Old-time Artists, Poets, Aim to Revive Arts and Culture Community

Jakarta, Indonesia - The area around Bulungan Youth Center at Blok M, South Jakarta, thronged with teens in jeans. 

What happened outside of the youth center was in stark contrast to what transpired inside the building. Most of the seats inside the establishment were empty. There were only a number of people sitting in the front row of the auditorium.

A microphone stand sat in the middle of a stage with a banner on the back of the stage reading “Pesta Sastra Bulungan” (Bulungan Literary Festival). 

Two emcees appeared on stage, speaking to the audience. “Alright, is there anybody who wants to read poems on stage? Please, feel free. You are welcomed here,” said one. 

A teenager, wearing skinny grey jeans, a tee and sneakers, raised his hand and approached the stage. He had a poetry book on his left hand and a cell in his right. 

“Good afternoon. My name is Na Lesmana. I’m going to read two poems. One is my own work titled Balada Anak Negeri [the Ballad of the Nation’s Child],” he said. 

He read the poem, which told about how a youth felt cheated by the government, from his cell. The thin audience gave a warm applause right after his performance. 

“To be honest, I did not plan to perform on stage. It was spontaneous,” said the 17-year-old after the performance.

Balada Anak Negeri is just one of more than 100 poems he has written. He has fallen for anything literature since junior high. 

The budding poet, who just graduated from a vocational high school in Tangerang, Banten, often sends his poems to local newspapers for publication. Some have even been published in daily newspapers and literary magazines. 

Lesmana is probably one of few young people in town who still have passion for the literary world. He attended the one day event so that he could rub shoulders with senior poets and fellow artists.

In the event, members of the audience were free to come to the stage and present their works be they short stories or poems. The event was organized by a group of artists, writers and poets who once hung out at the recreational center in the 1970s and 1980s. 

In the 1970s, the Bulungan Youth Center had the reputation as a place where bohemian artists, and poets and their hangers-on gathered. The building was founded by Ali Sadikin, one of Jakarta’s most populist and legendary governors.

Initially it served as a recreational center for the young, so they could channel their energy into the arts, culture and sports. Young artists, writers and poets who communed at the center called themselves the Bulungan Arts Community.  

In the first ten years, between 1971 and 1981, the community experienced its golden era with some of renowned poet in Jakarta coming from the center.  

“There used to be many activities in the youth center, from plays and literary events such as short story and poetry readings, painting exhibitions, music concerts and traditional dance courses,” said Uki Bayu Sejati, former administrator of the center. 

“Anybody from any part of Jakarta could join the groups for free. No membership required,” he recalled. 

Back then, there were seven theater groups, three traditional dance groups focusing on Javanese and Sundanese dancings, an art studio called Garajas, music classes and the publication of a monthly literary magazine titled Sirkuit. 

“You could come here every day because there were just so many activities held in this center,” he said. 

Adri Darmadji Woko, 59, also rued the glory days. “I always dropped by just to say hello to fellow artists or writers,” he said.  

“I like writing so joined the literary community. In this group, we learned how to write well. You feel free to criticize the work of others. This community really helped me become a good writer.” 

The youth center was also a place for people who wanted to find a shelter away from home. One of them was senior writer and journalist Noorca M. Massardi. 

“I was unemployed and kind of homeless because my family was in Subang, West Java, and Yogyakarta.

So I chose to stay here. I slept, took showers and washed my clothes here,” said Noorca.  

“I actually had a relative in Jakarta who lived in a military barrack, but since they don’t allow people with long hair, I prefer to stay at the center.” 

But in the late 1980s, the community seemed to lose its luster. Things took a turn for the worse when in the early 1990s, the city government handed over the management of the center from the Culture and Tourism Agency to the Youth and Sports Agency. 

Uki said since the hand-over, the city administration paid more attention to sporting events and neglected the arts and culture.     

Now, the Pesta Sastra Bulungan, is aimed at bringing back the glory days of the cultural center.  Starting last May, the center holds screenings of films produced by children of former Bulungan artists.  

“This is not for us. We are old now. This is for our future generation,” Uki said.    

Noorca said that today, there’s almost no room for youngsters to express themselves in the arts and culture.  

“We want to revitalize the role of this youth center so more youths spend their time here,” he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
Picture: http://bacapuisi.blogspot.com

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