Mooi Indie Further Showcased Dutch Influence In Indonesia’s Culture and Vice Versa
On Tuesday, 24 October 2017 a special event called “Mooi Indie” was held during Literature and Ideas Festival 2017 (LIFEs) at Komunitas Salihara. “Mooi Indie” is a term coined by writer Sudjojono to mock paintings created by artists that describe how beautiful Indonesia was during the Dutch colonization, a contrary to the actual event when our people was put into forced labor and our resources was extorted. Since then, the term is loosely used to describe an acculturation between two countries, Netherlands and Indonesia. Nearing the end of the one month festival, “Mooi Indie” invited several guests as the performer and it was marked as the starting point of upcoming LIFEs 2019 that will use the aforementioned theme. Boi Akih from Amsterdam, Netherlands performed upon the stage that was also used during the opening night. They are a music group that develop a distinctive repertoire that formed a composition, improvisation, and text from a culture. The number that they performed that night showcased the development of their music language which are sound and element from various traditions in the world.
Meanwhile there were also reading and discussion, led by Iksaka Banu and Joss Wibisono respectively. Iksana Banu is an artist and author based in Yogyakata whose works were mostly acknowledged in the forms of comic and prose. He read some of his works and captivated us with his reading. While Joss Wibisono showcased his research that was already published which further shown the acculturation between Indonesia and Netherlands. He presented a unique finding of Indonesian influence throughout Europe, especially Netherlands. Altogether, the three performers participated in a small talk and expressed their interest of the upcoming LIFEs edition in the next two years. LIFEs 2017 Viva! Reborn! has been closed on Saturday, 28 October 2017 with a Latin America’s music performance.
Photo: Witjak Widhi Cahya/Komunitas Salihara
