A revolution in the making
Casual designs are not just revolutionising batik culture, they’re also giving batik workers new choices> These batik shawls, made using the stamped technique, are being >> dried under the sun >> Amalinda Savirani Indonesian batik production has had something of a renaissance since top Indonesian designer Edo Hutabarat launched his innovative and casual designs under the label Part One in 2006. Edo did not create new batik patterns, as other senior Indonesian designers had in the past. Rather, he successfully matched traditional batik motifs with non-batik materials and more casual designs, prompting a revolution in the wearing of batik. Previously worn by older people, and then for formal occasions, many Indonesians across the generations are now donning batik in the course of their daily lives. The batik boom has increased production levels and evened out demand at different times of the year. This is good news for workers in the batik industry. However, at fi
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Indo-Rock: An Indo-European Hybrid
By: Chandra Drews
Never mind Elvis Presley and Bill Haley, the Tielman Brothers and their fellow Indo-rockers really rocked Europe in the 1950s. Pretty much forgotten in Western Europe and generally ignored in Indonesia, the story of Indo Rock is a curious one, closely intertwined with the story of Indonesian settlers in the Netherlands after Indonesia’s independence in 1945.
The sub-genre would prove to be one of the first modern marriages between western rhythm & blues/rock & roll with keroncong.
Indonesian Rock – A Documentation of Change
By: Chandra Drews
The story of the development of rock music in Indonesia is tightly related to the cultural and political changes the country faced in the last 50 years.
Chandra Drews delves into the history of rock in Indonesia:Â Indonesian rock during the Sukarno years, the New Order and now.
Gamelan, a true Indonesian invention!
By: Chandra Drews
Gamelan: A Distinctly Indonesian Thing
Mention ‘Indonesian Music’ to most folks in the Western hemisphere (or anywhere else come to that) and ‘Gamelan’ would be one of the first things that’ll cross their minds.
The Gamelan reflects a huge part of Indonesian culture in general, where collectivism is considered much more important than individualism (almost all the instruments in the gamelan have to be used as part of a larger ensemble and cannot be used individually to any enjoyable degree).
102: Current Edition
Learning to belong
Educational efforts are being made around the country to enable minorities to feel they belong and to teach majorities that they should value the diversity of Indonesia> Independence Day in a Balinese school >> Lyn Parker The cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity of Indonesia is famed around the world and accepted within Indonesia. The national motto of 'Unity in Diversity' places diversity at the centre of the nation-state. But despite significant progress in democratisation, decentralisation and regional autonomy in post-Suharto Indonesia, old fears of federalism, separatism and disunity remain. Multiculturalism and pluralism are still often viewed with suspicion and paranoia is spread by extremists for their own ends. The term 'multiculturalism' grew out of the civil rights movement in the US. Multiculturalism promotes ethnic and cultural diversity: how different cultures can live together peacefully, enjoying the freedom to express themselves but also being mindful of the ri
Vocational schools for all?
Gender favouritism and religious discrimination cause problems at a vocational school>> Muslims and non-Muslims working together to win the annual >> >cooking competition >>> Najib Kailan The Indonesian government is keen to increase the number of vocational schools in the country, seeing them both as a way to enhance the job prospects of school-leavers and as a way to build the human resource base of the country. Vocational schools aim to produce job-ready workers in automotive mechanics. computer software or hardware, accountancy, tourism, office administration and marketing. As elsewhere, in Indonesia they usually specialise a practice that leads to particular schools being dominated by students of a particular sex. Predictably, schools teaching 'masculine' skills like automotive mechanics mainly cater to boys while schools teaching office skills or preparing students for other 'feminine' occupations like catering are dominated by girls. Because vocational schools cater to lower socio-economic groups, one might expect them to be incl
Vision is not enough
A whole-school effort is needed to realise a vision of multicultural education in an Islamic boarding school> A group discussion in sociology class >> Raihani One afternoon, right after the afternoon prayer, students, their teachers and members of the surrounding community gather at Pesantren Darussalam in Yogyakarta to join the monthly communal supplication led by Kyai Tariq. Men wear sarongs and white Muslim shirts with white caps on their heads and women wear modest Muslim dress. They sit in two single-sex groups divided by a curtain. Together they recite prayers, thanking God for His blessings on the community. As the kyai explains, this monthly gathering is part of the pesantren's efforts to produce santris (as pious Muslims are known) who can respect and work for humanity, an objective he believes has not been achieved by the current education system. He goes on to say there is a need to reorient pesantren education to equip children to part
Educating global citizens?
The privileged are increasingly opting for international schools where students learn the good and the bad of multiculturalism> On United Nations day, flags are displayed representing the >> nationalities of the students >> Danau Tanu 'This is my country. The bule (white people) shouldn't mess with our country,' he said, perched precariously on the back of a bench at an international school in Jakarta. Dae Sik was talking about Indonesia. He grew up in Indonesia, but he is technically South Korean. His passport says so, his name says so, and ethnically speaking he is. 'But, aren't you Korean?' I asked. 'Of course,' he responded, 'it's in my blood.' As far as he was concerned, nothing he had said was contradictory. Dae Sik's high school is a multicultural bubble for expatriate and Indonesian children. Inside the security gates lies a well-maintained, oasis-like campus which belies the bustle and smog of Jakarta. As students flood out of the classrooms at recess, you
Cautiously promoting humanism
A new Chinese school tries to promote 'universal' Confucian values>>PaHoa proudly displays its name in Mandarin characters >> Charlotte Setijadi-Dunn The new PaHoa School complex looks imposing against the flat and rather barren outer suburban landscape that surrounds it. Opened in 2008 and located within a new elite residential estate development in the Serpong area, about 30km outside of Jakarta, the private school already boasts more than 2400 students from kindergarten to high school. At first glance, PaHoa School appears to be typical of exclusive multilingual schools that have sprung up around Jakarta and other major Indonesian cities in recent years. It offers a 'National Plus' curriculum taught in three languages (Indonesian, English and Mandarin), as well as state-of-the-art facilities like the latest computers, air-conditioned classrooms and a library that houses imported text books. Catering to the children of the very rich, these so-called 'global' schools have become popular among Indonesia's mid
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