The Story of The Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance

By Cynthia Webb, Byron Bay, Australia.

In May 1998, Australia listened to the news of the dramatic political changes occurring in Indonesia. One woman, Judith Shelley of Byron Bay, N.S.W. had lived in Indonesia for ten years and has a profound love for the country, it’s people and it’s cultural richness. She was particularly fearful of what might happen in Indonesia, and lay awake that night with her mind spinning. What could she do?

Then in the early hours of the morning an inspiration came to her. Judith suddenly seemed to have a whole concept in her mind of a far-reaching network of friendship, cultural exchange, support and mutual co-operation between Australians and Indonesians, via the medium of the arts. Thus the Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance (AIAA) was born. She says, ‘It was not really my idea. It came from God. I am just the channel. I wanted to give something back to Indonesia for all that I had received there.”

The key to make Judith’s dream possible, was the Internet. In January 1999, with the help of website consultant, Carole Chapman, a website was created which set out the philosophy of AIAA and invited people who have a connection or love for Indonesia and it’s culture to join the Alliance.

For the first few years, Judith struggled more or less alone, and without funding using her own, sometimes meagre resources. But she never gave up her dedication to the concept. She placed a few advertisements in the right places, to reach interested people. She contacted every organization and department she could think of that might have an interest or contribution to make. Slowly things began to progress. The links she built grew outwards in all directions, connecting people, creating friendships and enriching lives.

AIAA aims to promote Indonesian culture throughout Australia by working to create opportunities for Indonesian musicians, dancers, writers, and artists of all kinds to visit Australia and to share their culture, thereby creating greater understanding and appreciation between our countries. AIAA also provides assistance with accommodation, networking, organising of workshops, performances, exhibitions and offering advice and information sharing. Recently AIAA has also been able to assist with some funding, as the organization has now become well established with a large membership and has gained recognition of it’s valuable work, from Government departments including the Australia Indonesia Institute, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

When Indonesian artists visit Australia, AIAA wishes to provide a network of communication and support so that their skills may be shared as widely as possible, geographically and throughout all levels of society. This often involves participation in cultural festivals, giving series of lessons in their field of expertise, school and university activities and organizing performances for the artists.

Australia is a multi-cultural nation in which immigrants from about eighty different countries reside. This cultural richness is one of Australia’s best features and of course, a huge number of Indonesians live in Australia.

The AIAA website features a homepage with an index taking readers to various features within the site, including an on-line magazine named INSPIRASI, a Virtual Art Gallery, complete with bio-data about all the featured artists. Information from INSPIRASI has been considered valuable enough to be archived by the Australian National Library and the magazine also has been included in the on-line catalogue of Cornell University, USA. The N.S.W. Department of Education has requested permission to use articles from INSPIRASI, on their educational CD Rom. There is also a list of useful contacts, and links to other related sites, and an events calendar for both Australia and Indonesia.

AIAA has a weekly radio programme on Byron Bay local radio station, during which music by Indonesian members of AIAA is played, and discussions and interviews are conducted in both Bahasa Indonesia and in English. During the recent troubled times since the Bali Bombing, AIAA has organized and assisted with fund-raising events to help the victims in Bali. This is an on-going project.

The Alliance has received short term funding the Australian Government so that now, instead of being located in Judith’s busy lounge room, it has it’s own premises, computers, a small group of workers handling the website, helping with the ever increasing volume of work.

AIAA now has a large network of members and friends in Indonesia and Australia and also around the world. The membership includes some famous names, such as Sawung Jabo, Emha Ainun Najib as well as other well known artists, poets, and musicians. In recent years, independent AIAA groups have begun in several other towns in Australia and now in Bandung. In August a get-together of members was held in Jakarta.

AIAA has twice co-ordinated a Poetry Project so that Indonesian poets, Fatin Hamama, Herman Kamra and Emha Ainun Najib could participate in the Sydney Writers’ Festival. AIAA has also sponsored visits to Australia by Bandung musicians, Wahyu Roche from “Warogus”, Efiq Zulfiquar from “Samba Sunda”) and Deny Tudi Rahayu (from “Krakatau”). Their workshops and performances were much in demand when they visited schools and universities, sharing their talents with students and when they conducted classes in playing various instruments of the Gamelan.

Co-ordinator of AIAA, Judith Shelley explained, ‘As a white Australian, who has felt a close relationship with Indonesia for over twenty years, I see that the majority of Australians are living in some sort of European fantasy world. I too was brought up thinking of England as the motherland. It was more than 200 years ago that our ancestors came from England, yet the fantasy still goes on. We (AIAA) are waiting for Australians to clear the European fog out from their eyes and see where we are located. To feel the earth under our feet and acknowledge and respect the Aboriginal custodians of this land, while opening our hearts and learning to love and understand our neighbours, not just tolerate them. AIAA is here to fight the fear that is promoted every day, and really celebrate the fact that we are living slap-bang in the middle of the Asia Pacific Region, and should be providing a central bridge between these two great regions.”
During recent often turbulent years, as AIAA has been growing, politicians and diplomats from both countries have often assumed unhelpful attitudes for their own reasons, causing bilateral relations to deteriorate. However people at the grass-roots level, are unconvinced and sometimes angered, by the misinformation which has been circulated. They continue towards the true goal, developing their friendship, mutual understanding and love, building bridges, linking, sharing, co-operating and enriching the human experience.

Ironically, the tragedy of the Bali bombing brought our two nations closer together, as people shared their grief for the dead and injured from both our countries. A huge number of Australians were also very concerned about the economic suffering, which this event inflicted on the island of Bali, so much loved by Australians. Now there is a renewed co-operation at a political level, as Indonesia and Australia work together to try to avoid such senseless violence in the future.

Meanwhile, using the Arts as their vehicle, the Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance will continue to work towards it’s own vision of mutual support, appreciation, understanding and true friendship between neighbours.

Visit the website - www.aiaa.org.a

Cynthia is a cultural networker for the Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance, and can be reached at: lorokidul3@yahoo.com