Pantomime artist Wanggi Hoediyatno has produced dozens of works on the
slain human rights activist Munir Said Thalib. (JG Photo/Yuli Krisna)
Bandung. The 26-year-old man skillfully applies
make-up all over his face — first a white base, then black to accentuate
his eyes and brows and finally, red lipstick. He then puts on a
traditional sarong from the island of Lombok and an ivory-colored shirt.
Carrying a poster saying “Desire for Justice” with the picture of
slain human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, the tall and slender man
is ready to perform his act.
Wanggi Hoediyatno is a pantomime performer from Bandung, West Java who
is well known for his Munir-inspired repertoires. On a recent day he
held a special performance at his rented home on Jalan Rajamantri Tengah
for a visiting Jakarta Globe reporter on a solo piece titled “Jangan
Diam,” or “Don’t Keep Silent,” a satirical title for a pantomime
performance.
Without the use of words, using nothing but the power of his
expression and gestures full of symbolism, he told a story of how Munir
was killed and how the Indonesian government failed to bring those
responsible to justice.
Wanggi said he came to know Munir, a year after his death, through an
event that paid tribute to the human rights defender. Wanggi, who at
the time was a senior in high school, became inspired to follow Munir’s
examples, by speaking up for justice through his art.
“Munir’s words gave me energy never to be afraid to tell the truth no
matter how hard it is [for others] to believe,” Wanggi said.
For Wanggi, Munir is a source of inspiration 10 years after his
death. Wanggi, who majored in theater at the Indonesian School of Arts
(STSI) Bandung, said around 40 of the 60 pantomime works he had produced
are about Munir. The rest touches on social issues including
malnutrition.
Songs and graphic designs
Wanggi is not the only artist to be inspired by Munir and his
constant fight for justice. Munir has also become a muse for musicians,
poets and performers.
Rock band Navicula, known for making socially and politically
critical songs, wrote a song for Munir titled “Refuse to Forget” about
the unresolved case over the circumstances of his death. Munir died on
Sept. 7, 2004 on a flight en route to the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, pop indie band Efek Rumah Kaca wrote several songs about
Munir like “Di Udara” or “In the Air” about how Munir was poisoned on
board the flight to Amsterdam and “Hilang” or “Missing,” which talks
about how his death left a void in the hearts of many Indonesians.
Yogyakarta-based art collective Anti-Tank created a graphic design
work depicting Munir, which anyone can download and adapt into T-shirts,
posters and other applications for campaigns and rallies. Likewise,
anonymous graphic designer Nobodycorp has created several downloadable
black-and-white works for rallies as well as more elaborate, colorful
works for social media.
Novia Seni Astriani, campaign and network manager at Solidarity
Action Committee for Munir (Kasum), says that art is the most effective
medium to educate people about Munir.
“Most of today’s youth don’t know who Munir is, what his case is all about. Ten years ago, they were still kids,” she said.
“We want to say that Munir as an issue is not only for NGOs
[nongovernmental organizations]. His struggle does not only benefit
activists. As youths we can also contribute to the resolution of Munir’s
case through our own means and media.”
Novia said year after year there had never been a shortage of artists
and musicians willing to contribute to anniversaries of his death. To
accommodate the artists’ desire to contribute, Kasum set up Sahabat
Munir (Munir’s Friends), an informal group that unites activists,
students, artists and victims of violence.
“There’s no form to fill or anything,” she said, adding that the
movement has now spread to major cities and towns across Indonesia. The
group lets people of different backgrounds to start their own campaign
activities to push for the resolution of Munir’s case or other human
rights abuses.
“Usually during anniversaries like this there will be a lot of
activities. On other days, we usually visit local communities or victims
of eviction or land grab. We play films [about Munir] and stage
discussions,” Novia continued.
Pantomime artist Wanggi Hoediyatno has faced threats for performances that angered some people. (JG Photo/Yuli Krisna)
Facing threats
For Wanggi, Munir’s courage to fight for victims of violence despite
facing constant death threats had helped him to deal with his own
threats and criticisms.
In February 2011, after putting on a performance criticizing
malnutrition, Wanggi said he was followed and for days received on his
phone death threats.
“My friend and I once performed at a TNI [Indonesian Military]
anniversary celebration, and we put on a pantomime performance about the
culture of impunity at the TNI. Several officers politely told us to
leave. Afterwards I was called a few times by Kodim [Military Infantry
Command] asking me to meet them. I was afraid it might have been a
set-up,” he claimed.
Since then Wanggi and his friends at Mixi Imajimime Theater were
never again booked to perform at major events, with organizers saying
they were afraid to invite them.
“But the threats Munir had received must have been a lot worse, but still he continued to fight. This emboldens me,” he said.
Wanggi’s consistency to fight against injustice through pantomime
eventually paid off. Recently he and his team were invited to tour
across Indonesia, Vietnam and Timor Leste by a French circus act.
Last year, he got to meet one of his idols, Munir’s widow, Suciwati.
On Sunday, several groups are staging various activities — from
street performances to murals to discussions — to commemorate the
10-year anniversary of Munir’s death, in several cities including
Jakarta, Bandung and his hometown Malang.
On Wednesday night, Kasum and Sahabat Munir will stage a public
film-screening event and a discussion. Three films about Munir will be
on view: “Garuda Deadly Upgrade,” “Bunga Dibakar” (Burned Flower) and
“Kiri Hijau Kanan Merah” (Left Green Right Red).
“We have the momentum of having a new president,” Novia said,
referring to President-elect Joko Widodo, who will be inaugurated into
office next month.
“We want to remind the public through paintings, music, performances.
We want to say: Let’s remind the new president together that he has big
tasks at hand. There are Munir’s case as well as other human rights
cases still unresolved.”
Additional reporting by Nivell Rayda in Jakarta
Website The Jakarta Globe :
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