Messages of Peace for Bali

Sawung Jabo Poem for Bali

Sa'at itu,
Cahaya ke emasan senja pantai Bali memancar indah
Di balik keindahan itu,
Wajah gerhana bencana pelan-pelan muncul, menyeringai menampakkan taringnya

Jutaan burung gagak terbang mendatangi dari jauh
Suaranya bingar, tapi tak terdengar ditelan bising jalanan

Ada mara bahaya, tapi tak teraba
Ada maut mengintai,tapi tak terasa

Suara menggelegar mengguncang langit,
Ibu Pertiwi, Ibu kehidupan dunia
Pulau Dewatamu, terkoyak bersimbah darah
Tak lagi beda antara jerit memilukan dan mulut yang tak
mampu lagi bersuara
Wajah-wajah tak berdosa, tak berdaya merana
Memancarkan sejuta duka jiwa
Tak sempat mengucap do'a

Lidah api bagai setan menari-nari di atas tumpukan derita
Bau amis darah, sengatan bau tubuh yang terpanggang api
Menyeruak di antara lingkaran asap angkara murka durjana

Kenapa harus menebar bencana
Kenapa mereka harus meregangkan nyawa
Apakah cinta sudah musnah?
Terpuaskankah dahaga biadabmu iblis dunia!

Jiwa jiwa mati tak terkendali
Didorong,dikuasai alam fikiran keji
Menumpahkan tragedi di Bali

Wahai para pengambil keputusan di dunia
Aku serukan baris-baris kata ini
Kalian bukanlah Tuhan!
Kalian bukanlah penguasa hidup kami
Berhentilah mengobral dusta!
Kenapa merasa diri lebih berkuasa dari pada Tuhan?

Berapa banyak lagi sungai darah mengalir
Berapa banyak lagi gelimpangan mayat tak berdosa
Berapa banyak lagi jiwa jiwa bersih, yang akan kau racuni dengan
kata-kata, demi perdamaian dunia.
Kami bukan kerbau dungu yang gampang ditipu.

Singgasana kekuasaan selalu bermandikan darah
Orang-orang tak berdosa selalu jadi tumbalnya

Ibu pertiwi, Ibu dunia
Kini kami sedang berduka lagi
Isi kepala kami dipenjara emosi

Wahai pemberi hidup!,
Mandikanlah kami dengan air suci
Tajamkanlah mata hati kami
Agar bisa berfikir jernih
Agar bisa menebarkan benih-benih cinta
Yang akan tumbuh bersemi di sanubari kami semua
Agar kami bisa berbicara dengan bahasa cinta

Kami sudah lelah,
Hanya pada Mu kami menyerah pasrah
Tidak pada siapa-siapa.

Sawung Jabo, Sydney 18 Oktober 2002.
wot@primus.com.au

English Translation

The golden twilight of the Bali beaches shone in its beauty.
But behind that beauty
A disaster arose to eclipse it, menacingly baring its teeth.

Millions of crows flew in from afar,
Their raucous cries swallowed by the clamour of the streets .

Danger was abroad but no-one felt it.
Death took its aim unheeded.

The thunderous roar shook the sky.
Mother Earth, Mother of the life of the world.
Your island of the gods has been rent and bathed in blood.
Pitiful screams and mouths unable to speak are indistinguishable.

Innocent faces wander helplessly
Transmitting the grief of a million souls,
Unable to utter a prayer.

Devilish flames dance on piles of sorrow.
The stench of blood and the reek of bodies burnt to a cinder
Waft among the circles of smoke from the barbarous evil.

Why must disaster be sown?
Why must lives be endangered?
Has love been destroyed?
Has your savage thirst been satisfied, oh world devils?

Uncontrolled dead souls
Motivated, controlled by despicable thoughts
Have let tragedy loose in Bali.

Hey you world decision makers
I shout out these lines of words.
You are not God!
You do not control our lives.
Stop peddling lies.
Why do you feel more powerful than God?

How many more rivers of blood must flow?
How many more innocent corpses will lie scattered?
How many more clean souls will you poison with words in the name of peace?
We are not dumb buffalos to be led by the nose.

The thrones of power are always bathed in blood.
Innocent people are always sacrificed.

Mother earth, mother world
Now we are grieving again.
Our minds are imprisoned by emotion.
Oh giver of life
Bathe us in holy water
Sharpen our feelings
So we can think clearly,
So we can scatter the seeds of love
That will sprout within us all,
So we can speak with the language of love.

We are tired.
Only to You do we entrust ourselves.
Not to anyone else.

Sawung Jabo, 18 October 2002

Byron Loves Bali

Byron Bay Surf Club, 15 November 2002

The community of the Byron Shire in Australia gathered together to create a fundraising event on Friday the 15th of November. Initially, we held a meeting to discuss what we could do to support Indonesia during this time. After discussing the issue and reading several emails that we received from Bali, we decided the best thing we could do was try to raise money while also raising awareness. We set out to create beauty from this tragedy and the event that followed in just a few short weeks was a gorgeous display of community support and compassion.
A group of about 10 members of the local community met regularly to work out not only the technicalities of the event, but our intentions for it as well. We wanted to have something that really displayed the close ties that we all feel with Bali and the Indonesian culture. We also knew that we wanted to raise a fair amount of money to contribute to the Bali Hati Organization.

So, we set to work. The amount of energy within the group and the support from the surrounding community was incredibly heartening. Everyone found their niche and went to it, each performing a vital component in the creation of such a wonderful evening. There were some who gathered an unbelievable amount of donations from generous businesses and residents in the area. Others organized the venue which was donated by Surf Club. Some focused on promotion, while others worked on the sound equipment needed. People just kept coming to donate their time to play music, make food, decorate, do a slide show, manage the stage, be a sound technician, the list goes on and on. As the temptation to mention every single person to help is great, several pages would be needed so we will have to offer a heartfelt general thanks to every person that volunteered, donated, came to the event, bought raffle tickets, or even just rang to express support in the time during the organization of show.

The evening itself was magical. The surf club was transformed into a Balinese paradise, Byron style, decked out with flowers, palm fronds and colorful fabrics. The night started with Made bringing in a beautiful Balinese offering. This was the perfect start of the evening, and we are so grateful to Made for this. As the offering was brought in, the Byron Shire's own gamelan orchestra Langen Sari began their lovely playing, filling the surf club with a marvelous Indonesian ambiance. After their performance, David Laeser captivated the crowd with a heartwarming speech. During the rest of the night, we all enjoyed performances by Tarshito, Musician-in-Residence Efiq Zulfiqar, Couchfunk and Greg Sheehan and Skin. People mingled and danced, in between conversation and absolutely mouth-watering Indonesian cuisine prepared by Ray and his wonderfully hard-working kitchen staff. We were even given the treat of watching acclaimed Australian dancer Kerensa perform a traditional Balinese dance and story. The creativity and beauty was alive and well and the multicultural flavors of Byron Shire came together to create an evening to savor.

Through the generosity of the community on all levels and the hard work of the many volunteers, Byron Loves Bali raised over AUD $10,000. This money will be going to Bali Hati Foundation to projects that will be touching Indonesian people directly. Already over $2000 worth of burn creams purchased in the Byron Shire have been sent to Bali and are currently helping patients in the hospitals. The group is researching what the most effective use of the rest of the money will be. There is a huge influx of money into Bali right now, and we would like to be cautious with the delegation of funds, to assure that it will be directly helping people in need right now. Bali Hati has asked us to decide which exact project we would like to contribute to, so we are considering the options at this point.

But we're not done yet. Byron Loves Bali has decided to continue on with the group in our support of Bali. We are planning to coordinate another event in the Byron Shire in February or March of next year, and will be discussing how we can provide continued support to the Indonesians in this time of uncertainty in Bali. We have begun another raffle at this point with the grand prize being a trip for two to Bali including airfare and luxury accommodation. We are also working on commissioning the production of Byron Loves Bali t-shirts to be sold here in Australia, which will generate employment in Bali.

The energy and dedication within the group is amazing. Everyone has been contributing in their own important way. Of course we could not have been so successful without the amazing community support we feel here in Byron. We are also especially grateful for the inspiration we feel from the Indonesian spirit in Bali which helps us to continue on for the sake of working to create and nourish beauty in the wake of a tragedy.

Let's Overcome Fear Together

"...supaya kita jangan menaruh kepercayaan pada kita sendiri, tetapi
hanya kepada Allah yang membangkitkan orang-orang mati.
Dari kematian yang begitu ngeri Ia telah dan akan menyalamatkan kita:
kepadaNya kita menaruh pengharapan kita..." (I Korintus 1:9-10)

"The Act of Barbarism and inhumanity has no place in any society, any country or in any religion."

The effect of Bali tragedy is beyond anyone's imagination. It's aftermath has been felt throughout the world, particularly the Indonesian economy and the bilateral relationship with Australia. Fellow Australians and friends, we must be steadfast to our principles and values. We must also put aside our differences. As Indonesians living in Australia or Australian with Indonesian background, we, too, are deeply hurt by this incident, because most of the victims were from our two countries.

From Imam Amin Hady's speech on a fund raising evening for Bali's victims.
Sydney 1 November 2002
Gamelan Magazine

A day in white for Peace

Bali, October 24, 2002

In Bali, on October 12, 2002, we were profoundly touched and wounded. Bali, an island of peace, gentleness and love.

A cosmopolitan island always embracing fellowship and unity. Reaction to the destruction of the bombing was solidarity and compassion. All races and religions merged....

We: Balinese Indonesians of diverse origins, Residents of Indonesia, Travelers and vacationers from all over the world, having known the joy of this island.

We organised, in commemoration, on Nov.12, 2002, in Bali, a day in white for peace in the world. On this occasion unity was shown by wearing white and releasing a white balloon into the sky.

Friends of the world join with us wherever you may be ........... What is important is that our breath flows through the universe in order to solicit peace.

To that effect :

We appealed to all of you who believe in the force of love, and dare face the belief of peace in the world. Some of us will benefited by artistic performances for the children traumatized by our lack of conscientiousness...

These spectacles happened on the beach between KUTA and PETITENGET ... from 16.00 to 21:00 pm

HAPPINESS FOR ALL .

Children's Poems from Bali

Love Still Flows

I awoke as my bed shook
I found myself twisted around
Sirens screaming, scaring through the night
Dogs barking shouting alarms
From 2am on - telephones ringing asking
"Are you okay?"
The television flashed an explosion bright
Bodies stiff like a statue.
My heart was about to break in half.
Fears and tears. People walking like zombies.
Bali unprepared - we all joined together.
Donations - blood, time, and money given freely.
To help many we did not know.

Airplanes coming to take people away.
Families arrive
Searching, scared, sad, broken, hoping
To find those they love.
High ceremonies are bringing back the light
And looking after the lost spirits.

As I sit at my desk
The sun shines, the flowers bloom
The wind gently blows.
but now... people are guarding and new fencing protecting
Me and my friends.

Peace on earth is in our hearths.
Wanting to forget.
Abandoned island, "Please come back to life".
Love pouring in from friends all over the world
We will heal, we will laugh.
We will play to a better day.
Our Scorpio island
Will transform anew
Bali Paradise will come true.

(kids grade 3 and 4) 25.10.02 Sunrise School in Bali

Ground zero is like a black hole of Hell where all your energy gets sucked through,
And you feel all the sadness and sorrows just rushing through your heart,
It feels like you're going to explode with tears,
And just break down and cry,
But it won't always come out that moment,
It might just come out of the blue and you'll cry, just like that.

Sayang Perini-Ropp aged 10 years.