USIPP in the Indonesian newspaper!
--Zafira Rahmania Nur Shabrina, Gadjah Mada University
Today
we visited the Sultan’s house, more like a park! It was huge and it was
filled not only with over three thousand servants but also a myriad of
tourists!
We finally got to see a gamelan orchestra. Next we went
shopping. The indoor market had a couple of floors, packed with batik,
puppets, scarves, and TOURISTS! This was a great opportunity for me to
buy batik for my family and me!
Our last activity of the day was to
learn a traditional Indonesian dance. I learned how to do the Tari
Piring, or the Farmer’s dance. This was really fun to learn but also
very hard. I hope I can remember to do it again, but I don’t think I
can. Til tomorrow!
--Theresa Mejia, Lehigh University
Last
night we were given the opportunity to meet with the sultan of Jogjakarta's brother, who is the probably heir to the crown given that
the current sultan only has daughters.
He was incredible long winded in
his justification of the monarchy-democracy hybrid occurring in
Jogjakarta, and these sentiments were backed today at the sultan's
palace where we were able to see many of his "servants" and employees in
action.
I find it very interesting that Indonesia, a country with a
rapidly expanding economy and a growing sense of presence in the world,
is still capable of accepting the monarchy. Perhaps this is due to the
nation's ability to modernize without completely westernizing, which is
evident in the many traditional aspects, such as formal dress and dance,
that are still incredibly prevalent today. It is such an amazing
opportunity to be able to witness this developing country become a
modern economic super power while maintaining such a deep rooted sense
of tradition and custom.
--Ellie McGuire, Lehigh University
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| Lloyd, the puppeteer |
Today
was a really fun day! Angela and Professor Steffen had to wake up and
go to a press conference early and we got to sleep in. Later, when
everyone was together, we got the opportunity to explore the Sultan's
palace. I really enjoyed the strong presence of history there,
especially when much of the facility was original and used in real
ceremonies and is still used today. It was also great to learn about the
historical figures that used to reside in the palace. one of my
favorite exhibits was one that showed the family trees of all the
different sultans.
The pictures depicted daughters as leaves on the
tree, and the sons as the fruit. Each family had a different creature
(dragon, tiger, elephant, etc.) at the base of the tree as a symbol of
the family. Some sultans had up to 80 children! They must have used name tags...
Then we went to a market where i bought tons of batik and souvenirs. I
am such a tourist. Sometimes I feel like I really stand out in that
respect. At one point in the museum, a group of students asked to take a
picture with me. I guess they don't see many westerners around here
haha!
Our next activity was to learn traditional dancing of
different regions of indonesia; we observed traditional Javanese dance,
Balinese dance, and a type of sumatran dance that used plates!! I was
literally AWFUL at the Javanese dancing. I actually felt bad for the
patient woman that was trying to teach me. It was embarrassing but
really fun too. Can't wait for more fun tomorrow!
--Shannon Cassidy, Lehigh University
It
seems all of our most controversial conversations take root in our car
rides. Today, we drove by a building with an enlarged swastika symbol
at the top. Granted, in Asia, it is a sacred image that has been
identified with Hinduism and Buddhism for centuries. However, I only
saw a symbol that represents the greatest disgrace of the twentieth
century. Just as slavery became the black dot that besmirched America
and its ideals, Germany is a hostage to that incomprehensible period of
white supremacy, murder, and hatreds. This historical reality has left
an indelible stain on our world. So, when asked “do Americans hate
Nazis a lot,” I found myself in a state of shock. If anything the
question should be, who doesn’t hate the Nazis? (Other than the
loathsome group of neo-nazis who seek
out opportunities to support people like George Zimmerman, but are
really only an embarrassment to our nation).
If a swastika symbol was
found on a building in the United States, protests would erupt and take
over until the symbol was removed or the building was burnt down.
Growing up, the Holocaust shaped a significant portion of my European
history courses. The fight to purify humanity by eradicating the world
of the Jews has haunted all Americans at one point in their lives, but
were Indonesians exposed to this same information when growing up? This
is actually not the first time I’ve seen a swastika symbol in
Indonesia. At a local store, these symbols were imprinted on swastikas;
I’ve seen them spray painted on walls and carved into tables. We then
asked the Indonesian students how they felt about the holocaust. They
began to explain that they did learn about it, but not to the same
extent as we did. Even more, “the common people” in Indonesia most
likely know nothing about the holocaust and if any thing, they regard
the swastika as a “cool-looking” symbol.
Hearing this drew me back to
the conversation at the Ministry of Education. There, we were informed
that 80% of college students come from the middle or upper class and
very rarely do lower class individuals have the opportunity to receive a
college education. If this is the case, these people will be forever
subjected to the lower class. How will they move up in society?
Indonesia is undoubtedly becoming a stronger democracy, but are the
“common people and servants” being heard? When will policies be
implemented that assure that these people are able to attend school,
make a respectable living for themselves, and learn that the swastika
symbol is not “cool.” Perhaps after seeing the Holocaust museum, our
Indonesian participants can spread what they learned to others in Java.
Maybe it will become contagious and reach every part of Indonesia.
--Angela Farren, Lehigh University
--I think it's only fair to
mention that for the society where Hinduism made its presence, the
swastika symbol made its presence and if we look chronologically, Hindu
civilization predates the ultra-nationalist and racist agenda that
Hitler brought through the organization that use the symbol of Hinduism.
--Heru Yuda, Gadjah Mada University
--Fikar El-Hazmi, Gadjah Mada University
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Posted by Heru
Beautiful.
--Shannon Cassidy, Lehigh University
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