Jakarta Globe, Fanny Octavianus, Nov 27, 2014
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.
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.