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Pramoedya Passes On

Pramoedya Ananta Toer dead at 81
JAKARTA (AP): Renowned Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who suffered from heart trouble and diabetes, died Sunday, a family member said. He was 81.

Pramoedya died at home, his daughter Tatiana Ananta said. "My father died peacefully at 8.55 a.m. He had dedicated his whole life to this country through his work. We all have lost a great father, a great author. I am very proud of him," she toldThe Associated Press.

An outspoken champion of democracy, Pramoedya was taken home Saturday after several days in the intensive care unit at St. Carolus Hospital in Jakarta.

Pramoedya, who spent several years in prison under successive regimes, was nominated several times for a Nobel Prize in literature and his 34 books and essays have been translated into 37 languages.

His best-known works - the Buru Quartet novels about Indonesia's independence struggle against the Dutch - were written on scraps of paper and surreptitiously smuggled out while he was imprisoned on the remote island of Buru.

Pramoedya was first jailed in 1947 by Dutch troops for being "anti-colonialist." He was imprisoned again after Soeharto's military administration took over in 1966, and spent 14 years without trial on the penal colony on Buru island, along with thousands of other opponents of the U.S.-backed regime.

Pramoedya, who has suffered health problems for years, was initially hospitalized Thursday with heart problems and complications from diabetes, said his son-in-law, Gunawan. Jakarta Post May 1 2006

 

A Gamelan Manual

An interesting and useful book for everyone interested in gamelan - performing, studying or listening! Stocks of A Gamelan Manual have arrived in the USA to supply the retail book trade in North America (USA, Canada, US territories), including library suppliers and online retailers: the distributor is Biblio Distribution (Lanham, MD), a National Book Network company.

Further information on the book is available at www.jamanmasbooks.co.uk.

Anyone outside North America should go to the same website for information on how to obtain the book.

Best wishes
Richard Pickvance
Jaman Mas Books, 32 Boyne Road, London SE13 5AW UK
www.jamanmasbooks.co.uk
Publisher, A Gamelan Manual: a player's guide to the central Javanese gamelan (Sept. 2005)
ISBN 0-9550295-0-3

Pentas Marat Sade

Pertunjukan Perdana MARAT/SADE Indonesia
Karya Peter Weiss
dan Disutradarai oleh Kerensa Dewantoro dan Syamsul Fajri Nurawat

Pada 20 Desember 2005, Pertunjukan “Marat/Sade” karya Peter Weiss, drama yang menghentak dan penuh inspirasi ini, akan digelar secara perdana untuk masyarakat Indonesia di Gedung Centre Cultural Francaise (CCF). Drama ini disutradarai oleh seorang seniman/sutradara dari Australia, Kerensa Dewantoro dengan Syamsul Fajri Nurawat, dan merupakan karya bersama antara Teater Cassanova, Teater Sapunyere dan Jurusan Teater STSI. Drama ini menyuarakan relevansi sosial yang begitu kental dalam konteks sejarah modern Indonesia dan Indonesia kini—meningkatnya ketidakpuasan masyarakat, budaya korupsi, and melebarnya kesenjangan sosial antara si kaya dan si miskin, dan tentu saja aksi-aksi kekerasan yang kian marak sebagai bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari berita sehari-hari.

Judul lengkap dari drama ini adalah “Pembunuhan dan Penyiksaan Terhadap Marat Sebagaimana Dipentaskan oleh Pasien-pasien RSJ Charenton di Bawah Penyutradaraan Marquis De Sade” dan ditulis oleh dramawan Jerman Peter Weiss di tahun 1964 dan diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia oleh W. Munadi. Cerita mengalir dalam bentuk dialog antara Jean Paul Marat, revolusionis Perancis dan Marquis De Sade, seorang penulis yang konon berperilaku menyimpang dan menghasilkan karya-karya sadis. Drama ini merupakan diskusi mengenai sebab akibat dari revolusi dengan kekerasan, berlatar belakang jatuhnya Revolusi Perancis yang kental mewarnai tema-tema di atas, dan ditambah nuansa kekacauan karena drama-di-dalam-drama ini dimainkan oleh pasien-pasien rumah sakit jiwa. Para pemain dan kru pertunjukan ini telah melewati latihan-latihan ketat dan melakukan studi pengamatan ke pelbagai rumah sakit jiwa di Bandung.

Woman Community Bandung memfasilitasi karya bersama ini dengan mengundang seorang seniman dari Australia, Kerensa Dewantoro, untuk menyelenggarakan serangkaian workshop yang dimulai pada bulan Juli di bengkel teater. Dari beberapa workshop ini terpilihlah 17 aktor untuk peran-peran yang dibutuhkan. Jean Paul Marat diperankan oleh seorang bintang teater Indonesia yang tengah menanjak namanya dan juga salah satu pendiri Cassanova, Irwan Jamal. Marquis de Sade diperankan oleh seorang perempuan yang sangat berbakat, Adhe Fitri, sehingga dua kombinasi ini menciptakan lapisan-lapisan yang akan menggerakkan keseluruhan tema dasar dari drama ini, dimana yang tertindas menjadi penindas ketika ia memiliki kesempatan untuk berkuasa. Dengan total pemain 20 orang, drama ini bertujuan untuk menggoncang penontonnya hingga ke inti cerita dan melibatkan pentonton sebagai bagian dari sandiwara. Pertunjukkan ini juga menampilkan latar suara dan musik yang dikomposisi oleh Mukti-Mukti dan desain latar oleh S.E. Dewantoro.

Drama Marat/Sade ini akan diselenggarakan empat kali di Bandung (termasuk yang digelar di CCF). Silahkan lihat jadwalnya di bawah ini:

Tanggal 20 Desember 2005, 8pm, CCF, Jalan Purnawarman 32, Bandung (depan BEC)

Tanggal 13 dan 14 Januari, 2005, 8pm, STSI Bandung, Gedung Dewi Asri, Jalan Buah Batu, Bandung

Tanggal 20 January, 2005, 8pm, Ultimus Bookshop, Jalan Lengkong Besar.

Untuk informasi lebih lanjut, hubungi Kerensa Dewantoro di 0813 1010 7252 atau Yani Mae dari Woman Community Bandung di 731 6568

Informasi tambahan

Drama ini pernah digelar di Eropa dan di Inggris pada akhir tahun 60an dan awal 70an. Filmnya sendiri, disutradarai oleh Peter Brooke, diakui sebagai satu dari karya paling fenomenal pada jamannya dan diberlakukan di kampus-kampus sebagai film dengan kandungan filosofis yang tinggi terutama jika dikaitkan dengan peristiwa yang terjadi pada masa itu, yakni Perang Vietnam dan kebebasan dan hak-hak pribadi yang hilang saat itu.

 

Kerensa Dewantoro Tel: 62 -22 -251 5280 Mobile: 62-813 1010 7252

<http://globalenglish.tbi.co.id/teachers/kerensa>

SambaSunda

World Beat Seamless Fusion

SambaSunda prove that gamelan is more than gong bashing on their latest album

John Clewley (Bangkok Post)

SambaSunda, the Indonesian gamelan band from the Javanese Sunda region, are riding high on the European World Music charts with their new album, Rahwana's Cry.

Gamelan was one of the first Southeast Asian musical styles to be introduced to Western audiences when it took its bow, along with Cambodian classical dance, at various exhibitions in the 19th century. Classical composers like Debussy were fascinated by the intricate, densely layered percussive rhythms and melodies of gamelan, just as modern minimalists like John Cage and Terry Riley were years later in the 20th century.

It may have taken a long time for gamelan to emerge again, but SambaSunda have been tearing up the international circuit for a few years now. The band has a string of domestic releases on the GNP label that chart the band's development as it experimented with incorporating new sounds from other styles - like Brazilian samba and the African djembe drum - into a basic gamelan set up. Some of the songs featured on these albums appeared on Berekis (Kartini, Germany) and last year's The Sunda Music (Rice Records, UK), which I reviewed earlier this year.

For those of you that missed the review, SambaSunda is an 18-member ensemble featuring gongs and percussion instruments used in various kinds of Indonesian gamelan, ably supported by violin, suling flute, djembe and timbales. Many songs are instrumental but the vocal tracks feature the sweet, nasally voice of Rita Tila.

SambaSunda's first effort specifically designed for international audiences, Rahwana's Cry is doing very well in Europe, boosted no doubt by the band's festival appearances this past summer.

The foreign influences and Indonesian pop elements apparent on the previous two albums have this time been seamlessly blended into a gamelan base, creating a distinctive sound that is both ancient and modern. With plenty of surprises and musical detours, the songs on this terrific album swing from haunting, dreamy soundscapes to hard driving percussion workouts, augmented by wails, chanting, haunting violin and Rita Tila's soaring voice - her contributions are found on my favourite tracks, Mang Mang and Harepan.

The band certainly does its best to dispel the notion that gamelan is just about gong bashing and repetitive rhythms. SambaSunda have developed a mature sound that is distinctive and unique. Whereas most bands from this region that attempt to create some kind of fusion music nearly always fall back on rock, jazz funk or bossa nova to "internationalise" their music, there is not one rock guitar solo on this album.

I expect this album to be featured on many critics' best of the year lists. Highly recommended. Mail order from: www.sternsmusic.co.uk, www.amazon.com and www.phatplanet.com.

This column can be contacted at: jclewley@loxinfo.co.th

Wot practices rt of bridge-building

Cynthia Webb, Contributor, Brisbane, Australia

Wot Cross-Cultural Synergy is a cultural organization based in Sydney, Australia, and formed with the intention of creatively bridging the space between Australia and Indonesia to enhance cultural understanding. The word wot means river crossing or bamboo bridge in Javanese.

Wot was established ten years ago by two people who have built a solid bridge between the two neighboring countries, as demonstrated within their own family and by their way of life.

Suzan Piper of Sydney and her husband, Muhammad Djohansyah, better known as Sawung Jabo, have been together for 25 years. The couple relocated from Indonesia to Sydney at the end of 1992 with their two children, Johan and Santi, now aged 23 and 18 years.

Piper, whose family moved to Australia from England when she was still a teenager, is an accredited translator and interpreter of Bahasa Indonesia, and she manages Wot's many activities, both in Australia and Indonesia. She also works as an academic of Indonesian Studies and runs their busy household. Piper describes herself professionally as an "Indonesianist of 30-plus years' experience of Indonesia".

Jabo, on the other hand, is an actor, choreographer, director, singer, composer and arranger. Piper laughingly calls him "my husband the rock star".

Yes, he's "the" Jabo of Swami, Sirkus Barock, Dalbo, Kantata, GengGong -- the man who co-wrote the award-winning song Bongkar and many others, including Hio, Dalbo, Cinta and Lingkaran Aku Cinta Padamu, while collaborating with Iwan Fals. They earned a place in history when their music served as anthems of change during the period of growing unrest leading up to the massive political changes of 1998.

Although the family home is in Sydney, Jabo is located in both Indonesia and Australia, always busy with his continuing role in Indonesia's contemporary artistic and creative life. Therefore, the cultural bridge between the two countries plays a major part in Wot's activities and in the life of this unique household.

Piper and Jabo aim to use their "bridge" for endeavors in the arts, education, business and cultural exchange, and to creatively build bilateral understanding.

Jabo explained: "A lot of people have tried to create bridges, in their own ways. In both countries, ordinary people are busy and do not have time to spend on learning about other cultures, and therefore they are easily blinded by the mass media, and too quick to react."

"Wot Cross-Cultural Synergy could perhaps be called just one pillar on the big bridge of mutual relationship between two countries. There is government, and there is the mass media and other smaller groups, but Sue and I are from the arts field, and we feel that the arts offer the most direct contact -- culture to culture, person to person. A high standard of art and culture is the vehicle which we use to introduce ourselves to Australians.

"People can feel it, not just read from the newspaper. Experience is the most important thing. If any pocket money comes from it, that's OK, but my priority is always culture, and the mutual relationship. Not money, not profit." said Jabo.

Wot has produced many successful artistic events in Indonesia and Australia since 1995, including theatrical performance tours, concert tours and a film festival featuring the neighbor country's films.

Sometimes, Wot acts as a Sydney-based tour producer of Indonesian performers, such as Emha Ainun Nadjib and his group Kyai Kanjeng, and the Panji Kirana East Javanese dance and percussion group.

For concert or theater performers in either country, Wot acts as both artistic director and producer, and shows often feature traditional Indonesian performing arts rarely seen in Australia. Wot also organized a 2002 tour of Indonesia by the acappella group, From the Vacant Lot, from Sydney, while Jabo's Sydney-based band GengGong have also toured in Indonesia several times.

Wot's most recent project, in September-October 2005, was a four-city tour in eastern Australia by Indonesia's iconic poet and playwright W.S. Rendra, along with his wife and fellow theater worker Ken Zuraida, with Jabo providing musical accompaniment to their readings of Rendra's poetry.

This project, too, involves bridges and connections. These four have a long-standing friendship and professional association: Jabo has been a member of Rendra's Bengkel Theatre since 1977, where he still conducts workshops and is also musical director, while Piper joined Bengkel around 1973. She performed in two plays and also wrote a thesis on Rendra's plays.

"It is of particular importance to Wot to present Rendra in Australia. He is a highly respected poet, dramatist and profound thinker, who has much to say as a cultural and social commentator, and can help spearhead better understanding between our neighboring countries," noted Piper.

Piper and Jabo want the activities of their organization to add to the depth of understanding between the cultures, and they aim to show to Australians the depth of meaning, cultural richness and complexity of Indonesian society. These are cultural aspects to which it is difficult to gain access while on a short holiday in the vast and varied archipelago, with its many different ethnic groups.

"W.S. Rendra and Sawung Jabo have such stature that this enables them to have the platform and opportunity to speak out on cultural and social issues, and people will listen," said Piper, speaking in Brisbane, Queensland, where Rendra delivered his final poetry reading in Australia and a seminar.

The tour also involved several public forums in which Rendra shared his thoughts on intercultural perceptions, Indonesia's future and the issues of cultural pluralism and peace in the region we share.

Wot Cross-Cultural Synergy plan to continue their artistic work in supporting and strengthening the bridge between Indonesia and Australia.

"The door of possibility must always be open for people to get together and learn. We must explore every possibility. We must believe in the possibility. Every small step is valuable", said Jabo.

 

Australian Partnership Scholarships

The Australian Partnership Scholarships (APS) is an important component of the government of Australia's Australian - Indonesian Partnership for Reconstruction and Development (AIPRD). As a result of the tragic effects from the earthquake and tsunami in Aceh and North Sumatera the Australian government increased its commitment to the development of Indonesia. For further information about AIPRD, go to www.ausaid.gov.au/hottopics/default.cfm How to apply The APS program is funded by the Australian Government and funds Indonesian students to undertake postgraduate study. The first intake will commence in 2006 and fund 300 student scholarships, with a further 300 scholarships in 2006/2007.

For further information about application for scholarships and administration in Indonesia please go to www.apsprogram.or.id Areas of study APS studies will apply to Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Master degrees. The scholarships will be awarded in the study fields of Economic Governance, Public Sector Management and Education. Curtin University of Technology has a choice of over 250 postgraduate APS scholarship courses that are relevant to the fields of study listed above. Further information If you wish to obtain further information regarding studying at Curtin University of Technology or living in Western Australia please have a look at our information for prospective students. You will find information on pre-departure, international student support, cost of living in Perth, accommodation options, or an opportunity to email staff with further questions.

Balawan and Batuan Gamelan

Arimba Culture Exchange and Australian Institute of Music recently presented - Direct from Bali - Balawan and Batuan Gamelan Masterclass at the Australian Institute of Music as part of the Group's recent tour.

I Wayan Balawan grew up amongst Balinese gamelan music. At age 8 he began to play guitar and started his first band at the age of 14. In 1993 he received a scholarship to study jazz for three years at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney.

On his return to Bali in 1997 he formed Batuan Gamelan (Ethnic Fusion), a mix of Balinese gamelan and jazz, and released their debut album Globalism in 1999. Batuan Gamelan are I Wayan Sudarsana, I Wayan Suastika, I Nyoman Suwida, I Nyoman Marcono, Ketut Tarmadi, Putu Bali Karyada and Vivere Victor Imanuel Pah.

After two tours to Europe and many performances across Indonesia, Balawan is truly a crosscultural musician. He blends sounds and styles from his childhood in Bali and his student days in Sydney. This new music is a refreshing combination of ancient and modern sounds, vibrant and electrifying with its roots in two traditions.

In Bali everyone knows Balawan the guitarist. Many would have played alongside him or watched him as a young child playing in the gamelan at local temple festivals.

Now he’s making a name for himself internationally with his virtuosic style of two handed tapping technique. According to Guy Strazz, Balawan furthers the tapping technique of Stanley Jordan, by using both his left and right hands to vary the tone settings. He even plays two guitars simultaneously to produce different textures, sounding like several instruments played at once.

While trying to find some connection with western music, Balawan has discovered more about Balinese culture and developed his own unique sound and character. With his group Batuan Gamelan, he shares his music with a broad international audience while promoting Indonesian music worldwide.

For further information contact arimbace@d2.net.au www.arimbace.com

The Balawan and Batuan Gamelan Australian tour was sponsored by: Australia Indonesia Institute, An Australian Government Initiative Honorary Consul for the Republic of Indonesia Brisbane Insearch and supported by: Indomedia

Symbols and Ceremonies

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is holding a free exhibition entitled Symbols and Ceremonies: Indonesian Textile Traditions from 13 of April until 28 may 2006. The exhibition will feature examples of court textiles from Java, warrior cloths from Sumba , ship cloth from Sumatra and narrative paintings of the Ramayana epic from Bali

A k-6 art adventure tour Weaving Magic will be available Tuesdays-Fridays, unraveling the stories and traditions of Indonesia.

A K-6 teacher enrichment day will be held on thursday 11th of May 2006 to enable teachers to explore the exquisite detail and craftmanship of the textiles and gain an understanding of their cultural significance . There will be an opportunity for teachers to workshop ideas and create K-6 cross-curricular classroom activities. To make a booking or request more information , contact the gallery on tel: 9225 1740 fax: 9225 1842 or email pp@ag.nsw.gov.au

Taronga Zoo Wild Asia Exhibit

Taronga Zoo is offering free teacher previews of the new Wild Asia exhibit. According to their press release, Taronga has recreated an Asian rainforest complete with over 200 animals right in the heart of the zoo, overlooking Sydney harbour. Set among 27,000 plants from tiny grasses to soaring palms and giant fig trees, the Asian rainforest is the crowning glory of the zoo’s 12 year redevelopment program. Although the zoo is yet to update their Indonesian education resources, teachers are welcome to adapt the original set of worksheets which are still available . There is an outdoor teaching area within the rainforest compound which can be utilised. Some of the animal Indonesian classes you can visit include the orangutan, komodo dragon, Sumatran tiger, small clawed otter, binturong and silvery gibbon. Visit the zoo’s website www.zoo.nsw.gov.au or call the Taronga Zoo Education Centre on 9969 2455 for more details.

Near Neighbours Good Neighbours

Many of you will be aware of the May 2004 report of the Australian Parliaments Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Near Neighbours Good Neighbours: An Inquiry into Australia's Relationship with Indonesia. The formal response of the Australian Government to that report was finally presented to parliament and is now available at:

http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jfadt/indonesia/indonesia.pdf

Swapping Lives

Swapping Lives is an unique and exciting documentary that screened on SBS last October. For ten weeks Violet, a 19 year old Australian girl from Sydney, was totally immersed in an Indonesian Muslim lifestyle as she swapped family, friends and cultures with Dewi, a girl her own age from Yogyakarta. In Sydney, Dewi also documented the impact of swapping her culture with Violet. The official website for the documentary is

www.sbs.com.au/swappinglives

The producers of the documentary, 6moons Interactive will release a DVD of Swapping Lives. Copies of the DVD can be ordered from the website.

New Aust Indo Website

A new website has been established, in both English and indonesian, which covers Indonesian community activities, both upcoming and past. Currently covering Melbourne events, the site will soon be expanded to encompass events throughout Australia. Community notices can be posted free of charge. Go to http://www.indoau.com

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