delicate balances” outside Jakartass Towers. In Em and In C help to achieve them within – and within me.
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Interestingly, John Noise Manis of Felway Records  is bringing out a second CD at the same time as In Nem – that of Endah Laras and Dedek Wahyudi, the very man in the Post feature.

Now, that’s serendipity.

These are some gigs I’ll miss this week as I soak up some gamelan in Bali.

International Wayang Festival at Museum Wayang, Fatahillah, Jakarta:
Wed, 24 Nov, 10-12 am, Wayang Palembang
Wed, 24 Nov, 1-3 pm, Wayang Kulit Banjar
Wed, 24 Nov, 9 pm-morning, Wayang Kulit Purwa Ki Fatur Gamblang (Solo), lakon Sesaji Raja Suya
Fri, 26 Nov, 10 am-3 pm, Wayang Golek Menak Kebumen, Ki Kuswanto Sindu
Fri, 26 Nov, 8 pm to morning, Wayang Golek Sunda
Sat, 27 Nov, 10 am-3 pm, Wayang Golek

But I do have a ticket reserved for Sambasunda on
Sunday, December 12, 2010 – 8 p.m.
Gedung Kesenian Jakarta
Ismet Ruchimat: 0817430937
Roely (021) 3808283 / 3441892
Tiket: Rp 50.000,-

Pementasan Musik Kontemporer ”Sambasunda”
Komposer: Ismet Ruchimat

Sambasunda will present an ethnic traditional music performance, which packed with new format by bringing up Cianjur’s songs and also Kiliningan within a unique collaboration between gamelan and Sundanese gamelan.

Although having latin conotation, the word ’samba’ in Sambasunda comes from Sundanese language, is actually referred to Cirebon mask character: Son of Kresna, which has dynamic young character, while ’sunda’ itself reffered to a culture where Samba sunda was born, getting inspired, motivated, getting interacted, explored, created, developed, struggled, and actualized.Sambasunda, is founded by Ismet Ruchimat, always explores music varieties, almost unlimited, but with focus more in maximizing using traditional music devices. Members of Sambasunda come from alumny of STSI (Indonesia Arts College) Bandung. So no wonder if each musician has enough knowledge about tradition music, as well as having capability playing other variety music instrument.

Apparently half of Jakarta's population has left the city in order to visit family and friends who don't want to, can't or couldn't get their acts together here. Some won't make it back; more than 130 folk, mainly motorcyclists and their passengers, have died in traffic accidents so far, and we can expect loads more as they try to wend their way back in a week or so.

For the rest of the Muslim population, feasting and merriment will ensue in the days ahead, even here in Jakartass Towers. Yep, things are different for a while. Yesterday, even I, an avowed vegetarian, ended up buying meat  – at the behest of 'Er Indoors who cooks up enough rendang (beef simmered for hours in coconut milk) for the expected multitudes who probably won't come – when all I wanted was a few bottles of Bintang.

The Jakarta Post, which resumes publication on Monday following the initial release from fasting, will have a photo on the front page much like this one*.

Then, a week later, life will be back to 'normal'. I've adapted some borrowed* archive material to 'test' your knowledge of what that is.

Indonesian SAT – Mathematics Paper

1. Bapak S takes five bribes a day. The average value of each backhander is Rp.400,000 and his government salary is Rp.1,500,000 per month.

a) How many months will it take for him to save up to buy a big house in Pondok Cabe worth Rp.1,5 billion?
b) How many superiors will he name when arrested?
c) What will be the length of his prison sentence?
d) How long will he serve?

2. Pak Damian has an ecstasy laboratory. When he is arrested, the police confiscate his lab and 7,000 pills. Police Chief Bobbo offers to return his stash and forget the whole thing, if Pak Damian pays Rp.2 billion to the police ‘charity box’.

a) At the current the street price, is it worth it?
b) If Pak Damian refuses to pay and does 18 months in Cipinang prison, how long will it take him back on the street to make up the lost revenue.
c) How long will it take him to have Police Chief Bobbo ‘whacked’?

3. Rini and Lia sell pirated DVDs in a mall. Today, their stall, which has a stock of 3,000 DVDs, sells three types of film only: action, horror and nausea, in the ratio of 1:2:7.

i) How many horror films are displayed at their stall?
a) 200
b) 300
c) 400
d) 600

ii) How long will it take Rini and Lia to get the tarpaulin on when the local police force raid the mall?

Indonesian SAT – Moral Education Paper

1. You are an immigration official working at the airport. You would like to maximise your income. Which of the following passengers would be most likely to pay a bribe to leave the country smoothly?

a) A Chinese-Indonesian in a time of unrest.
b) A westerner on the way to Singapore for emergency surgery.
c) A young mother with three children, one of whom has spilled Milo on a page of his passport.
d) A corrupt tax officer named as a suspect in an ongoing corruption investigation.

2. The Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia declares, “The State guarantees all persons the freedom of worship, each according to his/her own religion or belief.” (Chapter XI, Article 29)

Which of the following conditions is not compatible with Article 29, and therefore unconstitutional?
a) Atheists and agnostics are not recognised and must swear allegiance to one of six designated religions.
b) No Jews allowed at all.
c) Adherents to non-orthodox Muslim or Christian faiths will be arrested.
d) None of the above.

3. You have some money and decide to donate it to a charity.
Which of these motives least exemplifies a charitable and selfless spirit?

a) We are all born with equal rights but some are born with less opportunity than others. They should be helped.
b) Some people suffer hardship through no fault of their own, therefore they should be helped.
c) If we have lots of poor people running around or sooner or later they’re going to cause problems. Therefore they should be helped.
d) If I give 2.5% of my salary to charity, I will go to heaven.

4. Ibu Sumarmi is flying from Padang back to Jakarta after Idul Fitri. Her hand luggage consists of:
1 DVD player
10 kilos of rendang
10 litre bottles of marquisa (passion fruit) juice
A box containing plastic bags of kerupuk (prawn crackers)
5 presentation models of Minang houses

a) If Ibu Sumarmi is first on the plane, how many overhead compartments will she be able to fill with her belongings before other passengers begin to complain?
b) If Ibu Sumarmi is not first on the plane, where the fuck is she going to put all her stuff?
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*I know from whence it came, but prefer in true journalist tradition to protect my source(s). Enjoy or, if you're a subscriber, feel free to unsubscribe as apainXXX@yahoo.com did recently. The reason given was: 02: Offensive, strongly disagree or disapprove.

Jolly good.

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*I told you and it's this one.

It was not the best moment to hold a gig on Friday. The rain was bad and the traffic was worse. It was quintessential Jakarta, save for the small section of Senayan Sporting Complex.
(fr. a review of a gig by 90's Brit-poppers where Ian Brown and Kula Shaker played 6.8.10.)

So here we have international 'stars' performing in a sports hall. Given the massive growth in Jakarta's population in the last 50+ years, one might have expected something more sophisticated.

Before 1965, when Koes Bersaudara were banned and imprisoned following Soekarno's "war against Beatle "music", declaring that "Beatleism" was a "form of mental disease", they had "regular spots at venues such as the Megaria cinema, where they played between films." They later managed "to secure a twice-weekly gig at the International Airport Restaurant in Kemayoran (North Jakarta)."
(fr. Wage War against Beatle Music! Censorship and Music in Soekarno's Indonesia by Steven Farram)

The Megaria cinema still stands, but isn't a gig venue. The Kemayoran airport is no more following the opening of Soekarno-Hatta; the area is now being redeveloped with industrial estates, a host of apartment blocks and as the venue for the annual Jakarta Fair. And just last year, 2009, the Aula Simfonia Jakarta (Jakarta Symphony Hall) was officially opened.

It was built as an answer to this big city's need of a 'proper' concert hall, as well as to fulfill the cultural mandate given by God. As the first, and currently the only concert hall in Indonesia, Aula Simfonia Jakarta accommodates 1,200 seats and offers a world-class acoustic experience. Both local and international musicians have performed in this hall, and Aula Simfonia Jakarta welcomes more good quality music performances in the future.

it is bloody difficult to get to at the best of times (i.e. at 2am when Jakarta isn't grid-locked) and I foresee further problems ahead in the rainy season as Kemayoran is in flood-prone northern Jakarta.

And I'm not sure that they have a "cultural mandate given by God" given that an upcoming concert on the 22nd (to mark Indonesia's Independence Day on the 17th) is sponsored by, among others, a women's magazine, a cigarette company, and a Japanese car manufacturer.

So, what else is there?

A search for 'music venues*Jakarta' on the World Events Guide "returned 0 results".

The real answer given by Widyasena Sumadio a year ago is 'not much'.

A number of concert venues have emerged recently in Jakarta and surrounding areas: from
the Jakarta International Expo and Mangga Dua in the centre of Jakarta, to Sentul City Convention Center in Sentul, a town in southern Jakarta known for its motor racing circuit. The well-established, if slightly dilapidated building Istora Senayan, the junior tennis indoor stadium Senayan, and the Jakarta Convention Center are also often used for festivals and events.

But these buildings were not intended for musical performances, so they are lacking in acoustics. The auditoriums in five-star hotels [and shopping malls. J.], which on some occasions have also hosted music performances, are not ideal venues for music performances either. And the number of buildings equipped with appropriate acoustics, unfortunately, cannot hold a large number of people.

As a result, for Jakarta to become a musical centre, regional and central governments, in addition to private parties, need to …. invest in specialised and well-equipped performance venues capable of accommodating larger numbers.

Not all gigs and performances need to attract large audiences, but, unfortunately, there aren't that many smaller venues specifically devoted to 'culture' either.

As a public service, I've compiled the following list. I fear that it is exhaustive, but if there are any glaring omissions, please add them in the comments box or email me so I can add them to this post, which may end up on the music links page above.

My favourite venue for performances is the beautifully restored Dutch building Gedung Kesenian. Although on the corner of a busy thoroughfare, upon entering, having traversed the car park, one can imagine a much less chaotic Batavia among a milieu admittedly 'free' of Indonesians.

There are a number of 'cultural centres' which offer a mix of exhibitions, workshops and performances. The somewhat rundown Taman Ismail Marzuki (T.I.M.) is, to my knowledge, the only facility under the aegis of City Hall.

Otherwise there are community-run initiatives such as Bentara Budaya, Theatre Salihara and Komunitas Utan Kayu.

There also a few 'foreign' Cultural Centres including Goethe Haüs, Erasmus Huis, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Centre, which are sponsored by their respective governments.

Unlike London and other western cities and towns which seem to have live music in pubs and bars within strolling distance, one has to be in the know to find them in Jakarta, and then make a strenuous effort to actually go out.

Jakarta 24.com has a now outdated list. (BB's is still going strong, but Jamz isn't.) The best list I've found, which, although not their fault, isn't saying much, is Jakarta 100 Bars.

Perhaps the $3 million that the City administration has earmarked for the Betawi Cultural Centre could be better spent on a cultural centre for all Jakartans, residents and visitors alike! Maybe a better short-term solution would be to invest this sum in the public transport infrastructure so that we could actually get to the few venues that exist.

Ho hum.

Cul’ture (kul’cher) vt: to grow (micro-organisms) in a specially prepared medium.

Yesterday the Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar advised foreign visitors, specifically western women, against going out in public scantily dressed.

At the opening of a national meeting of his ministry’s officials in Jakarta, he said, “Our country holds high moral values and wearing revealing clothes insults the women’s dignity. Women from western countries visiting Indonesia go to the market wearing only a bra.”

What? No panties??

He did not say why he raised the issue. Neither did he cite instances where he had spotted Westerners going about their business in their underwear.

So now we have confirmation of yet another blinkered government minister in SBY’s government.

Cul’ture (kul’cher) n: the ideas, customs, skills, arts etc. of a people or group, that are transferred, communicated or passed along as in or to succeeding generations.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said Wednesday that [his administration] would increase the size of Betawi Cultural Village in Situ Babakan, South Jakarta. He said, “We want the village to represent the culture and the life and tradition of Betawi people.”

Fine words? Not when nigh on everyone else, including Husein Abdul Aziz, head of the Jakarta regional representative council of the Democrat Party and also the head of the Betawi Scholars Circle (BSC), perceives Orang Betawi to be resistant to education.

“At the Betawi Scholars Circle we have a number of successful Betawi figures who have become professors and experts. The young Betawi should look up to them,” said Husein. “But habits of today’s youth and the youths in my time differs.”

I’ve already commented on the recent Betawi youth gang’s thuggery, connected with their carving up of patches for their ‘protection’ rackets.

Then there is the matter of definition. Ultra Tupai commented here as follows:

Susan Abeyasekere in Jakarta: A History has this to say about the Betawi. First, by the nineteenth century ethnic groups in Batavia “underwent the most interesting transformation.” Here Malays, Buginese, Balinese, Sumbawanese, Ambonese and others and “the catch-all category of slaves” were intermixed to such an extent that by the 1820s “observers could no longer divide the Indonesian community into distinct ethnic groups.” In the nineteenth century Indonesians born in Batavia generally came to be called Orang Betawi.

Also, an observer of Betawi culture, S.M. Ardan, once said Betawi people had almost no original arts of their own because most of the arts had emerged through the intermingling of various arts from those ethnic groups.

So, what ‘culture’ is going to be displayed for the reported $3 million of City Hall’s money? If the intention is to prevent the further acculturalisation of Betawi culture, then it is obviously wrong to “mostly facilitate the Muslim-Betawi culture” and marginalise certain groups such as Betawi Pinggir [Rural Betawi] and the group Cina Benteng in Tangerang, the township south of Jakarta.

Tatang Hidayat, the head of the Betawi Culture Institution (LKB) said, “Cina Benteng arts and the cokek dance of Rural Betawi are not Betawi culture.”

Yet beauty pageants are.

I made a rare venture to a jazz gig last night at Goethe Haus. That the gig was free and was part of the Serambi Jazz events curated by Riza Arshad were sufficient inducements. That he and ace guitarist Dewa Budjana were among the guest musicians of the Mery Kasiman Project were added incentives.

The hall was so packed, mainly with young university student types, that friend and I had to sit on the stairs, which wasn’t a particular hardship. But, oh dear, the music was. Maybe I should have read the pre-publicity a little closer.

Serambi Jazz hopes to be the learning ground of culture and a place to appreciate good quality jazz, also set as an event that can complete all the jazz events in Indonesia especially in Jakarta, the presentation of Mery Kasiman is something not to be missed.

Introducing the music of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane to young people who rarely have the chance to hear it is no bad thing. After all, they were seminal improvisers in jazz whose inspiration spawned many great jazz musicians.

To quote Thelonious Monk: “All musicians stimulate each other. The vibrations get scattered around.”

Mery Kasiman is a mere stripling at 27, and has studied improvisation with Benny Likumahuwa, father of dynamic bass player Barry, another of the evening’s guests. Barry, along with drummer Sany Winarta and Riza, has participated in jam sessions at Indra Lesmana’s studio which enable them “to explore whatever they feel inside them in the jazz language.”

The introduction to last nights gig featured an interview with Mery; the loudest cheer was when the word “improv” was spoken.

What I had failed to note was that Mery also has “a Masters degree focusing on arrangement and orchestration”.

The ‘big band’ then took their places and with Mery conducting proceeded to play the notes on the pages in front of them. Even the solos were set out for them and to these ears, only the pianist, Ali Akbar Sugiri, injected some personality into his playing.

As friend said, “I’ve got the CD at home.”

Yep, from where we were sitting, the sound quality was excellent, yet what we were hearing were sub-Carla Bley orchestrations with none of the fire or freedom of her work with, say, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra.

I wondered too about the non-existent nods to Indonesian music. To quote Riza, “world jazz presents jazz with local/ethnic values and this is a new trend here”.

Maybe so, but emphasising “local/ethnic values” here has a history. As this National Geographic page about Krakatau, pioneers of Indonesian ethno-jazz, notes, since the 1930s Indonesian nationalists and musicians have striven to create a new classical national music that would work to bind the various ethnicities of the Indonesian archipelago as successfully as did the national language, Bahasa Indonesia.

President Sukarno gave this effort a push with his ‘War against Beatle music’.

In August 1965, the Department of Education and Culture decreed that ‘constructive’ music was to be fostered and developed whilst ‘destructive’ music was to be fought against until it was eliminated. ‘Destructive’ music was said to have, among several others, the following feature: Indonesian music whose ambience, composition and presentation is given in a jazz or beat arrangement that is unnatural and deviates from the original.
(fr. article by Steven Farram in Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, vol. 41, no. 2. 2007.)

Well, unfortunately there wasn’t any ‘destructive’ music to be heard last night. It was so safe and unsatisfying that friend and I left and went to chat with acquaintances outside in the lobby.

One of them had a selection of Indonesian jazz sounds for me to get into and in return I gave him a selection of my bootlegs of European jazz concerts; I wasn’t in the audience of any of these gigs, but I can feel their rapport with the musicians who were driven to reach even greater mutual heights.

I hope Mery will give more freedom to her musicians in future gigs.