FOLKTALES COMPETITIONS

by Renhard Renn - translated by Wawan Husin

Days go week. Weeks go ,onths. July has passed and August comes into being. August a meaningful month for Indonesian people. Yes, it is the 17th of August, 1945 that history has recorded proclamation of the freedom of NKRI from the colonizers. It is on that very day that Indonesian people had cheerfully witnessed their founding fathers, Bung Hatta and Bung Karno, declared the national independence and freed the nation from the colonizers who had clutched the motherland for thee centuries and a half.

Days go week. Wewks go ,onths. July has passed and August comes into being. August a meaningful month for Indonesian people. Yes, it is the 17th of August, 1945 that history has recorded proclamation of the freedom of NKRI from the colonizers. It is on that very day that Indonesian people had cheerfully witnessed their founding fathers, Bung Hatta and Bung Karno, declared the national independence and freed the nation from the colonizers who had clutched the motherland for thee centuries and a half.That is the reason that when facing the month of August, Indonesian people has been so enthusiastic to prepare the celebration of the country’s independence> from the corners of villages to cities, the small red-and-white flags are streamed and waved on the alleys and streets. The red-and-white flags are fulfilling almost all corners of the places. The people are so gleeful to celebrate the day. And for certain, Rumah Dunia does not want to let herself left behind. Rumah Dunia celebrates the day with a special event: “Keranda merah Putih”. This has been the rite for a couple of years.

FOLKLORE

“Rumah Dunia should not be absent of the programs”. This sentence, this adage seems to be so fulfilled. The two events had just been executed, Village Ode II and Children party VI, and yet a new hustle bustle has arrived. A new event, which is certainly not less important than the two has been awaiting. When Gola Gong and Pak Indra Kesuma, drawing and painting mentor of Rumah Dunia, (4/8) had begun to discuss the programs for the event, a representative from Central Education Department of the city arrived. They said that they are going to hold a competition of “Folk Story” for Elementary and Junior Secondary School at Rumah Dunia.

The competition is initiated by Dinas Pendidikan Pusat Jakarta, and to be executed on 13th Agustus 2007. The representative stated that there will be 60 schools to participate in the competition consisting of . 30 from elementary ls and 30 from junior high schools . On the first round all the participants (on each level) will join the elimination round, only a half will pass. 15 from elementary and 15 from junior high. From this second round that the winners are to be selected. Two members of jury are Toto S. Radik and the president of Rumah Dunia, Firman Venayaksa. It seems that the competition “Folk Story”, which is initiated by Dindik, will become a warming-up for Rumah Dunia’s volunteers in order to execute the “KERANDA MERAH PUTIH”, that will be started on this coming15th.

KERANDA MERAH PUTIH

This is a major event in August. This year event is so special, Rumah Dunia will collaborate with Forum Kesenian Banten (FKB - Forum for Banten Arts) and Komunitas Perupa Banten (Community for Banten’s Fine Artists - KPB). KPB will hold a Group Painting Exhibition from 15th -26th August 2007!

The opening of the event will be on Wednesday , 15th Agustus 2007, at 14.00 in p.m. and ,Insya Allah, the honorable governor of Banten, Ms. Hj. Ratu Atut Chosiyah, SE will declare the event opened. The Kadisbudpar of Banten, H. Ranta Soeharta, has stated “Insya Allah, Bu Atut will come to open this event and be involved in the dialogue concerning the plan of Banten Library and Banten Cultural Center”.

The opening ceremony will be so Rumah Dunia special. A unique one. Cultural oration will be represented by the Rector of Sultan Tirtayasa University, Banten, Prof. DR. Yoyo Mulyana, who will put forward the needs of provincial library among the glamorous mall. The painters who will exhibit their works are among others: Gebar Sasmita (Pandeglang), Agus (Serang), Mhaex Maranoes (Serang), Sanggar Embun, Pak Haji, Ali, Si Uzi, Widodo.

Gebar Sasmita, a painter from Pandeglang said that the exhibition is to be held in Rumah Dunia since, one of the reasons, there is no public space (Cultural and Arts Building) made available for public by the Banten Gubernatorial and yet the building is needed by the artists to have expressed their works. Gebar Sasmita critically compared other cities and regencies which have possessed their own building for cultural events. Smiling bitterly, Gola Gong added, that in Village Ode I, 2006, the painting exhibition was held in a house at Ciloang neighborhood. The committee hired the (a half-finished) building, since there is no public space to make the painting exhibition possible to be held. And even, the provincial library building is still on a hired land – and the allocated fund in billions rupiah to build the library building has evaporated to nowhere.

The execution of Painting Exhibition in the event of “Keranda Merah Putih” at Rumah Dunia (15th – 26th Agustus 2007) and the availability of the Banten 1st Officer, Hj. Ratu Atut Chosiyah, SE,who will open the Event, is expected to make the government listen and pay attention to the aspiration of Banten artists’ who have been longing public spaces to express their works. It is a high time for Banten province to have her own Arts and Cultural Building! unyai gedung kesenian sendiri. (Renhard Renn, a volunteer of Rumah Dunia, Secretary for “Keranda Merah Putih”).