Kita Belajar

Screenings

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 04:21:36 -0400

(Note from Daniel: Apologies for the radio silence around here, but the end of the project was such a whirlwind of planning, post-production, team members having to leave home early, screenings, further editing, and more that we haven’t had time to update the blog until long after the dust settled. The following piece is lifted belatedly from Amirah’s excellent (in)donesia blog, while I will be posting up another reflection sometime in the next few days.)

On July 7, at the trendy Kedai Kebun Forum, our weeks of cultural exchange, long days of filming and all-nighters spent editing culminated (though that word really is too final for my liking) in a screening of the three films produced as a result of the Nourish International/Kampung Halaman collaboration.

After much deliberation, we’d titled our series ‘Kita Belajar’ (or, ‘We Learn’, though the English translation does not fully encapsulate the inclusive ‘we’ of the Indonesian ‘kita’). The name had been staring us in the face the entire time as Daniel had cleverly made it the title of our team blog in early May, but we hadn’t thought to use it until the very last moment. The official blurb:

In May 2012, seven US students joined the Indonesian NGO Kampung Halaman to produce participatory media stories in Yogyakarta, an academic and cultural hub of Indonesia. These students worked directly with Indonesian youth on stories in three different communities - Gama 55 (Dusun Krapyak, Wedomartani, Sleman), PMII UIN (Yogyakarta), Kobatte (Tembi, Bantul) - exploring culture, identity and daily life through their perspectives.

Though we faced a couple of obstacles - the most significant being the fact that due to all our incredibly last-minute editing, Dan didn’t get the boys’ film to the venue till two hours into the screening (!) - the evening was lovely. It was the perfect way to end our collaboration. We got to share the fruits of our labour representatives from other NGO’s working on community media projects, backpackers who had stumbled into our screening after dinner at Kedai Kebun and, most importantly, all the wonderful friends we had made in Yogya, - in the Kampung Halaman staff, the communities we worked within and those we had met through Greg and Tom.

After being serenaded by the entire staff of Kampung Halaman, we celebrated with a very very late dinner at the wonderfully weird House of Remington.

The actual films will be posted here as soon as they are uploaded online. For now, below are their accompanying descriptions:

Kota Pelajar by Amirah Jiwa and Evgeniya Serdetchnaia

Yogyakarta is home to over one hundred higher educational institutes of different religious denominations, specializations and degrees of public ownership. We profile female students from the community of Krapyak in Yogyakarta at different stages in their education. Astri Larasati (Laras) has just graduated from SMK Negeri 1 Depok, a vocational public high school, and is choosing a university. Diah Arumsari (Ayi) is sitting her second year final exams at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomie YKPN, a speciality university for finance. Cici is working on her thesis before she graduates from the Universitas Islam Negeri. We explore the differences between college life in the United States and in Indonesia - the differences are often more subtle than they are apparent. Their families have given the students the choice to follow their dreams, but they all aim to use to use their education and careers to give back to their parents. They find education in Yogya to be both affordable and accessible but still, they have reflected on the ways in which the current system can be improved.

Jalan Tengah by Kevin Briggs, Greg Randolph and Daniel Turner

Developing a unique understanding of moderate Islam, preserving Indonesian culture and working as agents of social change, members of Pergerakan Mahasiswa Islam Indonesia (PMII) at Universitas Islam Negeri-Sunan Kalijaga employ the philosophy of ‘rahmatan lil ‘alamin’ (Blessings of all Creation) as a fundamental tool of moral navigation. Exploring the manifestation of this philosophy within the various outlets of PMII lifestyle and interactions, this film follows the struggle of actualizing academic social theory with the reality of life in Indonesia. From the campus to coffee shops to the rural village of Kepuhan, PMII’s core values of community and equality are exhibited through friendship, faith, political justice and their love of the nation of Indonesia.

Wayang Gaul by Grace Farson and Nicole Welsh

In the village of Tembi, wayang, traditional Javanese shadow puppetry, has long been considered to be a central part of educating, entertaining and sharing heritage with younger generations. Many children of Tembi however, find the wayang performances long and tedious, making it difficult for the elders to pass on the traditional stories and values. In order to bridge this gap, Mas Humam created Wayang Gaul, a contemporary spin on wayang, in Tembi. Wayang Gaul adapts the traditional plots and gamelon compositions of wayang to address current issues, such as corruption or the effects of modern technology. His main goal is not only to reconnect the children of Tembi with their roots, but show them that through the arts they can increase their confidence and become vessels of their heritage, bridging the generational gap. This film takes a look as the impact of Mas Humam and Wayang Gaul on youth in Tembi as they work to create a Wayang about the importance of their community and culture.

"If I had learnt one thing from travelling, it was that the way to get things done was to go ahead..."

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 04:09:44 -0400

“If I had learnt one thing from travelling, it was that the way to get things done was to go ahead and do them. Don’t talk about going to Borneo. Book a ticket, get a visa, pack a bag, and it just happens.”

- Alex Garland, The Beach (via indoneeesia)

Hello Harry Potter!

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:12:00 -0400

Dear friends of Kita Belajar: Considering that most of the thoughts and ideas expressed in this blog are from the perspective of the Nourish team, as we interpret lives, cultures and experiences in Indonesia, we felt it only fair to give the Indonesian communities we work with the chance to write about us.

The following piece is written by Thibbur Prawirodirjan, a member of Pergerakan Mahasiswa Islam Indonesia (Indonesian Muslim Student Movement), with whom Kevin, Greg and Daniel have been working. The piece is translated by Greg.

Hey teman, lihat ! Itu Hary Potter !

Beberapa minggu yang lalu, kami mengajak Daniel, Kevin, dan Greg untuk berkunjung ke Kepuhan, Sedayu Bantul. Mungkin anak-anak disana belum pernah bertemu dengan bule sebelumnya, dan hanya melihat bule di televisi. Jadi ketika mereka melihat Daniel, mereka mengira Daniel adalah Hary Potter :D

Jadi, bagaimana dengan kami ?

Sebelum kedatangan Daniel, Kevin, dan Greg, di rayon (basecamp PMII) kami terjadi sedikit perdebatan. Tentang kehidupan para bule di rayon, apakah mereka siap hidup di hutan ? Di tempat sekotor ini ? (pikir kami). Dan setelah bertemu untuk kali pertama di kantor Kampung Halaman, pikiran kami semakin kacau. Takut, kalau sewaktu-waktu mereka enggak betah karena keadaan tempat dan makanan yang sedikit “mengenaskan”. Apa yang harus kami lakukan ketika mereka terkena diare, sedangkan tidak ada air di kamar mandi ?

Tapi Alhamdulillah – puji tuhan, mas Abu berkata kepada kami bahwa mereka tidak berharap mendapatkan keindahan atau kenyamanan seperti ketika sedang liburan. “Mereka lebih siap daripada apa yang kamu pikirkan”, kata mas Abu sambil tersenyum kepada kami. Dan mas Abu benar, bule-bule itu sangat senang bisa hidup di rayon. Kami juga tidak lagi merasa canggung ketika harus berbicara dan berdiskusi dengan mereka. Daniel, Kevin, dan Greek melewati hari-hari bersama kami di rayon dengan penuh canda dan tawa.

Kebanyakan dari kami berfikir bahwa teman bule kami mempunyai pola hidup yang sehat. Karena setiap hari, mereka selalu meminum air putih, tidak merokok, dan membuang sampah pada tempatnya. Namun kenyatannya terbalik ketika kami melihat kamar tempat Daniel dan Kevin beristirahat. It’s waw ! Dengan sedikit bercanda, aku (Thibbur) berkata pada Kevin, underwear in everywhere ! :D. Dan ketika hal ini kuceritakan keadaan kamar si bule kepada teman-teman kuliahku, Kevin berkata “Itu bukan barang-barangku ! Itu milik Daniel !”. Dan ia berkata bahwa dirinya adalah orang yang selalu menjaga kebersihan. Tapi aku tahu dia berbohong :)

Ya, itu salah satu dari sekian banyak candaan yang kami buat. Tapi kami tidak pernah mempermasalahkan itu, karena kami senang dengan teman-teman bule kami. Dan aku selalu bilang ke Daniel, Kevin, dan Greek bahwa aku berharap kalian dapat tinggal disini lebih lama lagi. Dan jika ada kesempatan, kami akan ke Amerika berboncengan dengan motor yang kami miliki :D.

(Aku tidak bisa membayangkan apa yang terjadi dengan bokong kami bila kami naik motor berboncengan ke Amerika…)

Hey friend, look! It’s Harry Potter!

A few weeks ago, we invited Daniel, Kevin and Greg to visit Kepuhan, Sedayu, Bantul. Maybe the children there hadn’t ever met a white person before that, and had only seen them on television. So when they saw Daniel, they assumed he was Harry Potter. :D

So, how about us?

Before the arrival of Daniel, Kevin and Greg at the Rayon (PMII’s base camp), we had a little debate. About the lifestyle of white people at the Rayon. Will they be ready to live in the jungle? In a place as dirty as this? (We thought). And after we met for the first time in the Kampung Halaman office, our minds were even more mixed up. Afraid, of whether they’d ever be able to stand the condition of our place and food, which is a bit “pathetic”. What should we do if they’re stricken with diarrhea, while there’s no water in the bathroom?

But, thanks be to God, praise the Lord, Mas Abu told us that they weren’t expecting to get the beauty or comfort of a vacation. “They are more ready than you think,” Mas Abu said while smiling at us. And Mas Abu was right, these white guys were so happy to live in the Rayon. We too didn’t feel awkward when talking or discussing things with them. Daniel, Kevin and Greg passed the days with us at the Rayon full of jokes and laughter.

Most of us think that our white friends have a healthy lifestyle. Because every day they’re always drinking water, not smoking, and throwing trash in its proper place. But in reality it’s the opposite—when we saw the room where Daniel and Kevin sleep. Whoa! Joking a little, I said to Kevin, “underwear in everywhere!” :D And when I chatted about the condition of their room with my friends at university, Kevin said “those aren’t my things! They’re Daniel’s!” And he said that he himself is a person who always keeps things clean. But I know he was lying. :)

Yeah, that’s just one of so many jokes that we had. But we never made an issue of it, because we were so happy with our foreign friends. And I always told Daniel, Kevin and Greg that I wished they could stay here longer. And if we have the chance, we’ll go to America riding on our motorbikes. :D

(I can’t imagine what would happen to our butts if we rode motorbikes to America…)

Kemajuan in Kepuhan

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 20:17:00 -0400

Post by Greg

This experience in Indonesia comes at a moment when questions about the utility of my liberal arts education are front of mind. No, I’m not talking about “marketability.” In our society, those who reap the highest monetary reward are those who short sell basic commodities like wheat and rice (exacerbating the world food crisis), those who jack up the price of life-saving drugs because of their “inflexible” demand, those who sell bundled, sure-to-fail mortgages. Indeed, it would be a mistake to measure my worth or the worth of my degree based on “marketability” in this market.

When I say utility, I mean the extent to which what I’ve learned in the ivory tower is powerful, resonant and relevant in the post-graduation world where I hope to make a positive difference. In this sense, the fascinating conversations and discussions I’ve witnessed and joined this summer working with Pergerakan Mahasiswa Islam Indonesia (The Indonesian Muslim Student Movement) actually leave me optimistic that my engagements with religion and anthropology at UNC were worthwhile, that my studies provide a lens that is cross-culturally relevant and helpful.

Arturo Escobar’s and Michal Osterweil’s lessons on the development regime rang true in my experiences with the village of Kepuhan, on the outskirts of Jogja, where PMII is currently doing long-term community work. Kepuhan is beautiful—deep greens abound, water is abundant, and (by admission of the community itself) destitute poverty is extremely minimal. This is not to idealize Kepuhan as perfect or unspoiled. Community members feel strongly that educational opportunities are too few. And as we learned, the lush natural environment surrounding Kepuhan is not “untouched” but rather the result of a concerted effort to restore clear-cut forests.

But Kepuhan is a nice place. It would be a good place to grow up. Formal, institutional knowledge is perhaps in short supply there, but the community is rich in first-hand knowledge of ecosystems, agriculture, and Javanese culture. This is indeed something that members of PMII and villagers in Kepuhan recognize. Other forces are at work in Kepuhan, though, forces traceable back to the development regime outlined in my courses at UNC.

In Kepuhan, knowledge of the land and education in traditional Javanese arts somehow aren’t included in “Sumber Daya Manusia” (“human resources” or “human capital”). Over and over, we heard from community members that “Sumber Daya Alam” (“natural resources”) were plentiful in Kepuhan but Sumber Daya Manusia were deficient. Furthermore, community leaders frequently described Kepuhan as tertinggal (left behind) and emphasized the need for kemajuan (progress/advancement). It seemed though that this “progress” was never really defined. Progress toward what? I found myself wondering. I finally asked one of the community leaders: “Kemajuan ini seperti apa? Kalau membayangkan Kepuhan yang sudah maju, itu seperti apa?” (What exactly is this progress? If you imagine a Kepuhan that is advanced, what is it like?) He responded that the main street running through the town would be busy, crowded with vendors, tourists, and food stalls. But for the members of PMII, who all attend university in the city center of Jogja, the lack of this hustle is exactly why they love working in rural communities.

In some ways, this is an old story: the “educated” members of a rapidly industrializing society are nostalgic for the simple ways of the village, while the villagers eagerly seek to become modern. Despite its tendency toward trope, I do believe the situation in Kepuhan should invite reflection. In a community that could sustain itself based on a local food economy, where tradition and culture are thriving and safety isn’t even a concern, the inexorable pull toward “progress”—toward urbanization, formalization of education, and more consumptive lifestyles—still holds sway.

The battle, of course, is over interpretation of this phenomenon—why do the villagers in Kepuhan want to lose precisely that which the members of PMII (and I) long for? Advocates of our current global economy would argue that the desire for “progress” is universal. My classes at UNC entrusted me with a different belief—that the linear pull toward “development” is based in the confusion of comfort with happiness, that we’ve taught ourselves to think of some places as “advanced” and other places as tertinggal. What I’ve yet to discover is how to act on this belief.

The Hunger Games

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 08:04:00 -0400

Post by Jen

For my first few weeks in Yogya, I wasn’t quite able to pinpoint why people here seem to be so much friendlier and even happier than what I’m used to in the U.S. and Canada. I think after watching (what Amirah and I have jokingly dubbed) The Hunger Games in the Krapyak ‘village’ (I still find it hard to believe that the spot we live is considered a village.. it is about a 15-minute motorbike drive from the centre of Yogya city, and most homes seem to have modern amenities like electricity and water), it has become apparent to me that the deciding difference might be the strength in the sense of community that comes from the emphasis on collectivism as opposed to individualism. After I noticed that, I started seeing this collectivism everywhere. Even in the way people drive - it’s almost as if every driver is looking out for the interests of every other driver on the street, which I bet helps to reduce the traffic accident incidence from India-style rates with the mosh-posh of motorbikes, cars and trucks vying for space on the roads.

What we call The Hunger Games are Indonesia’s Independence Day games, which would normally be celebrated on August 17th (the day Indonesia’s independence from the Netherlands was declared in 1945). The games this year were meant to be moved up to July so as not to fall during the Ramadan fasting, and in the village of Krapyak they were moved up all the way to July 1 (which ironically coincided with Canada Day.. potentially significant to only me here) so that Amirah and I could partake. When I first heard of the games consisting of climbing up a palm tree to get the prizes at the top, I envisioned Amirah and me giving it a try.. Until I saw the greased-up palm tree pole that required teams of five or so men to climb over top of each other (using backs of knees and jean loopholes for support) to get to the top, while wiping off the greasy parts to make the climb easier. Right, I would have enough trouble using upper body strength to pull myself a metre off the ground on the pole, let alone take part in these complicated maneuvers.

The teamwork and sense of community in the games was incredible. Each man had the others’ backs.. literally. After a solid six hours of about six teams of five trying to get to the top, the men all worked together to clean off the pole and get to the prizes. The man who finally succeeded (by this point it was mid-afternoon and the sun sizzled my skin even as I watched) did so by climbing over a teammate’s body, who acted as a human holster. In the end, the prizes, save for one, went to the children in the audience.

We realized how different the sportsmanship that we’re used to is when Amirah commented on one of the teams being “the worst one.” As the teams all started to work together, we realized that perhaps being the best was never the intent and that our Indonesian counterparts in the audience would perhaps not even think to make that sort of qualification.

Members of PMII relax during a group meeting at Pantai Goa...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:11:27 -0400

Members of PMII relax during a group meeting at Pantai Goa Cemara in Bantul regency.

Photo by Daniel M.N. Turner

Pak Casio, the father of Pak Wundi—the RT, or governmental head,...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:25:03 -0400

Pak Casio, the father of Pak Wundi—the RT, or governmental head, of Kepuhan—enjoys a cigarette and the conversation before a meeting between members of Kepuhan and students from PMII.

Kekuatan Mahasiswa (student power)

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 08:02:00 -0400

Post by Greg

Earlier this year, I joined an organizing effort at UNC against proposed tuition increases of 40% over the next five years. For me and many of my peers, these tuition hikes represented the ever-advancing encroachment of privatization in public higher education. In the meetings we attended led by university officials, a diploma was spoken of as a commodity. Peer universities spoken of as competing corporations.

Even after a month-long process of building a diverse coalition and struggling to articulate the concerns of many different student constituencies on the tuition issue, administrators at UNC failed to meet students on a level playing field. At the university Board of Trustees meeting, a couple students were given the chance to speak for a few minutes each, after the board had kept students standing and waiting for hours. At the Board of Governors meetings, not one student was able to speak. The limited number of forums that were held for the general student population on the tuition issue were poorly advertised; they involved long and tedious presentations by administrators, after which a few questions were entertained. Even in the committee formed to analyze the tuition issue, students (and faculty and staff) were far outnumbered by administrators. The message from university officials was consistent: the chancellor and his staff are the autocrats of the university, and if they deign to speak with students, it is only out of benevolence, not with recognition of students’ right to have a say in the policies of their institution.

What Kevin, Daniel and I witnessed today was a very different relationship between students and their university, when members of PMII (Pergerakan Mahasiswa Islam Indonesia—Indonesian Muslim Student Movement) organized a demonstration against a new condition of admission to the university. Universitas Islam Negeri of Yogyakarta, under pressure to raise its international rankings, has instituted a measure disqualifying prospective students from admission who have graduated from high school more than three years before the year of their application. The 1984-esque, eerily named International Organization for Standardization (ISO) considers in its ranking schema the percentage of students that enter the university directly after secondary school.

Members of PMII argue, with strong evidence, that the measure directly contradicts the constitutional stipulation that “Setiap warga negara berhak mendapatkan pendidikan” (Every citizen has the right to obtain education). The new measure would disproportionately affect the poor, they say, who often need to work and save money before they’re able to begin university. They go further in claiming that their university is trying to raise its international ranking so as to secure more financing—a move they say represents industrialisasi pendidikan (the industrialization—or commercialization—of education). It rings true with the perception of concerned UNC students (not to mention the impressive movement in Montreal).

The kordinator lapangan (field coordinators) of PMII first tried to schedule meetings with the rektor (chancellor) to discuss their concerns. When these requests were ignored, they began planning the demonstration. Around 9:30am this morning, the student march arrived in the lobby of the central administrative building—chanting demands that the rektor come down to speak with them. The students—numbering around fifty—refused to listen to pleas from building managers to quiet down or leave. They brought with them signs proclaiming the new rule to be unconstitutional. And tires—a threat to the administration that if their demands were not fulfilled they would set thick, rubbery fires in front of the building.

Thirty minutes after their arrival, the rektor descended the spiral staircase of the building, a security detail following him. Different students adopted different strategies of addressing him: while some stood further off shouting slogans and reacting sharply to every one of the rektor’s hesitations. Others—mostly the kordinator lapangan, dressed sharply in green blazers with the PMII logo—rushed into the center of the action and confronted the rektor directly, entering into a dialogue. With cameras flashing and filming from every angle (Daniel did an exceptional job of catching the most heated moments)—their multi-pronged strategy worked. Within an hour or two, the rektor had agreed to completely dismantle the new policy, marking the decision with his signature, and he also fulfilled some of PMII’s other demands regarding student fees.

This morning’s events invited reflection for me, as someone who believes in the power of direct action and protest but has yet to join fully the world of activism. The protest movement I joined earlier this year culminated in feelings of strength—we felt we had shown the potential of student power. But witnessing the boldness of PMII’s demonstration this morning, and just as importantly, the immediacy with which the administration addressed their demands, shows just how far student activism in the United States has yet to come. University administrations, much like other institutions (the Democratic party included), doubt the power of students to organize effectively or lobby for their values and interests. This is why the UNC administration’s reaction to tuition protests this year was blasé. Why the Obama administration has turned its back on the issues that young people care about most.

The contrast could not be sharper in Indonesia, where the memory of a student-led revolution to end 31 years of authoritarian rule remains fresh. The tires that members of PMII brought with them this morning are powerful messages to those in positions of power—that a belief in the struggle for justice burns as brightly now as it did in 1998.

The nicest people in the world

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 03:54:00 -0400

Post by Jen

I am convinced that the world’s nicest people live in Yogya (according to Brit Amirah, Americans describe everything in superlative… despite my lack of American-ness, I am evidently also guilty). I am able to tap out this blog post because a fellow Dunkin Donuts (a fancy restaurant here in Yogya… I sometimes wonder if the KFCs, McDonalds’ and Pizza Huts of Asia are fancier in actuality or just in comparison to their local siblings; certainly this DD is fancier than the one in West Virginia that my family always seems to break at while road-tripping… the one with the unisex bathroom and missing stall doors…) patron offered me his extension cord after watching me hunt for a plug for my waning ThinkPad.

I feel like travelers tend to attribute the “nicest people in the world” award generously to many a place, but never have I felt it to be so fitting as in Yogya. Here I don’t feel like I get extra attention because I am a boleh (the Bahasa word for a foreigner) like I would in Kampala, nor because I am a woman like I would in Quito. I have never met more universally friendly or eager-to-help people. A smile seems to be the default expression around here. Sure I can only speak for Yogyakarta, because I have not had extensive interactions with Indonesians from other parts of the country. It’s also possible that I am on the upper end of the culture shock ‘U,’ but if that is so, it seems that I am luckily spending the majority of my time in Indonesia up here.

In this city, perhaps the only thing there is more of than friendly people is universities (almost). Yogyakarta is home to over one hundred diploma programs, and government, state and private universities. If that doesn’t qualify the city as a college town, Boston has no claim either. Given the vast number of educational institutions and students in the city, few would suggest that when Amirah, Phil (a Jakarta International School student working with us on this project) and I settled on the topic of education for our documentary that our idea was either out-of-left-field or particularly innovative.

After kicking around a couple of theses along the lines of ‘obtaining an education while overcoming personal obstacles,’ we collectively agreed that we didn’t know enough about college life in Yogyakarta to form concrete opinions. A couple things are apparent even to the unobservant - Yogya students don’t live on-campus nor do they party as much. But these observations obviously weren’t much help in developing a topic. Instead of forcing our documentary to fit a list of objectives, like showing that boys are prioritized for educational opportunities as compared to girls (which we have not found to be the case.. in fact, we are working with mostly girls in filming) or that religion divides education (which we have again found not to be the case, as we’ve met Christians attending the Islamic university and vice versa), we have decided to search for a theme within our observations while filming.

Our work station at Kampung Halaman, overlooking the jungle (rough life)

Team meeting

Getting comfortable with being on-screen

A local public high school - “sweet school like home”

Amirah and Laras

Team portrait in front of Mount Merapi. For the next week we are...

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 01:31:27 -0400

Team portrait in front of Mount Merapi. For the next week we are joined by Philip (left), a high schooler from Jakarta who is helping shoot video with Jen and Amirah on the Kampung Halaman community project.

amirah (in)donesia: Soegija

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 00:09:00 -0400

amirah (in)donesia: Soegija:

indoneeesia:

Today, for the first time ever, I watched a movie entirely in a foreign language without English subtitiles.

Soegija is a historical movie directed by Garin Nugroho - who I’m told is one of Indonesia’s greatest directors - that tells the story of Mgr. Albertus Magnus Soegijapranata SJ, a national hero and the first native archbishop of Indonesia…

kevinmichaelbriggs: Head of Kepuhan village looks at graves of...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 08:29:18 -0400

kevinmichaelbriggs:

Head of Kepuhan village looks at graves of freedom fighters who sought refuge in the hills southwest of Yogyakarta during Indonesia’s post-WWII War of Independence. Yogyakarta, Indonesia. June 11, 2012.

kevinmichaelbriggs: UIN students and members of PMII discuss...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 08:29:14 -0400

kevinmichaelbriggs:

UIN students and members of PMII discuss gender roles in Islam at PMII headquarters. In the foreground is a poster of Sukarno - Indonesia’s first president and author of the nation’s Declaration of Independence. Yogyakarta, Indonesia. June 12, 2012.

kevinmichaelbriggs: Geckos are everywhere. Yogyakarta,...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 08:29:11 -0400

kevinmichaelbriggs:

Geckos are everywhere. Yogyakarta, Indonesia. June 10, 2012.

Discovering Kepuhan

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 06:39:00 -0400

Post by Daniel

For the past week Kevin and I have lived in the rayon (HQ) of PMII with Gatot, the current president, and an ever-changing number of warga mahasiswa (student members). The rayon is the heart of PMII, constantly filled with students meeting for discussions, relaxing and playing guitars, watching late night soccer (Euro Cup 2012!), and printing official PMII documents, among many other activities.

But today’s post takes place about 30 km away in Kepuhan, a rural village in the southern Bantul regency. PMII has just started a community service project with the members of this village, and last Monday Greg, Kevin and I set off with three PMII members for the first official trip to Kepuhan.

As soon as we stopped our motor bikes next to a short, stout house built of bamboo and banana leaves, we were warmly greeted by the tall grin of the village head, Pak Wandi (aka Pak RT). Introductions were made, and Pak RT showed us sketches and examples of the handmade furniture and baskets that local youth and adults build and sell; in addition to educational lessons for the youth of the community, the people of Kepuhan seek PMII’s aid in marketing and promoting the goods and services of their town.

Mid-conversation, Gatot turns to the three of us and translates, “Pak RT wants to know if you would like a coconut.” I turn and look at the green-yellow shells hanging within arms-reach on the palm trees next to the house and say “sure!”, expecting the locals will just shake a tree and Bam! instant snack. Turns out I was looking at the wrong trees…

Pak RT makes the climb look easy, and then Kevin (and I) make complete fools of ourselves in front of our hosts.

After slicing off a couple ripe (as in brown!) bunches of coconuts, Pak RT and a local teen set to the hard fruits with machetes and much gusto

And within a few minutes we had a tasty drink:

Like a panera bread-bowl, our coconuts came with a spoon to scoop out the flesh after drinking!

The locals were greatly humored when we told them how coconut water is the latest health food craze in the US, with bottles selling for upwards of $5 each. They noted that most of the flavor—and probably the nutrients—disappears when you refrigerate coconut water for more than two days, and noted that it is the most abundant fruit in the tropics, with a growing season of “whenever you want one, you can get one!.”

Energized by the fresh, tasty snack, we set forth from the house and deeper into Kepuhan. As we passed by each house along the main road, the owners would greet us with a handshake and a palm pressed against the chest, a Javanese gesture signifying “I will keep you in my heart.” Some chose to join our impromptu tour, until near twenty youth, students, and adults were marching down the main road toward destinations unknown.

If you can read Bahasa Indonesia, you now know one of our destinations!

The adventures of that afternoon are a bit lengthy to include in this single post, but our destinations included: An aquaduct-cum-bridge that spanned 40 feet over the river before snaking through rice paddies; the hillside gravestones of four freedom fighters who gave their lives during the independence movement of the 1940s; a hilltop panorama whose view stretched all the way to the mountains that ring around Yogyakarta, and the Goa, which turns out to mean cave! A full gallery of the sites we saw that day can be viewed here.

The tour ended with more food and good manners, as we shared tea within a gorgeous meeting space walled and thatched with woven banana leaves. While sipping on the sweet, hot brew I managed to yet again make an amusing fool of myself when I confused the words for head (kapala) and coconut (kalapa), and told one of the elders I couldn’t wear the hat he offered me because I had a large coconut!

After discussion with Gatot and other members of PMII, we have decided that our documentary will focus strongly on the projects PMII are starting in Kepuhan, and how they reflect and embody the values and philosophies of these Islamic students. Tomorrow we return to Kepuhan to interview Pak RT and other villagers; we look forward to the stories that will emerge as we continue working in this beautiful, scenic community.

Afternoon tea.

Sunday morning

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:04:00 -0400

Post by Jen

While the others spent their early Sundays lounging about at the beach or at the mall, Amirah and I built a road.

That’s our version of the events, at least. Perhaps others would (more accurately) describe the morning as us passing around some liquid cement (is this the proper terminology?) as the men of the kampung did the heavy lifting.

Road construction in front of Kampung Halaman

In truth, Amirah and I spent most of the morning marveling at the efficiency and lack of bureaucracy in the road-building process. The paving of the road in front of the Kampung Halaman NGO-headquarters took no more than a morning. This would never go down so quickly in London, Amirah said. The men of the community volunteered for the morning to build the road, breaking only for some tea (technically not called ‘sweet tea,’ but the South got nothing on the sweetness of this beverage) and tofu.

Amirah, hard at work

The assembly line

kevinmichaelbriggs: Members of Pergerakan Mahasiswa Islam...

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 00:27:05 -0400

kevinmichaelbriggs:

Members of Pergerakan Mahasiswa Islam Indonesia [PMII - Indonesian Islamic Student Movement], hang out and construct bamboo torches for a charity concert the following evening. Yogyakarta, Indonesia. June 8, 2012.

kevinmichaelbriggs: Kampung Halaman. Krapkak, Yogyakarta,...

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 00:26:53 -0400

kevinmichaelbriggs:

Kampung Halaman. Krapkak, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. June 7, 2012.

"Muslim Moderat"

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 05:56:44 -0400

Post by Greg

The day was one of the steamiest we’d experienced since arriving in Jogja. I’d made a poor decision to go running at 11am—after the equatorial sun had already tightened its grip on the day—and into the mid-afternoon sweat continued seeping, unabated.

But it was also the day that Daniel, Kevin and I would meet our future friends and fellow film producers—a group of bright Indonesian university students who lead an active local chapter of Pergerakan Mahasiswa Islam Indonesia (the Indonesian Islamic Student Movement). Given their friendliness and excitement about the project to come, what was supposed to be a short afternoon meeting became a full evening of nongkrong (slang for ‘hanging out’), complete with an in-depth lesson on Islamic history, Islamic law, even Sufism.

The theme that emerged from our conversations Thursday evening is one that we think will play an important role in the film we’re making about the PMII chapter at Universitas Islam Negeri (State Islamic University): the idea of “moderate Islam.” The students in PMII emphasize that they are Muslim moderat, and indeed this is a term we as Americans are familiar with. “Moderate Muslims” are talked about often in the mainstream media, but they are nearly always defined by what they are not: terrorists. Or, as noted by Omid Safi, an important voice in discussions of Islam and modernity, “moderate Muslim” is too frequently synonymous with Muslims who don’t complain about American foreign policy. We are told over and over again that extremist Muslims are a slim minority, which is indeed true. But we in the West have a limited vocabulary for describing the beliefs and practices of all the other Muslims, who number near 1.5 billion.

This, for me, is part of what this project is about. What does it mean to be a self-described Muslim student activist in Jogjakarta—as our friends at PMII are? We’re beginning to see glimpses of what this identity looks like. Udin, one of the charismatic students we met on Thursday, says that the two most important concepts in Islam are, one, the unity of God, and two, justice. This evening, we’ll be attending a gamelan concert organized by PMII to benefit the homeless community of Jogja. The students at PMII also emphasize that their interpretation of Islam takes into account historical context.

Of course, even if our film gives broad contours to this ambiguous term—“moderate Muslim”—that is used so thoughtlessly in mainstream media, it will surely also unveil the remarkable but unsurprising diversity of the “non-extremist” Muslim community. During our initial conversations with PMII students, we learned of internal disagreements over the controversial Canadian author, Irshad Manji, an open lesbian and self-appointed spokesperson for “liberal Islam,” whose book talk in Jogja was recently canceled due to threatened violence from the Front Pembela Islam (Islamic Defense Front), an aggressive extremist group. What I hope our project illustrates is the beautiful dignity of the “moderate Muslim” community—composed of both unified opposition to extremism and radical diversity of interpretation, practice and local culture.

Cerita Pendek (A Little Story)

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:34:00 -0400

Post by Daniel Turner

We finished our 30 hour language program at Alam Bahasa today. In order to receive our certificates of completion we each had to give a short speech using the vocabulary and grammar we had learned over the past week. I chose to tell a short story about what happened to me the day before as I wandered along near our homestay looking for interesting pictures. Here is part of the Bahasa Indonesia text I wrote, as well as a translation.

Kemarin, saya mau ambil foto foto di orang orang Yogyakarta, dan berlatih bahasa Indonesia. Sambil berjalan-jalan dekat Jalan Affandi, saya lihat orang orang yang bermain volleyball, dan minta: “Boleh saya ambil foto kalian?” Mereka bicara: “Boleh!”

Saya ambil berberapa foto-foto, dan mereka minta, “Mister, anda mau bermain?” “Oke!” Mereka serve bola kepada saya, dan saya mamukul bola di luar…”Maaf!” Sesudah, mereka serve bola kepada teman satu team, dia pass kepada saya, saya melompat dan…Score! Saya berteriak, “Bagus!” dan kami tertawa.

Translation

Yesterday, I wanted to take pictures of the people of Yogyakartan and practice Indonesian. Walking near Jalan Afandi, I saw people playing volleyball and asked: “May I take a photo of you all?” They said: “You may!”

I took some photos, and they said, “Mister, do you want to play?” “ok!” They served the ball to me, and I knocked it out of bounds…”Sorry!” Then, they served the ball to my teammate, he passed it to me, I jumped and…score! I shouted, “Great!” and we all laughed.