Peter Senge: Bridging the gap between business & civil society

Matheos Viktor Messakh , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Tue, 02/03/2009 12:31 PM | People

Peter Senge: JP/J. Adiguna

Global warming has raised the emergency alarm with activist, governmental agencies and business organizations alike.

It is the most daunting environmental problem of our time, but not many grasp the bigger picture, says renowned business advisor Peter Senge.

Senge, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management and founder of the Society for Organizational learning (SoL), has called for collaboration among business and non-business organizations to solve the problem.

An engineer by training, Senge is perhaps best known for his 1990 book, The Fifth Discipline, which introduced the idea of the “learning organization” and has sold more than a million copies since its release. In 1997 Harvard Business Review identified the book as one of the seminal management books of the past 75 years. A new work released late last year promises to be just as influential.

In The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations Are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World (2008), Peter and his co-authors grapple with the environmental problems we face, highlighting innovative steps taken by individuals and corporations toward a more sustainable world.

For Senge and his co-authors, there are no “good guys” or “bad guys”; everyone is equally responsible for the problems facing the world. It may seem anachronistic that an expert in management and organizational change is focusing on sustainability, but Senge sees a strong connection in his work.

He has written five books since The Fifth Discipline all of which, he says, are about increasing interdependence and diminishing capacity to understand interdependence.

“All my books are about systems thinking, we’ve always had them. How we started to see the interdependence. …We got two curves that are creating big problems. One is the growing interdependence of the world…and a diminishing capacity to understand interdependence,” Senge told The Jakarta Post during his trip to the capital last week.

“The further human society drifts away from nature, the less we understand interdependence.

So if you deal with tribal cultures, prior to the agricultural revolution, many of them don’t even have a sense of themselves as separate from nature. They usually don’t have even a word for nature. You don’t have a word from something that’s not separate from you.”

Agrarian societies, he says, developed a slightly different attitude, believing it was humans who initiate the “natural” systems, which were often highly religious, and that humans are separate and superior.

During the industrial revolution and the subsequent urbanization process, he says, human beings began to ignore nature. “There’s a lot of American kids think their food comes from the grocery store and the concept of seasonality has no meaning to them whatsoever.”

The further people are from nature, the more they lost the ability to understand interdependence. “Nature is our teacher to understanding interdependence,” he says.

In October 1999, The Journal of Business Strategy named Senge as one of the 24 most influential people on business strategy over the last 100 years. In 2000, The Financial Times named him one of the world’s “top management gurus” and a year later Business Week rated him one of the Top Ten Management Gurus.

But business has never been Senge’s passion. “I had no interest in business, because I grew up in era when business was generally seen as a kind of a bad guy and I personally just never have prereminiscent in commerce.”

But his career as a lecturer on the subject has meant that he has met a great deal of prominent business people.

“I meet extraordinary people and what really struck me is that all the people in business are really intelligent but they are a lot more practical. And they continually deal with thinking better and acting more effectively.”

Senge describes himself as an ‘idealistic pragmatist’, an orientation that allows him to explore and advocate some quite ‘utopian’ and abstract ideas, most notable in relation to systems theory and the necessity of bringing human values into the workplace. He believes that vision, purpose, reflectiveness and systems thinking are essential if organizations are to realize their
potential.

He advocates for managerial and institutional change to build more sustainable enterprises, to foster social, natural as well as economic well being. The idea that the purpose of a company is to maximize profit, he says, is a basic misconception that pervades the business world.

He cites Peter Drucker’s adage that, “profit for a company is like oxygen for a person; if you don’t have enough of it, you’re out of the game,” but adds that, “if you think your life is about breathing, you’re really missing something”, Senge says that, unfortunately, most businesses operate as if their purpose was breathing.

“No, ultimately, the real purpose for any organization is to serve in some fashion. Business has a way of talking about how to create value, which is in someway isn’t bad…We just need to start thinking about if the value we want to create is consistent with all social and environmental well being.”

Senge said his thoughts are more or less influenced by the Confucian theory of leadership, particularly the theory of “Great Learning”, which scholars believe was written by Confucius’ grandson.

“It talks about the seven meditative spaces for leadership development and it starts with learning how to stop. A lot of people lost touch with what that means,” Senge says of the theory he was introduced to while in college.

“You need to learn how to stop your mind, because while you mind is in its continual state of flow you can’t observe, you can’t see what’s going on, until you can start to learn how to pay attention before the thought. So you cannot confuse the flow of your thought with what’s in front of you. Only then you start have some awareness of the reality you face.”

It seems Senge believes a multifaceted approach is needed to tackling the problems of our time.

Love of Literature just doesn't pay

Matheos Viktor Messakh , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Mon, 02/02/2009 12:59 PM | Lifestyle

Something for nearly everyone: Visitors to the Kompas Gramedia Fair 2009 pass by publishers’ stalls. Although many books written in other languages are available in Indonesia, few Indonesian books are translated into English or other languages. JP/J. Adiguna

Despite Indonesia’s rich literary tradition and vibrant local publishing scene, the work of only one Indonesian writer — Pramoedya Ananta Toer — has made its way onto the international stage.

Visit any Gramedia bookstore around the country, and you will see that fiction is the most visited section. Hundreds of novels, plays and anthologies are published here every year, but few get translated, keeping them inaccessible to the rest of the world.

The list of obstacles is a long one, according to John H. McGlynn, the director of publications at the Lontar Foundation.

“First and foremost is lack of support, whether from the private corporate or government sector. There has to be recognition — especially from the government — if you want to present yourself to the world as a civilized nation through literature and art.”

McGlynn, who has lived in Jakarta for 33 years, translated several works by Pramoedya and arranged his US tour. In 1987, he established the Lontar Foundation along with writers Goenawan Mohamad, Sa-pardi Djoko Damono, Umar Kayam and Subagio Sastrowardoyo as an initiative to foster greater appreciation of Indonesian culture, particularly through the translation and publication of Indonesian literature in English.

It is hardly a secret that few Asian governments and business have made the effort to have their local literature translated and promoted worldwide. Writers from India, Singapore and the Philippines who write in English gain some success, and a few Chinese and Japanese writers have managed to break through on the international market.

This lack of government support means publishers must rely on sales alone — an approach that doesn’t work for translations.

“Most countries around the world recognize that,” McGlynn said. “Throughout South America, Europe, other countries in Asia, there are institutions or the government itself provides subsidies to publishers who want to publish their literature.”

Book supporters: A group of cheerleaders choose books at the Kompas Gramedia Fair 2009 at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, on Jan. 29. JP/J. Adiguna

Low sales and high production costs mean that most of the revenue from a translated book — 80 or 90 percent — goes toward covering production, distribution, translation and writing, plus overheads, leaving the publisher with an unsustainable profit margin.

“If the maximum amount a publisher or a translator can get get from a Rp 100,000 book is maximally Rp 10,000, how many books do they have to sell to get a profit?” he said. “The publisher of a translation can’t survive using the commercial model.”

Even one of Indonesia’s biggest publishers, Kompas-Gramedia, finds it hard to sell translations or other books written in English.

Bagus Dharmawan, a chief editor of Penerbit Buku Kompas, a subsidiary of Kompas-Gramedia publisher, believes that the lack of a local market for English-language books means many publishers are not interested in having local works translated.

“We still have a problem with literacy even in Indonesian,” he said. “How can we expect people to read in English?”

One example, said Dharmawan, was an English version of Development Manifesto by the late economist Mubyarto, published in 2005. By October 2008, only five exemplars had been sold.

Yet Indonesian publishers have a high rate of translating books written in other languages into Indonesian. According to UNESCO, Indonesian is among the top target languages for translations. When it comes to works translated out of Indonesian, the language does not appear on the list. Countries that have published books translated from Indonesian include Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany and theUnited States.

Even when works are translated and published, convincing international booksellers to distribute them is very difficult, especially in the United States, which is the world’s biggest market.

“Of the some 100,000 books published in the US last year, less than zero comma something percent were translations,” McGlynn said — a sign of the international lack of appreciation of foreign literature.

“There is not that much interest in the West in knowing about Indonesia, and it’s happening with almost all non-English languages.”

Only a few authors who write in languages other than English are well-known in the West. Many become known after winning prizes, especially the Nobel Prize.

“Of all the wonderful Spanish-language writers, a couple have gained fame, and Umberto Eco is the only well-known Italian writer,” McGlynn points out. “Indonesia has only Pramoedya and it’s very limited. … He was interviewed by almost all major televisions, radio and newspapers, but that didn’t help him increase sales at all.”

That there are no institutions representing writers compounds the problem.

“There is no such thing as literary agents in Indonesia, whereas Western publishers will only deal with an agent. They don’t deal with authors, they don’t deal with publishers. So for a writer from Indonesia who doesn’t have an agent, they won’t get to first base.”

And even then, it is a crowded literary scene.

“If we’re going to translate something from Bahasa Indonesia into English, it has to say something different or it has to say something so amazingly well, that they will take notice.”

The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy’s highly successful award-winning 1997 novel, was an example of a book that “broke out”, McGlynn said, because it is well written in English and also illuminates Indian society.

“That’s where Pramoedya had a gift. He was both a good writer and he said something about Indonesia.”

A contemporary Indonesian novel, such as crime or chick lit, will not appeal to Western readers who already have too much choice.

“Not that Indonesian writers should look toward the West and say ‘what’s going to make it there?’ That should not be their measure of success. Their measure of success should be how well it is received within their country. But if they do want to introduce Indonesia abroad through literature then they need to say something about Indonesia.”

The lack of such writing, McGlynn said, is one reason the Lontar Foundation has not been as productive as hoped. During its 20 years of existence, the foundation has published less than 100 books.

A further limitation is a shortage of translators, and the time and money required for the translation.

“It takes a year or more to get the translation of a novel right,” McGlynn said. “But no organization can afford to pay a good translator what they deserve.”

McGlynn could translate Pra-moedya’s works only because the publisher paid him in advance.

“Most of the good translators I know have a full-time job. They only translate for love of Indonesia and there is no appreciation of that love. And after a while it just gets burned out.”

Business is not a name game, says Olga

The Jakarta Post , JAKARTA | Mon, 02/02/2009 11:42 AM | People

JP/P.J.LEO

JAKARTA: Fame does not guarantee success in business, says actress and presenter Olga Lydia.

“I’m sure that the prominence of the owner of the business has some effect on the business but I don’t know how much,” Olga told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. “But the most important thing is not the fame but the quality of the service.”

The 32-year-old started her businesses four years ago — joint ventures with colleagues and friends — which include a pool and lounge at Setiabudi Building and a restaurant at the Crowne Plaza, both in Jakarta.

“So far, all of the businesses have quite a lot of regular visitors. This is what we want. We want to have a kind of circle of customers,” she said.

Olga, who started her career as a model, will soon open another business — a restaurant and pub in Kemang, South Jakarta. This is also a joint venture with her friend actress and presenter Anya Dwinov and some “expert” partners.

“I’m lucky to have friends who are experts in the business and that makes me confident to make the investment even though many people might be very careful about investing in this so-called ‘crisis’ year,” she said.

The new restaurant and pub have been under preparation since last October and are scheduled for completion in late February.

“I chose this business because I like to eat. Choosing a business close to our hobbies or interests can help,” she said.

The actress, who loudly rejected the controversial pornographic law, graduated with a degree in civil engineering study from Bandung’s Parahyangan University in 1994.

She has hosted dozens of TV shows including the News dot Com and Republic Mimpi on Metro TV and Beyond Marketing Today on JakTV. — J/Matheos V. Messakh

Dance draws on Javanese and Tai Chi traditions

Matheos Viktor Messakh , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Sat, 01/31/2009 10:54 AM | Entertainment

Courtesy of Salihara

A contemporary dance performance will be held at the Salihara Community next week, exploring the connections between Javanese traditional dance and Tai Chi movement.

“This work is my exploration, trying to get at a deeper understanding of the body. I want to know more about the essence of human movement. My curiosity comes out of my knowledge of basic Javanese traditional dance and Tai Chi, which I’ve been learning since I moved to Taiwan,” dancer and choreographer Danang Pamungkas told The Jakarta Post upon his arrival form Taiwan on Wednesday.

“I want to know the similarities and differences between the gestures and movements of these two traditions.”

He said he found links between the smooth and meditative gestures of Javanese dance and the meditative patterns of Tai Chi.

“These movements are subtle but carry a powerful influence no less.”

Having named the composition Song of Body, Danang said it will express and explore a deeper understanding of the essential elements of body movement.

“It’s a kind of meditative movement beginning in the body’s core, allowing the dancer to be closer to nature,” Danang said. However, he said not to look for direct references, the choreography would not quote gestures from these traditions, even though he has used them as a jumping off point in this work, in pursuit of a selfsame feeling.

Danang and Rianto will performed the dance on Feb. 2-3, accompanied by Song and Poems for Solo Cello by the American minimalist composer Philip Glass and supported by lighting designer Sugeng Yeah.

Danang has reason to be curious about the powerful magic of the two cultural expressions since he has experienced both worlds throughout his career. Moreover, he has now join the Cloud Gate Dance Theater in Taiwan where he also learns Tai Chi. Born in Surakarta (Solo), Central Java, in 1979, he started studying dance at age 15.

He received formal training at Solo’s high school for traditional arts and graduated from the Indonesian Art Institute Surakarta (STSI) in 2005. He also learned traditional dance as it is practiced at the Keraton Mangkunegaran, Solo’s royal palace, where he took the role of principal dancer.

His works including Gulung (1999), Gliyong (2000), Trance (2002), Dograg and Gaung (2003), Di ujung Pintu (2005), On The Chair (2006), and One Circle (2007) have been performed on many occasions in the major cities of Java.

His Panyot Pun Padam was awarded first prize at The Next Wave Indonesian national choreography competition in 2004.

Since 2003, his dancing in works by several prominent choreographers have also fueled his transboundary exploratory fire. He danced in Sardono W. Kusumo’s Hutan Plastik (Plastic Forest) in Jakarta and Bangkok and his No Body Body’s in Jakarta and Surabaya, Selasar
Sunaryo’s Sunken Sea in Bandung and Eko Supriyanto’s Opera Ronggeng in Solo.

He also played in Ki Slamet Gundono’s grass-puppet plays and performed in Korean choreographer Sen Hea Ha’s Infinita at Uijeoungbu Music Festival and at Modafe Art Festival in Korea, at Singapore Art Mart in Singapore in 2005, as well as in Belgium and the Anmaro Art Festival in Amsterdam in 2006.

He has also produced some collaborative pieces such as Spring in Solo with the Japanese Pappa Tarahumara Dance Theater which was performed in Solo in 2002, Monteverdi’s Orfeo with the English National Opera which was performed at the London Coliseum and the Shubert Theater in Boston in 2006, as well as The Coronation of Poppea likewise staged at the Shubert and the Coliseum in 2007.

Song of Body

The dance will be presented at Teater Salihara on Feb. 2-3, 2009, at 8 p.m.. Tickets (Rp 30,000 or Rp 15,000 for students) can be bought at the Salihara Community, by phone (Asty 0817-999-5057, Laly 0812-8008-9008, Nike 0818-0730-4036) or by online reservation (www.salihara.org).

Lola gives migrant workers a second look

The Jakarta Post | Wed, 01/28/2009 9:42 AM | People

JAKARTA: Having gained some insight into the lives of Indonesian workers in Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong, actress and director Lola Amaria is telling a different story.
JP/P.J. Leo
“It always seems like everything about Indonesian workers abroad is bad,” Lola told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. “There has been a stigma about Indonesian workers abroad, but I found out more about them.”
Lola said she learned things were not so bad for Indonesian workers in Chinese Taipei when she was there shooting a movie about Indonesian workers titled Detours to Paradise, which will be released on Feb. 20.
“I was so amazed, first because the film is made by Taiwanese people and it is based on a true story, and second because I found out that many Indonesian workers have a better life than we usually believe.”
Lola, 31, who became popular in 2002 thanks to the film Ca Bau Kan, is now back home to prepare for another film, this time about Indonesian workers in Hong Kong.
“I found some interesting stories about our workers in Hong Kong when I did some research. A woman who has been working there for more than eight years she said she didn’t want to return to Indonesia,” she said.
“Her salary is over Rp 8 million and she has bought everything for her parents back home including a house. I was so touched by the story because even I can’t buy a house for my parents.” —JP/Matheos V. Messakh

Keith Davies: A quarter century of Asian immersion

Matheos V. Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 01/23/2009 9:02 AM | People

Keith Davies: (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)

If it weren’t for Keith Davies’ first overseas posting to Indonesia some 25 years ago, he might have become a filmmaker.

But all he needed was a few months in Jakarta and his direction changed. Now, after years of working in other countries, Keith Davies returned to Jakarta in December as the new director of the British Council Indonesia.

“It was a life-changing experience for me,” Davies says of his first temporary overseas posting with the British Council to Indonesia in 1984. “Lots of staff members were on holiday and I came as an extra UK member of staff just to cover the summer holiday period.”

At that stage, Davies was working in the film and television department of the British Council
in London.

“I was applying for the jobs with the BBC and with filmmaking companies. I thought that perhaps I would move into filmmaking, but I loved travel as well and the trip to Indonesia helped convince me to stay with the British Council.”

During those three months, Davies was able to fit in a tour of Indonesia taking in Yogyakarta, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Bali.

He even climbed Mount Bromo in East Java.

Davies was born in Chester, in the northwest of England, on May 9, 1954. He studied drama and English literature at Hull University.

In 1976, about a year after he graduated, Davies joined the British Council where he has spent more or less the whole of his career. Before then, he was a self-confessed jack of all trades, hopping between jobs – in the backstage crew of a theater, as a clerk in an office and as a cocktail waiter and porter in a hotel.

“I worked in several places for less than a year, but my serious work has always been with the BC,” he says.

His first position with the British Council was at a student center in London. “I was arranging activities such as film shows, cultural activities, lectures, theater performances and trips around Britain for overseas students. It was a very exciting job, like being secretary of a club for four years.”

He then moved onto the film and television department for four years, where his main duty was to promote British film overseas. “In those days, the British Council had a film library and we used to buy films and videos from around the world. I also went to film festivals.”

It was as part of this job that he was first posted to Jakarta.

The new few years becomes almost like a travelogue: Bahrain for three years, before returning to London, and then onto Malaysia – where he met his wife, Christine Loh, a Chinese Malaysian. The newlyweds lived in Bangkok, where their daughter, Rebecca, was born.

After Thailand, he went back to London for six months for Mandarin language training, before being posted to Beijing, China. “Actually I can remember Chinese better than most of the languages, but now I’m trying to learn bahasa.”

But those four and a half years in Beijing, as British Council deputy director, were among the most challenging of his career, if only because of the size of the operation. “It was quite exciting,” he adds. “I liked living in Beijing, although it has a different climate – it’s very cold.”

From China he went on to be director of the British Council office in Vietnam. He has spent the last four and a half years of his career in Hanoi, working with offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

“I’ve been very lucky to stay in East Asia, and have come full circle, back to Jakarta and Indonesia.”

And despite being with the same organization for most of his career, he has never been bored.

“The main advantage is that all the jobs have been very different; from film department to working with overseas students, to marketing British education, and in all these different countries.”

Which is why he joined the British Council in the first place.

“I want to see the world not just as a tourist. I’m a tourist myself, but it very different when you live in a country. I feel that I know Thailand, China, Malaysia, and Vietnam, and hopefully soon Indonesia, much better than any tourist does.”

After 20 years of living and working in East Asia, Davies finds it hard to choose the place he likes the most.

“I like East Asia. I like working overseas, because that’s where our real work is, but don’t ask me which country I like the most. It’s hard to say, I like all of them, but I’m very happy to return to Indonesia.

“I used to say Indonesia was my favorite country because it was the first place I experience living in Asia and it was so exciting and such a culture change, I love it. So I still have very fond memories, very positive feelings.”

Indonesia, he says, has changed a lot between 1984 and 2009. He says the first time he returned, in 1990, was a shock. “In 1984, I was living in Adityawarman near Blok M [in South Jakarta]. When I came back I went to look at the house I stayed in. I couldn’t recognize Blok M; I couldn’t find the road or the block where the house was.

“In 1984, the traffic wasn’t so bad, sometimes I traveled to the warungs [food stalls] by bajaj [motorized pedicab] or on becak [pedicab]. I could just go from the British Council building in Widjojo to Blok M in 10 minutes. Now, it’s impossible.”

Jakarta, however, is still a great place to live and to work, says Davies. “Now it takes much longer to get to work…but people still seem very good natured…people here are more friendly and very approachable.”

Davies says that 20 years of working in East Asia has made him “more Asian than British in some ways”.

“I like England. I love to go back once a year... It’s a wonderful exciting country, but I also like Asia.

My wife is Asian; my daughter is living her life in Asia and I like to eat rice everyday.

“So I’m more Asian in some ways than British now, but the best football team is still Everton,” he says, laughing.

Don’t blame others for your own sins

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 01/23/2009 8:15 AM | People

Teten Masduki: (JP/Arief Suhardiman)
JAKARTA: Anti-corruption activist Teten Masduki said the Indonesian Ulema Council’s threat to sue Transparency International Indonesia would be counterproductive in the fight against corruption.

In a survey published Wednesday, the council was cited as one of the country’s most bribery-addled institutions in 2008.

“Transparency’s announcement is an index of people’s perception about these institutions, including the council. People think that way because they experience extortion when dealing with these organizations, or hear or know about it from media,” Teten, a 2005 recipient of the Philippines’ Ramon Magsaysay (“Asian Nobel Prize”) award for public service, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

“It’s a reflection of people’s feelings and is supposed to be used as feedback to be a better organization. So, rather than laying the blame on someone else for the mistakes, they’d better show that they are willing to change.”

Other institutions named in the survey were the National Police, the Customs and Excise Office and the Immigration Office.

The report said that 10 percent of the ulema council’s 177 transactions were settled using bribery.

“The threat to sue Transparency is a fallacy of thinking,” Teten said. “People have the right to pass judgment because they pay their tax to the state.” — JP/Matheos V. Messakh

Ferry Salim too ‘logical’ for feng shui

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 01/22/2009 8:46 AM | People

Ferry Salim: (JP/Arief Suhardiman)
JAKARTA: Not all people of Chinese descent are true believers of feng shui. Take actor and model Ferry Salim for instance: He believes in feng shui, but only so far as it is logical.
The 42-year-old actor believes that Feng Shui cannot predict the future, but does help synchronize people with nature.
“For me, feng shui has nothing to do with the supernatural. It is something that can be learned,” Ferry told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. “If it fits with logic, it is believable but if it’s not, I won’t believe in it.”
When Ferry built his house, he didn’t seek any advice from feng shui experts, but did take into consideration aesthetics, health and comfort – for which he partly drew on his own feng shui knowledge, from his family or from books.
“I like to think logically,” he said. “If according to feng shui, the bathroom door shouldn’t face the bedroom, that might relate to the health or aesthetic aspects. Or if it said that the main entrance should not have too many distractions, that may relate to health or ventilation. Why shouldn’t we apply that rule?”
Ferry is an actor of Chinese descent. In his career, he has acted in more than 20 soap operas, and shot to popularity with his role in Nia Dinata’s film Ca Bau Kan in 2002. In 2004, he was appointed as the national envoy of UNICEF.
He married Merry Prakasa in 1995. —JP/Matheos V. Messakh

The tale of the `peranakan'

Thu, 01/22/2009 1:49 PM | Lifestyle

Peranakan is a term used to refer to the descendants of early Chinese immigrants who partially adopted indigenous customs through either acculturation or intermarriage with indigenous communities.
Many peranakan Chinese families have been settled in Indonesia for centuries and have mixed indigenous-Chinese ancestry. There are about 7 million peranakan in Indonesia.
According to University of Indonesia anthropologist, Iwan Meulia Pirous, the origins of Chinese Indonesians vary greatly, as do the timing and circumstances of their immigration to Indonesia and their strength of ties with the Chinese mainland.
"Many local Chinese cultures are disregarded. After political reformation in 1998, the Chinese could more openly express their culture," said Pirous, who is also a member of the Forum for Indonesian Anthropological Studies (FKAI).
"But this is always as a global Chinese identity. Symbols like dragons, Chinese coins and lanterns frequently appear, but there are also many local cultures."
It is possible, Pirous said, that early Chinese settlements existed long before Admiral Zhang arrived in the early 15th century as part of what is considered the first wave of immigration.
The second wave of immigration occurred around the time of the Opium Wars (1839-1860), while the third wave was around the first half of the 20th century. Descendants of early immigrants, who have become creolized, or huan-na (in Hokkien), by marriage and acculturation, are called peranakan. The more recent Chinese immigrants and those who are still culturally Chinese are called cina totok.
In the 15th century, many first-generation peranakan were born Muslim as they settled down, marrying indigenous women. They founded mosques, using a combination of Chinese and local designs.
The peranakan contributed various cultural influences - mainly culinary, including various types of noodles. Other contributions are beautiful batik pesisir from Cirebon, Pekalongan, Kudus, Lasem, Tuban and Sidoarjo, and traditional herbal medicines known as jamu.
Since 1870, politics have threatened peranakan culture. When the Dutch government issued an agrarian policy prohibiting pribumi (indigenous people) from selling their land to foreigners, this affected the Chinese, who were categorized as foreigners ("foreign Orientals"). Consequently their integration with their "indigenous" neighbors was disrupted.
Despite their contribution to the nationalist movement and struggle against Dutch colonialism, the peranakan were coming under increasing government pressure by the late 1950s to assimilate with what was then viewed as the indigenous Indonesian "national identity".
During Soeharto's era, the peranakan were stigmatized as leftist sympathizers and banned from politics, because Sukarno's regime chose to side with the People's Republic of China - something that Soeharto as an anti-Communist American ally did not want.
- Matheos V. Messakh

Cultural journey begins with a single step

Matheos Viktor Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 01/22/2009 1:49 PM | Lifestyle

A new exhibition of Chinese antiques is remarkable not only for the cultural, historical and aesthetic value of the items on display.
Equally remarkable is the exhibition's tribute to Chinese culture, given Indonesia's dark history of racial hatred, violence and state-driven oppression of the nation's ethnic Chinese.
This hio louw is used to hold incense sticks for offerings. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
"Warisan Budaya Tionghoa Peranakan" (Cultural Heritage of Chinese Descendants), open at the elegant Bentara Budaya Jakarta complex in South Jakarta until Jan. 25, is an exhibition of antiques dated between 1850 and 1960, and is extraordinary for the tale it tells of Chinese acculturation in Indonesia.
"Because those [Chinese] who arrived had different backgrounds and those who visited also had various backgrounds, the result is a Chinese culture that varies from one part of the country to another," former minister and nationalist advocate Siswono Yudo Husodo said at the opening of the exhibition last Thursday night.
The exhibition has been expertly brought together by curators Gunawan Widjaya, Musa Jonatan and Rusdi Tjahyadi, who collected 300 items of furniture, china, textiles, musical instruments, works of art, magazines and newspapers from about 20 owners in Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung and Semarang.
"We only selected items before 1960 because we knew that after the 1960s the New Order regime didn't recognize Chinese culture," said exhibition director Irwan Julianto.
"People had to change their names, Chinese writing was not allowed and so on. One of the consequences of this was that the Chinese were afraid to produce things that had Chinese influences. Some inheritors even sold theirs."
From musical instruments to kitchen sets, from gambling equipment to items for worship, the exhibition shows not only the evolution of household items, but also the struggle of the ethnic Chinese to preserve their culture.
Curator Rusdi Tjahyadi said that although ethnic Chinese in Indonesia tried to keep the original style and size of their furniture, some styles had already changed as part of their assimilation into the local culture.
Inlaid table set with intricate carvings. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
You can view an impressive catalogue in a distinctly Chinese style: Cantonese furniture set for tea, perfume cupboards, medicine cabinets, opium beds, lounge chairs, incense burner, altars, writing tables, a wooden statue of the god Zhong Gui, a Qing dynasty vase.
Alongside these are pieces of Chinese furniture with Indonesian touches: a writing table, a mirror set made in Padang and a gamelan from Lasem in Central Java with European, Java and Chinese influences.
Also on display are non-Chinese items used by Chinese families, such a German-made Berkefeld water filter and beer keg with art nouveau design, a Japanese lead crystal jar, a European coffee grinder and an Art Nouveau coat hanger. These items were mostly used by the Chinese community after 1920.
Irwan Julianto said that after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the last ruling dynasty in China which ruled from 1644 to 1912 with a brief abortive restoration in 1917, the Chinese diaspora began, with many Chinese descendants in Indonesia feeling it was more of a free nation. They started to adapt to the dominant culture around them - at that time in Indonesia, the Dutch colonial culture.
"We don't want this exhibition to become a glorification of the past, but rather to show that Chinese descendants also had their cultural contribution to the Indonesian people and vice versa through their acculturation," Julianto said.
"We don't want re-Chinafication as happened to many old generations of Chinese descendants after the political reformation in 1998 when they forced many Chinese communities to speak only Chinese. That's why we came up with the cross-cultural community."
The exhibition is held by Komunitas Lintas Budaya Indonesia (The Indonesian Intercultural Community), an organization established in 2008 with the aim of nurturing interaction between the country's different ethnic and cultural groups to strengthen the building of the nation.
In conjunction with the exhibition, which took more than four months of preparations, was the launch of a book on Chinese culture in Indonesia titled Peranakan Tionghoa Indonesia - Sebuah Perjalanan Budaya (Indonesia's Chinese Descendants - A Cultural Journey).
The book, published by The Indonesian Intercultural Community in collaboration with Intisari magazine, was written by eight Chinese Indonesians who are experts in various aspects of Chinese culture including architecture, literature, journalism, fashion, art and furniture.
What makes this exhibition especially deserving of attention is that these antiques are all privately owned - meaning we might never again have the opportunity to see them gathered together in one single moment and place.

Too many clowns, says Budi Ros

Courtessy of Teater Koma/Logo Situmorang

Mon, 01/19/2009 6:03 PM | Lifestyle

JAKARTA: Too many people dream of becoming a leader even though they don't have the skills, says writer and actor Budi Ros, who plays Petruk, a clown turned king in Teater Koma's play Republik Petruk.

"There are too many Petruks around," Budi told The Jakarta Post on Friday.might realize that they are not capable but their eyes are blinded by opportunism."

Budi said the character of Petruk belonged in the realms of fiction.

"It's not easy to play the main character. It's a prestigious role that requires a lot of experience and of course I am proud I was given the opportunity but I don't want to become that kind of guy in real life. We simply don't need them."

Budi, 40, joined Teater Koma in 1985 and had his first lead role in 1994. In 2003, he won the Jakarta Art Council's playwright contest.

He developed an interest in performing arts as a child, watching wayang (shadow puppets) and ketoprak (plays with stories from Javanese history) with his father.

Hard work is needed to make theater more popular, he said.

"There was a good development of theater in the 1970s, even though the artists faced lots of oppression. Nowadays, we waste a lot of our energy just dealing with things outside our artistic skills."

Budi said more government support of the arts would be good, but that people in the field also needed to raise the image of theater.

"We might need better management, we need PR to promote the art," he said. - JP/Matheos V. Messakh

When a clown becomes a king

Matheos V. Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 01/17/2009 2:32 PM | Entertainment

Two words can perfectly sum up this play: triumphantly funny.

Republik Petruk (Petruk’s Republic) is more topical than the first two installments in Teater Koma’s Republik trilogy; it is also brimming with allusions, many of which could go over several viewers’ heads.

The satirical humor flashes and burns, pulling in even in the most desperate among us. The subtle jibes may prove a little confusing but one thing is certain – it is never dull. Republik Petruk, the work of rarely disappointing Nano Riantiarno, is a victory of drama over matter.

Once more playwright and director Nano Riantiarno has delivered a clever political satire.

The difference between political satire and protest, or political dissent, is that satire does not necessarily carry an agenda nor seek to influence the political process.

While the audience may well come away with ideas of political change running through their minds, the first task of the satire is to entertain. By its very nature, satire rarely offers a constructive view of what could be.

Republik Petruk, which is staged at Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center in Central Jakarta until Jan. 25, takes a gleeful look at Indonesia’s political eforms, portraying one after another the failures that grew out of the mischief of the nation’s political leaders.

The story begins when Mustakaweni (Cornelia Agatha) steals the Kalimasada amulet, the Pandawa family’s precious treasure, by disguising herself as Gatotkaca. Srikandi (Herlina Syarifudin), the woman warrior, tries but fails to recover the Kalimasada. Then who should come along but a young prince, Priambada (Rangga Riantiarno), who is looking for his father Arjuna.
Srikandi is willing to help Priambada find his father as long as the young prince reclaims the Kalimasada. Priambada accepts the deal.

A classic combat turns into a war between the sexes when Priambada encounters Mustakaweni in a battle. They fall for each other right off but both pretend to care more about winning the fight. Mustakaweni ends up allowing Priambada to reclaim the amulet.

The tragedy begins when Priambada hands over the amulet to Petruk (Budi Ros), one of the clowning characters and the Pandawa family’s royal servant. With the amulet in his hand, Petruk is tempted by the gods Kaladurgi and Kanekaratena to take advantage of its magical properties. Petruk follows their lead and uses the amulet’s power to seize the Lojitengara kingdom and proclaim himself king, adopting the nonsensical but deceptively illustrious title Prabu Petruk Belgeduwelbeh Tongtongsot.

He then sets about implementing political reforms, proclaiming Lojitengara a republic, although in name only. This newfound state is a realm in which “freedom” is taken to its limits and almost everything is permitted. In this environment of anomie, the kingdom becomes increasingly chaotic, with hilarious consequences.

Presented to an Indonesian audience who enjoy and suffer from the birthing pains of a more liberal and democratic state on a daily basis, Republik Petruk’s jibes and jokes put its audience in stitches.

As with many political satires, the script employs allusions, a device that is the best way to raise an issue without pointing a finger directly at anyone – which is why such satireoften proves the best method of advancing political arguments in situations in which confrontation is expressly forbidden or frowned upon – as was the case in this country not so very long ago.

Republik Petruk is crowded with such allusions. Though oblique, the references are clear enough for any Indonesian in the know to understand exactly which policy, polly, or pop trend is the target of criticism.

The use of slang, English or even popular phrases from ad slogans, as well as the blending of Harajuku and punk in the costume designs, appeared to be an effort to use a vernacular young people are familiar with while speaking to the present reality, namely the invasion of foreign culture and capital.

Expressions such as “Mana ketehe” (How do I know?), “Mupeng” (short for muka pengen or horny face), “How come?”, “bibeh” (baby), are regularly exchanged during the four-hour drama.
The play does not restrict its humor or comedy to politics only. Anyone and anything can be put on the mocking block.

The opening scnee, with its monologue by Petruk, straightaway ensures the audience gets the point that nobody is above critique in the Republik Petruk, not even the narrator himself.
Budi Ros deserves praise for his superior performance as Petruk, nimbly moving between his two roles as the king and the play’s narrator without losing his comic touch.

It might be hard for some to see the actual relevance of Petruk’s role, unless they understand how the character has migrated from a wayang tale, classic shadow puppet dramas. The script establishes that Petruk is an unlikely king not only because he uses illegitimate power (the Kalimasada amulet) but also because he is just a punakawan, a royal servant whose real role is to entertain princes.

This raises questions about the view of democracy here. After all, in the modern democratic world, doesn’t anybody have the right to become a leader? Why does only one group of people have the right to lead, as represented by the ownership of the amulet? What does the amulet represent in the context of 21st century Indonesian politics?

The connection to the current situation comes near the end of the play when the Kalimasada amulet transforms into slips of paper that are spread like ticker tape over the cast and audience. Perhaps everyone does have the right to become a leader.

The set design shows the brilliance of those working behind the scenes on this production.
Two famous pictures of Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew, the despot Napoleon III with Petruk’s face superimposed, hang in the background – signaling a historical awareness of other times when political satire was key to social critique.

One of the examples of 19th century political satire is an 1864 pamphlet by Maurice Joly, The Dialogue in Hall between Machiavelli and Montesquieu, which attacked that lesser nephew’s political ambitions.

Teater Koma, well regarded for its political satires since it was first set up in 1977, successfully uses the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict and repetitiveness and the effect of opposite expectations to make the audience laugh.

The use of ironic comedy to portray persons or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt does not alienate the audience from the object of humor. It makes the audiences laugh while also giving them plenty to think about.

If it is true that the test of a country’s civilization is the flourishing of the comic ideal and comedy, then the test of true comedy is that it inspires thoughtful laughter.

If Aristophanes, the father of comedy, were alive today, he would be laughing aloud when watching Republik Petruk, even if he needed a quick lesson on the country’s
political situation.

`Knock out!' gets political

Fri, 01/16/2009 5:36 PM | Lifestyle

Yogyakarta painter Luddy Astaghis is bringing his work to Jakarta for his second solo exhibition, which satirizes Indonesian politics.

"Knock Out!", as the exhibition is called, is open at Cityloft Podium in Citywalk Sudirman in Central Jakarta until Jan. 20.

On display at the exhibition are paintings of distorted figures and faces inspired, Luddy says, by reflections as seen in the rearview mirror of a motorcycle.

The main characters featuring in his works are an ambiguous combination of athletic male bodies and grotesque faces.

The 32-year-old painter, who held his first solo exhibition in 2004, says his work reflects attitudes toward the country's politicians: "bitter but sometimes inviting laughter".

"Godaan Maut" (Grave Temptation, 2009), for example, portrays two athletic men leering at a woman behind them, in a reference to sex scandals involving politicians and government officials.

The painting titledBesar Kiriku Besar" (Big on My Right, Big on My Left) shows two big and hefty men squeezing a small, thin body between them, reminding us that disputes between prominent political figures take place at the expense of the people.

Luddy says the titleOut!" contains nuances of "fighting", which, he says, has escalated in the past year, meaning "those who are not properly prepared will be knocked out during the fight". --JP/Matheos V. Messakh

The man from coffee country

Matheos Viktor Messakh , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Sat, 01/17/2009 1:04 PM | Lifestyle

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Fajar Eka Putra was no fan of coffee.
Today, however, he is a self-described coffee lover.

Coffee credentials: Fajar Eka Putra was chosen as Starbucks Coffee Ambassador for 2009, promoting coffee and educating employees and customers on the brew. (Courtesy of Starbucks Indonesia)

“A coffee lover is not the same as a coffee addict,” Fajar told The Jakarta Post recently. “I don’t just drink the beverage; I love everything about coffee, including the stories
behind it.”

Just as well, then, that loving coffee is his job; it possibly even features in his performance appraisal.

In November last year, around the same time he turned 23, Fajar was chosen as coffee ambassador of Starbucks Indonesia.

He is the fourth coffee ambassador here since the coffeehouse company introduced the Coffee Ambassador Cup in 2004, two years after opening its first store at the Plaza Indonesia shopping mall in May 2002.

As in every Starbucks store around the world, every new employee is required to go through a 90-day training program called the “coffee passport program” to become a barista – someone who is an expert in making coffees.

Next comes the Coffee Explorer test, after which you can move onto Store Coffee Master level, and then onto District Coffee Master level. The district coffee masters are eligible to compete for the Coffee Ambassador Cup. Only one is chosen every year, making it rather competitive.
Across its 72 coffee shops across Indonesia, Starbucks has about 800 coffee explorers, 206 coffee masters and 18 district coffee masters.

Anyone visiting an outlet can identify which is which: A coffee explorer wears a green apron, a coffee master wears a black apron and a district coffee master wears a brown apron.

Fajar’s meteoric rise to Starbucks stardom started when he took a job at the Starbucks Coffee Paris Van Java in Bandung, West Java, in November 2007. He worked his way up to the position of supervisor at the store and then, after passing a written test and the final presentation stage, captured the title of Coffee Ambassador.

No longer a humble barista who simply puts that coffee training into practice through the standard tasks they are hired to do, as an ambassador Fajar is out and about a lot more.

In the same way a country’s ambassador speaks for and promotes that country when abroad, the coffee ambassador’s work is to raise the image of coffee both within Starbucks and without.
“It is my job to know as much as possible about coffee – its origins, processing methods, the different flavors such as extra bold or mild, the different tastes it can have such as earthy or citrus-like, the blends available and the foods that pair well with a particular kind of coffee.”

He works with others in the company to create opportunities to learn more about coffee – coffee tastings each morning and coffee class once a week – and coordinates gatherings of coffee masters and workshops to coach employees and consumers.

“I am supposed to be an expert on [Starbucks] products and take charge of furthering knowledge about coffee,” he said.

The ambassador also conducts coffee series when the need arises. This involves a talk on coffee, and a session during which he teaches people how “proper” coffee tasting is done.
Besides that, he is also the Starbucks representative who works with the media on any event that involves, well, coffee.

That Fajar landed the position shows he has the necessary qualities, which go beyond mastering milk-frothing techniques – the role demands good leadership skills and the ability to coach others. A sound knowledge of coffee is important but also necessary is a good grasp of general knowledge too.

The best person for the job, said Fajar, is someone friendly and easygoing. “You need to be an extrovert and have the confidence to speak in public. This is because you will be constantly interacting with people, both your customers and colleagues. A willingness to take up challenges and a passion for learning are other prerequisites.”

Overall, it sounds like a lot for a 23-year-old with only one year’s experience in the business – but he’s not complaining.

“What I like about working at Starbucks is that the company is very people-oriented. I do different things from moment to the next. At one moment I could be behind the cash register and the next moment I could be chatting with people around the store, including fellow employees and customers.”

Of course, the position of coffee ambassador does not come without perks. He will be sent to Seattle to attend the Starbucks International’s Coffee Education Functional Immersion, and has already visited coffee farms in Hong Kong.

For a young man starting his career, the future looks bright.

“The position might not have so much impact when it comes to salary but it does for the exposure and the training, which can prepare me for more success later in life. It’s an honor to represent Starbucks and to know more about coffee,” he said. “It’s also a plus for my performance appraisal.”

And good practice for that unknown day when he moves to the next stage in his plans – to run his own coffee-related business.

Event business always thrives, says Adrie

Matheos V. Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 01/17/2009 12:36 PM | People

JAKARTA: Music promoter Adrie Subono has no concerns about sharing his experiences in event organizing, firmly believing that his is a business that thrives even during an economic crisis.

JP/Arief Suhardiman

“In the past three years, I’ve been invited to talk shows and other events around the country to share my experience, something you can’t do in a school or with a book,” the director of Java Musikindo music company told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

“Wedding organizers, for example, are needed anytime. People won’t cancel a wedding just because of a flood. A band won’t prepare their own stage or sell their own tickets,” said the promoter, who has been in the business for 15 years and has organized more than 100 concerts.
On Jan. 24, Adrie will hold a talk show titled “How to survive in the event organizer business” in Bandung, West Java, in collaboration with detik.com.

Last year, his company organized 10 concerts and brought in international singing sensations such as Bjork, James Blunt and 50 Cent and Akon.

The company also launched the Ussy Sulistiawaty’s first solo album and band Domino’s album.
Adrie said there would be more world-class concerts this year but refused to share the details.
“They’re on our program but we will announce them only after we are sure that the concerts will
happen because this year is the election year and they [foreign artists] might cancel their show anytime if they feel unsafe.”