Preserving Betawi Culture With Abang, None Jakarta

Jakarta Globe, Fanny Octavianus, Nov 27, 2014

Members of Teater Abang None, a theater company established under the Abang
 and None of Jakarta Union, staged the annual ‘Indonesia Menari’ event on Car-Free
 Day in front of the Grand Indonesia mall in Central Jakarta. (Photos courtesy
of Teater Abang None)

More than 140 members of Teater Abang None livened Jakarta’s Car-Free Day last Sunday with the “Indonesia Menari” or “Indonesia Dances” event in front of the Grand Indonesia mall in Jakarta.

The young participants performed the organization’s signature dance, Nandak Ondel-Ondel, (Ondel-Ondel Dance)to entertain hundreds of residents.

“We are so proud to be a part of this project. This moment is priceless; when you see hundreds people joining a flash mob, dancing to traditional songs and doing traditional dancing,” said “Indonesia Menari” participant, Devi.

The annual event was initiated by Galeri Indonesia Kaya and Djarum Foundation in 2011 with the same vision as the Abang and None of Jakarta Union (Ianta): to preserve Betawi art and culture.

Contributing to this cause, Teater Abang None  — which was established by actress and model Maudy Koesnaedi — stages plays that bring the folklore of Betawi to life.

“This is our way of preserving our [Betawi] culture,” said Maudy.

The theater company has created and performed a number of productions, including “Cinta Dasima” (“Dasima’s Love,” 2009), “Si Doel” (“Doel,” 2010), “Soekma Djaja” (2013), “Topeng Betawi” (“Betawi Masl,” 2013), and “Lenggak Lenggok Jakarta”(“The Sway of Jakarta,” 2014).

Each production attracted a sizeable audience throughout their respective runs, but most importantly, they were successful in educating the public about Jakarta’s culture, such as the city’s dialect, songs, dances and martial arts.

Teater Abang None also aims to launch the entertainment careers of traditional Betawi artists by placing them in the national entertainment spotlight.

Under Ianta and specifically the Abang and None (Betawi for “big brother” and ‘Miss” respectively) beauty pageant, Jakarta’s younger generation can help in preserving traditions that date back hundreds of years to colonial Batavia (the name given to Jakarta by the Dutch East Indies in 1619). Even after their tenure is over, the crowned winners often choose to continue and stay faithful to the cause.

Former radio host and television personality Indra Bekti praises the organization, saying it has the has the ability to have a positive impact on Jakarta and its multi-ethnic population.

The organization’s social projects have played a prominent role in raising awareness about various issues currently plaguing Jakarta. In October, the contestants of the Abang None South Jakarta pageant established “Jakarta Clean,” a campaign encouraging residents to keep the streets of the capital city free of rubbish.

The group has also been actively involved in providing aid — in the form of clothing, food and medicine — to victims of natural disasters, including those hit hard by the annual floods of Jakarta during the rainy season.

None Jakarta 1995 winner Fifi Aleyda Yahya expressed the immense sense of pride she feels for having been apart of the organization’s social outreach programs, saying its activities have influenced others to create non-profit relief efforts that have vastly helped the underprivileged residence of Jakarta.

Ianta’s next social project is to establish a scholarship program for the poor in an effort to provide greater access to education for both children and young adults who are unable to afford schooling. The foundation says it sees education as the most effective tool for narrowing the massive gap between the rich and the poor in Jakarta.

One of its most recent endeavours, the brainchild of 2014 None Jakarta and Young Tourism Ambassador Vina Andani Muliana, aims to create and implement a system for sustainable farming in low-income residential areas of Jakarta that would involve the entire community.

“People can then choose to either sell or consume the harvest. We hope to give these communities the means to be economically independent through their own efforts and hard work,” Vina said.

Ianta chairman Rizkie Maulana Putra is optimistic that the future Abang and Nones of Jakarta will continue to be a positive influence on the city.

“Every year, we select 180 of Jakarta’s most promising youths to be a part of our organization. Each of them are then trained to serve as Jakarta’s Tourism Ambassador. These young men and women come from different educational and cultural backgrounds to serve for the betterment of Jakarta,” Rizkie said.