[Fwd: FW: Musician Jauhari Cries Over Aceh's Lost Culture [+Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens]]

------ Forwarded Message
From: <JoyoNews@...>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 23:29:39 EST
To: "<undisclosed-recipients: ;>"
Subject: Musician Jauhari Cries Over Aceh's Lost Culture [+Yusuf Islam/Cat
Stevens]

also: JP Feature: Pop star revisits past glory for
tsunami victims [Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens]

The Jakarta Post
Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Feature

Jauhari Cries Over Lost Culture

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After being a virtual war zone for decades, Aceh has not only seen the loss
of its loved ones; its once vibrant and distinct culture is also in danger
of
being totally forgotten.

But who cares when many rather listen to high-profile political chatter?
Perhaps, it might take the tsunami to enable the voices of ordinary people
to be
heard gain.

Musician Jauhari Samalanga and his community of artists, Nyawoung, (meaning
"soul" in Acehnese), have spoken out about what they feel and their hopes
that
the Acehnese people will reclaim their long-lost identity.

When news of the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster first broke, Metro TV had
saturation coverage of the events in Aceh. Jauhari's music, including the
song Do Do
Daidi (a lullaby) was used extensively as a backing track, as it seemed
ideally
suited, given the circumstances.

"The tsunami has taken a generation from our land. Children and babies, who
perished in the disaster, never had the chance to know Acehnese culture and
how
rich is it," Jauhari said in an interview with The Jakarta Post last week.

What's left now must be given an opportunity; if there is no opportunity, we
shall strive to make that happen so that some day people will still remember
that we exist, added the father of two toddlers.

"Systematically" is perhaps the most politically correct word to describe
how
culture in Aceh has been removed from everyday life. Culture, with its
integral customs and art, is waiting in the background, for its people live
in
constant fear and uncertainty.

"Our customs and art were almost killed off when the government imposed
martial law in Aceh. People were no longer able to take part in any cultural
events
or gatherings, because in Aceh we live out most of our traditions at night,"
said Jauhari.

"For us, the night is the right time because it is time to rest our tired
being after a hard day at work, and let our mind contemplate through dzikir
(recitation), Dalail Khairat (an activity similar to dzikir) and
Koran-reading."

The night curfew -- imposed since martial law was declared in 1989 (known as
DOM) is the reason why people tend to stay at home after dusk and watch
television rather than gathering at mosques and public places, for fear of
being
singled out as troublemakers.

"There is a ban on Seudati, which was once performed every night until
morning," said the graduate of the Jakarta-based Indonesian Institute of
Sociopolitical Studies (IISIP).

Seudati is a war dance, but when performed it usually incorporates an
element
of story-telling, updating the audience on what's new in their neighborhood
and its vicinity.

Other forms of traditional art like Dalupa (satirical story telling) from
the
West coast of Aceh, Didong (poetry reading) from Takengon, Apa Raoh
(musical,
comic theater performance played on the violin) from the east coastal area,
have gradually been replaced by popular, keyboard-based music or small
dangdut
shows in small towns.

"Can you imagine how long DOM lasted -- for 10 years -- and it was followed
by martial law shortly after; for that long our culture has been virtually
banished from every Acehnese's soul."

With some hope still alive, Jauhari migrated to Jakarta as soon as he
married
in 2000. Living as an artist was simply too hazardous in a location where
people always felt unsafe to gather together to express themselves.

"Our art runs with our lives. Traditionally, we are very religious.
Therefore, our art, too, is close to religious teachings. It's not static,
either, but
dynamic, with modern touches, too."

Before DOM, the late musician A. Bakar led the way for the recording of
traditional music after he launched an album with the hit, Jin Jin Njuk (A
Genie's
Gift), full of inspirational lyrics reminding people of their relationship
with God.

"It's very popular there and people love it," he said.

Since the imposition of DOM until today, lyrics created by local musicians
have moved from simple reminders to satire, laden with political overtones.

"Composing lyrics is like writing a diary of what we know and feel. It's our
history that we are writing. Some might consider our work rebellious but
that
depends on the listener," he said.

His song Yang Na (Those who Exist) tells of a brave officer who, armed only
with a rifle, "dares" to hit an unarmed civilian. Because of this song,
Jauhari
was asked by his distributors -- at the behest of the Indonesian Military
(TNI) in Aceh -- to pull the album from the shelves and remix it minus the
song,
if he wanted it distributed legally.

Another song, Haro Hara (Chaos) was also cited as the cause of the ban.

"We are articulating what the public is already aware of -- even for those
who live outside Aceh -- like the Simpang KKA massacre, Reumah Geudong, and
the
killing of Tengku Bantaqiah in Haro Hara," he said.

He was lucky enough not to be questioned or imprisoned.

"An army general there said my songs were considered provocative and
subversive," he added.

Jauhari doesn't intend to go into politics -- that's not his cup of tea --
but said, "if we talk about culture in Aceh then we have to face the fact
that
we're talking about a major shift in culture because of long-term political
oppression."

The change, for the worse, has also occurred in his hometown, Simpang
Mamplam, Samalanga, near Bireuen.

On his last visit he could only pass by and look out from a speeding car;
the
small town had become part of history. In 2002, houses there were set ablaze
and the people told to leave the town after two Brimob (Police Mobile
Brigade)
personnel, were killed near the local market.

"I almost cried when I passed (my hometown). Everything's gone. I long to
sit
in the coffee shop with my friends. At night we would look for crabs or hunt
deer to be cooked and eaten near the paddy fields," Jauhari said, recalling
such simple pleasures.

"My children are still too young but I want them to learn the Acehnese way
of
life -- even our simple way of enjoying life like being with friends and
sharing what we have," said Jauhari, who is an avid fan of the music of
Genesis,
Toto and Michael Frank.

Jauhari and his community are undeterred by what they perceive as the
iron-fisted policy imposed on their homeland. In the wake of the tsunami, he
pledges
to resume his soul-searching, cultural mission. He wants to help his fellow
Acehnese and remind them of their long-forgotten identity.

"I'm not afraid of anything except Allah. If I'm banned in Aceh, then I'll
sing in Jakarta. And if banned here, I can still compose songs and send them
abroad," he said.

"We just want our people to stand tall again and see that they have a
culture
that was once so vibrant and bermarwah (dignified)," he said, wistfully.

----------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post
Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Pop star revisits past glory for tsunami victims

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The tragedy in Aceh moved Yusuf Islam to revisit his past as pop singer Cat
Stevens.

Abandoning his musical career 24 years ago to adopt a strict Muslim
lifestyle, Yusuf walked down memory lane on Monday by singing a moving
rendition of his
seventies hit Wild World at a charity concert to raise money for the
construction of hospitals in tsunami-affected areas.

Yusuf also composed Indian Ocean, a new song marked by his signature sound
of
gentle folk music coupled with his gravelly voice. Yusuf premiered the song
during a charity show organized by the International Islamic Committee for
Aceh
Reconstruction, the Concern for Aceh Indonesian Community and music promoter
Java Musikindo.

Wild World, a song that describes the lurking dangers of city life and was
originally composed by Stevens for reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff, took on a
whole
new meaning for Yusuf after the tsunami.

"In the seventies, the world was wild. Later it was wilder and then turned
the wildest lately and the people of Aceh were turned upside down," Yusuf
said
before singing the song.

Backed by Kyai Kanjeng, an ensemble of musicians playing traditional
Javanese
instruments conducted by poet Emha Ainun Nadjib, Yusuf sang the song with a
tear in his voice.

Indian Ocean is a call for more affluent countries to lend a hand to tsunami
victims.

It tells the story of a European couple who went for a holiday, seeking
paradise on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, when the tsunami struck.
After
surviving the tidal wave by climbing up a hill, on the way down the couple
found an orphaned child and decided to look after him.

"Looking after the child was the true paradise they wanted to find. There
are
people who are waiting now for people like us to help them.

"If we look after the poor then God will look after us," Yusuf said, quoting
a verse from the Koran.

Indian Ocean was recorded by the singer in response to the tragedy and is to
be released next month. The original version of the song features Magne
Furuholmen of Norwegian pop group A-ha and Neil Primrose of Britpop band
Travis, and
makes use of musical instruments Yusuf has eschewed since embracing Islam.

However, Yusuf said earlier that the song did not represent a revival of his
pop career.

"It's not a return to Cat Stevens, I see it more as a natural response to
express my concern as a Muslim and as an artist. I believe both can exist
side by
side, particularly when the cause is right," he said.

Prior to the concert, Yusuf toured Meulaboh and Calang, two cities hard hit
by the tsunami, and witnessed the utter destruction of nature's wrath. He
prayed at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque before touring the two cities.

Yusuf, who had several hits in the seventies with songs like Matthew and
Son,
Peace Train and The Wind, has engaged in humanitarian efforts over the past
several decades through his charity foundation Small Kindness. He plans to
open
a regional branch of the foundation here during his visit.

Over the years, Yusuf has lost many of his original fans from the sixties
and
seventies. He was quoted as calling for the death of writer Salman Rusdhie
for his controversial book Satanic Verses.

------------------------------------------------------------

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