Perempuan-perempuan yang Ber-Silat Lidah

Tidak bisa disangkal lagi bahwa televisi merupakan media yang paling banyak diakses oleh masyarakat, jauh di atas media-media lain seperti koran, radio, apalagi buku. Radio yang jauh lebih tua dan pernah berjaya pada zamannya telah tergeser menjadi media tradisional yang bersifat personal dan spesifik. Televisi hadir di tengah-tengah masyarakat dengan menu utuh: Selain menyajikan suara (audio), ia juga menawarkan gambar bergerak (motion picture) yang tidak dipunyai radio dan media lainnya untuk memenuhi kepuasan pandangan.

Perempuan dalam televisi, terus terang, memberikan kepuasan ganda. Perempuan tampaknya terlanjur dianggap lebih menarik pandangan mata daripada laki-laki. Namun, dalam anggapan itu, sebenarnya perempuan diposisikan sebagai yang lebih menarik dan lebih pantas untuk ‘dijajakan’ ketimbang dilihat sebagai substansi manusia dan kemanusiaannya. Program televisi, khususnya swasta, yang memang sepenuhnya hidup dari iklan, mau tak mau menjadi ‘pedagang’ yang menjajakan imej-imej perempuan untuk dikonsumsi massa.

Coba tengok acara Silat Lidah di Anteve, yang tayang jam 10 malam setiap hari kerja. Program kategori bincang-bincang ini menampilkan enam orang panelis perempuan dan satu moderator sekaligus host laki-laki. Dalam setiap acara, Silat Lidah menyuguhkan beberapa tema untuk dibahas oleh keenam panelis dan sang moderator. Lazimnya, acara yang dengan atmosfer seperti ini akan menyuguhkan diskusi serius dengan wawasan luas dan argumen yang bermutu. Namun yang terjadi adalah perang mulut, debat kusir, dan berakhir dengan kesimpulan yang ngawur. Silat Lidah ternyata dirancang sebagai program lawakan; makna yang diberikan sangat jauh dari ‘silat lidah,’ yang berarti debat dengan logika sebagai dasar argumentasi, sementara tayangan tersebut mandeg dengan kreativitas dan pikiran kritis.

Minus intelektualitas
Program ini biasa diisi oleh perempuan-perempuan cantik yang cukup dikenal dalam dunia hiburan seperti Julia Perez, Ria Irawan, Melisa Karim, atau Kiki Amalia, dan rata-rata memang mendominasi dunia selebritis. Namun, sungguh menggelikan (dan miris) melihat Ratna Sarumpaet, Sandrina Malakiano, atau Lula Kamal, yang biasanya dekat dengan dunia akademis dan intelektualitas, juga diposisikan sebagai perempuan-perempuan suka ngerumpi dan, seperti yang diakui presenternya, jelas berotak koson.

Sang pembawa acara, Irwan Ardian, seolah-olah berdiri sebagai simbol patriarki yang membawahi dan ‘menguasai’ keenam panelis. Akan tetapi, ia tidak pernah bisa menjadi penjembatan argumen yang baik dan bahkan cenderung seksis dan tendensius. Ia seringkali menyebut para panelis perempuan sebagai dayang-dayang. Belum lagi substansi programnya dapat dicerna, Silat Lidah telah menimbulkan kontradiksi. ‘Panelis’ tentu saja berhubungan erat dengan intelektualitas, akademik, dan orang-orang yang punya pemikiran berdasarkan logika. Sedangkan ‘dayang’ lebih merujuk kepada pembantu, kebodohan, kepasifan, dan perempuan-perempuan yang bergayut di tangan sang raja.

Kontradiksi ini mengarah jelas kepada objektifikasi tubuh perempuan dan subordinasi peran. Jupe, misalnya, yang dalam acara ini dijuluki Si Dada Besar (namun senang dan cuek saja), mutlak menggambarkan hal tersebut. Dalam salah satu komentar SMS yang ditampilkan, seorang pemirsa laki-laki berpesan, “Jupe, mana bibir seksinya?” (31/1). Tidak ada satupun komentar yang memuji daya analisis para panelis dalam menguraikan masalah yang ditampilkan.

Produser acara bisa saja mengklaim bahwa acara ini bertujuan untuk hiburan semata. Ia menjaga rating agar tetap tinggi, memenuhi selera pasar, sehingga iklan masuk silih berganti. Tidak salah ketika Tania Modleski (1986) dalam Studies in Entertainment mengatakan bahwa karena industri budaya populer, seperti program televisi, yang diproduseri oleh kaum laki-laki dan ditujukan ‘seolah-olah’ untuk laki-laki, maka perempuan direduksi menjadi objek demi pemuasan proses tersebut. Silat Lidah sepertinya hanya dirancang bagi penonton laki-laki. Ia memberikan kepuasan berperspektif patriarkal bahwa perempuan memang lebih bodoh daripada laki-laki. Perempuan dalam lingkaran patriarki disajikan secara akurat oleh keenam panelis dalam Silat Lidah: banyak omong namun tidak ‘berisi.’

Program Silat Lidah sepertinya memang dirancang untuk membuat para panelisnya berbicara tanpa berpikir, sehingga menciptakan spontanitas yang dengan gamblang memperlihatkan stereotip bahwa jika para perempuan bicara, mereka tidak pernah berpikir! Perkataan mereka tidak perlu cerdas, sehingga melulu menghasilkan jalan keluar yang tidak relevan untuk persoalan yang diketengahkan. Secara tersirat, perempuan dalam dunia yang didominasi laki-laki idealnya adalah mereka yang tidak usah memberikan pendapat dan saran; duduk diam saja dan nrimo segala perkataan laki-laki. Para panelis hanya perlu mematuhi rambu-rambu yang telah dijelaskan oleh sang pembawa acara.

Eksploitasi atau eksplorasi?
Perempuan dalam televisi sekiranya telah menjadi korban dalam kapitalisme global yang sangat kuat ideologi patriarkinya. Apakah perempuan termasuk ke dalam komoditi yang lantas dieksploitasi atau dieksplorasi? Namun persoalannya, seperti yang terlihat dalam kenyataan, dalam acara Silat Lidah, banyak perempuan yang justru sepertinya ‘memanfaatkan’ kesempatan itu untuk memenuhi berbagai tujuan, termasuk untuk survive dalam industri hiburan. Dengan sendirinya, televisi menjadi media pertarungan antara idealisme dan kebutuhan.

Saling ‘memanfaatkan’ antara kapitalisme dan patriarki dengan perempuan seolah tampak sebagai teori yang lebih sesuai untuk membahas gejala ini. Ratna Sarumpaet, Sandrina Malakiano, Fira Basuki atau Lula Kamal barangkali memanfaatkan guyuran popularitas dan materi, walaupun harus mengorbankan imej intelek dan akademis. Namun, satu hal yang mungkin mereka lupakan adalah bahwa produk budaya populer seperti televisi telah lama bertransformasi menjadi media yang mengkreasi kesadaran manusia melalui imej yang dibangunnya.

Televisi, mengutip Jean Baudrillard (1988) dalam Simulacra and Simulation telah mengubah fungsi media sebagai penyalur menjadi “diri media itu sendiri,” menjadi “saluran” itu sendiri. Pesan-pesan yang ditampilkan merupakan efek langsung dari ‘dirinya,’ sehingga menciptakan dunia pemirsa menjadi warga dari global village di manapun tempat dan kapanpun waktunya. Acara Silat Lidah mematri ingatan penonton, baik laki-laki dan perempuan, terhadap para panelis sebagai perempuan-perempuan yang hanya pandai ber-silat lidah, yang tidak intelek, dan yang jauh dari dunia akademik. Hal ini lantas berkembang menjadi realitas semu (hyper-reality) yang kemudian mendeterminasi kesadaran penonton. Panelis-panelis dalam Silat Lidah akhirnya menipiskan pemahaman masyarakat tentang kesadaran jender dan malah semakin mengukuhkan stereotip negatif pada perempuan.

Ternyata, toh, yang lebih diuntungkan tetap saja kapitalisme dan patriarki. Saya terpaksa setuju dengan para analis jender yang mengatakan bahwa layar kaca adalah media strategis dalam subordinasi kaum perempuan. Implikasi yang ditimbulkan adalah, pertama, perempuan dan tubuhnya senantiasa diharapkan berpenampilan cantik karena ia merupakan fokus tatapan mata yang semata-mata memanjakan estetika visual dari sudut pandang laki-laki. Tidak mengherankan jika yang dipanggil untuk jadi panelis dalam Silat Lidah adalah mereka-mereka yang terbiasa berpenampilan seksi seperti Julia Perez, Aline Tumbuan, Kiki Amalia, Melisa Karim, Dominique atau Lola Amaria. Para penonton seolah-seolah tidak punya telinga karena sibuk mengamati paha dan belahan dada.

 Kedua, bias jender akan selalu merasa nyaman dalam pelukan budaya populer dengan televisi sebagai senjata utamanya. Preseden-presenden buruk dan pelecehan terhadap perempuan akan selalu mendapatkan tempatnya dalam dunia hiburan, yang sayangnya ‘dikukuhkan’ sendiri oleh tokoh-tokoh perempuan yang dikenal intelek. Apapun keuntungan yang mungkin mereka peroleh, perempuan tetap saja berada dalam plot yang telah dirancang oleh sistem besar yang dominan, dalam hal ini kapitalisme. Para panelis Silat Lidah mungkin tidak mau disebut sebagai korban dalam industri ini, namun tidak dapat dipungkiri bahwa acara seperti ini mengandung tendensi yang mengeksploitasi perempuan.

Sudah sedemikian parahkan perempuan dalam televisi? Secara umum kesadaran jender di kalangan pemrakarsa program televisi memang kurang, kalau tidak bisa dikatakan tidak ada sama sekali. Akan tetapi, sebenarnya yang menjadi tujuan utama adalah publik itu sendiri. Tayangan layar kaca hanya akan mengikuti pandangan mainstream di tengah-tengah masyarakat. Oleh karena itu, pandangan dan sikap warga sebagai pemirsa yang ‘sensitif-jender’ sangat diperlukan sehingga bias-bias yang senantiasa bersarang di dalam ‘kotak ajaib’ bernama televisi itu bisa direduksi atau bahkan dihilangkan sama sekali.

 

*Artikel ini telah dimuat di Harian Padang Ekspres, Minggu 9 Maret 2008.

 

Setelah Harry Potter, Lalu Apa?

Serial Harry Potter resmi berakhir. Di Indonesia hal itu ditandai dengan diterbitkannya edisi terjemahan ke dalam bahasa kita 13 Januari lalu (versi aslinya memang sudah duluan terbit bulan Juli tahun 2007). Namun, yang menarik untuk dicermati adalah fakta bahwa minat pembaca begitu besar terhadap Harry Potter. Peluncuran versi Indonesia yang dilakukan di Gramedia, Matraman, Jakarta disertai oleh konvoi komunitas-komunitas penggemar Harry Potter yang rela antri jam 12.00 malam demi mendapatkan buku tersebut!

Tidak berlebihan jika kemudian kita menyebut Harry Potter sebagai sebuah masterpiece, atau karya besar. Sejak kemunculannya yang pertama, buku ini telah banyak memenangkan penghargaan, di antaranya Whitaker Platinum Books Award, Nestle Smarties Book Prize, Children’s Book of the Year Award, atau Scottish Arts Council Book Award. Saat ini, Harry Potter bisa disebut sebagai ikon budaya populer dalam sastra anak. Ia menjadi simbol bacaan anak-anak di seluruh dunia dan menginspirasi terbitnya buku-buku lain.

J.K. Rowling, barangkali, dapat disejajarkan dengan Charles Dickens, pengarang novel asal Inggris pada abad ke-19. Ia dikenal sebagai penulis yang produktif nan terkenal pada masanya. Rowling dan Dickens sama-sama lihai menciptakan karakter-karakter unik, baik sifat, rupa, dan nama mereka. Karya mereka juga mampu menjaring segala usia. Perbedaan mungkin terletak pada setting cerita yang digunakan kedua pengarang. Dickens lebih fokus kepada masalah-masalah sosial ekonomi masyarakat London pada awal abad ke-19, sedangkan Rowling memilih bercerita tentang dunia fantasi berlatar Inggris.

Mungkin karena itulah Rowling lebih bebas mengeksplorasi ide, menjelajahi dunia khayalan yang tanpa batas sehingga bisa menulis cerita Harry Potter sebanyak tujuh seri. Hasilnya, jika kita bicara penjualan buku dan animo masyarakat, Dickens ‘tidak ada apa-apanya’ dibanding Rowling. Namun, yang pasti, karya-karya Dickens telah menjadi klasik, kanon sastra, yang tetap dibaca sampai sekarang. Apakah Harry Potter akan mengikutinya? Tampaknya ia sedang berjalan menuju ke sana.

Sebuah anomali
Harry Potter telah menjadi bacaan wajib anak-anak di Inggris dan Amerika. Ia telah mementahkan pendapat banyak kalangan dan ahli pendidikan yang mengatakan bahwa buku bacaan anak-anak mesti tipis dan bergambar. Rowling begitu pandai membius dan menggiring fantasi pembacanya, sehingga anak-anak tidak memerlukan gambar sebagai ilustrasi cerita. Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, misalnya, memiliki 896 halaman dan mereka rela antri panjang mendapatkannya seperti membeli sembako. Harganya juga tergolong selangit untuk buku anak-anak; rata-rata serial tersebut berbanderol Rp200.000 /eksemplar.

Di tengah riset-riset yang menunjukkan bahwa minat dan budaya baca masyarakat kita masih rendah, penggemar Harry Potter seperti ‘membungkamnya’ dengan minat baca yang luar bisa terhadap buku tersebut. Pembacaan dan apresiasi terhadap sastra di tanah air memang tengah mandeg dan minim, namun hal tersebut tidak berlaku bagi Harry Potter. Ia bahkan menembus segala usia; anak-anak, remaja, sampai orang tua pun ikut membacanya. Komunitas-komunitas penggemar Harry Potter bertebaran di mana-mana. Begitu banyak diskusi-diskusi online di Internet, sehingga banyak orang berinisiatif membuat website sendiri yang bertemakan Harry Potter. Tidak sedikit pula anak yang memimpikan dirinya ‘menjadi’ Harry, Ron, atau Hermione. Harry Potter adalah sebuah anomali.

Dekade lalu, anak-anak dan remaja mungkin suka membaca kisah petualangan Lima Sekawan karya Enid Blyton, Trio Detektif-nya Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, atau bahkan serial hantu Goosebumps-nya R.L. Stine, yang lumayan laris di toko-toko buku. Semuanya memunyai kesamaan, yaitu bercerita tentang petualangan. Harry Potter juga hadir dalam genre serupa, sehingga ia relatif mudah menjaring penggemar. Membaca buku cerita dan petualangan membangkitkan rasa ingin tahu dan penasaran akan isi buku tersebut. Inilah yang dimanfaatkan oleh Rowling sehingga anak-anak bisa menahan kantuk demi menyelesaikan bab Harry Potter-nya yang nanggung. Tingkat ingin tahu terhadap bacaan merupakan salah satu pemicu tingginya minat baca.

Harry Potter pun menyingkirkan anggapan bahwa anak-anak dan remaja Indonesia tidak suka membaca. Anak-anak sekarang ternyata sudah pintar dan tahu mana buku bagus, menarik, dan tidak ‘menggurui’ untuk mereka baca. Bukannya merendahkan kualitas buku dan cerita lokal, namun serial Harry Potter yang rata-rata 900 halaman, tanpa gambar, dan berharga ‘selangit’ dapat dibaca dan dinikmati oleh sebagian besar pelajar di negeri ini. Jelas serial tersebut bisa merangsang minat. Memang karya yang bagus baru bisa diketahui setelah dibaca, tetapi setelah lewat enam seri, ternyata buku Harry Potter masih ditunggu. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, seri terakhir misalnya, ludes sebanyak 15 juta eksemplar dalam 24 jam pertama!

Pasca Harry Potter
Namun, yang jadi persoalan adalah ketika Harry Potter sudah ‘tidak ada lagi,’ apakah angka-angka yang menunjukkan rendahnya budaya baca kita kembali mencuat? Menurut laporan Bank Dunia dan riset IEA (International Association for the Evolution of Education Achievement) di Asia Timur, Indonesia berada di urutan terbuncit menyangkut masalah minat baca anak-anak, dengan skor 51.7, di bawah Philipina (52.6), Thailand (65.1), Singapura (74.0), dan Hongkong (75.5). Laporan UNESCO mengatakan bahwa satu koran di Indonesia masih dibaca oleh 42 orang, padahal rasio idealnya adalah 1:10. Sejak reformasi 1998, jumlah tiras koran, majalah serta tabloid hanya mencapai 16-17 juta eksemplar. Sampai tahun 2007 saja, angka buta huruf di Indonesia masih mencapai 7.5%. Kita memang belum bisa menutupi rendahnya budaya membaca masyarakat kita.

Apakah anak-anak dan remaja Indonesia hanya mau membaca Harry Potter? Mengerikan kalau begitu. Serial Harry Potter telah berakhir, lantas apakah minat baca kita juga ikut berakhir? Anak-anak di seluruh dunia tentu mengharapkan Rowling menulis cerita-cerita fenomenal lagi. Namun, bagaimana kalau ia menyatakan ‘gantung pena’ dan memilih menikmati kekayaannya dalam waktu yang tidak ditentukan? Kita tidak bisa hanya menggantungkan minat baca kepada seorang Rowling.

Sapardi Djoko Damono, dalam suatu kesempatan, mengatakan bahwa literatur Indonesia untuk anak-anak terkesan memblokir kreativitas mereka. Anak-anak diberi teori dan bukan penghayatan. Mereka menjadi kurang kreatif, karena penanaman “diam, duduk manis dan tidak boleh nakal.” Imajinasi mereka dikekang dan setiap cerita dijejali dengan beban nasehat yang berat, sehingga mematikan minat membacanya.

Harry Potter hendaknya bisa menjadi tantangan bagi penulis cerita Indonesia untuk menulis kisah yang baik (tidak perlu fenomenal dan menjadi best-seller dunia), namun bisa menumbuhkan rasa penasaran dan merangsang minat, sehingga membaca bisa menjadi budaya. Setelah Harry Potter, lalu apa? Ya, terus membaca!

*Artikel ini telah dimuat di Harian Padang Ekspres, Minggu 27 Januari 2008

 

Radja, Musik Pop, dan Representasi Jender

Budaya, menurut Raymond Williams (1963) dalam bukunya Resources of Hope: Culture, Democracy, Socialism, berdasarkan sejarahnya, dapat dibagi menjadi dua: budaya ‘Tinggi’ dan budaya ‘Rendah’. Dikotomi tersebut kemudian dikenal dengan istilah highbrow dan lowbrow. Highbrow diasosiasikan dengan kaum borjuis ‘elit’ kaya dalam bentuk musik klasik, seni ‘serius,’ balet, teater dan sebagainya. Dan jika seseorang ingin dianggap berbudaya, maka ia harus berpartisipasi dalam bentuk-bentuk produk budaya tinggi tersebut.

Sedangkan lowbrow atau yang sekarang kita kenal dengan budaya ‘populer’ diasosisikan dengan kaum menengah ke bawah dan masyarakat strata rendah dengan pernyataan yang lebih vulgar dan tidak intelektual, seperti even olah raga, televisi, musik pop, dan sebagainya. Budaya populer hadir sebagai alat pemberontakan kaum marginal terhadap represi budaya ‘Tinggi.’ Kata ‘populer’ sendiri muncul pada akhir tahun 50-an sampai awal 60-an. Menurut Dick Hebdige (1988), kata tersebut digunakan sebagai slogan oleh pergerakan massa untuk melawan komposisi ‘seni serius.’ Produk budaya pop, terutama musik, dapat menjaring seluruh lapisan masyarakat, mulai dari anak-anak, ABG (Anak Baru Gede), dan dewasa. Di Barat, misalnya, muncul The Beatles, Pop, Rolling Stone, atau Duran-Duran sebagai ikon budaya musik pop.

Di Indonesia, nama-nama band pop beken seperti Peterpan, Samsons, Ada Band, Ungu, Letto, Nidji, atau Radja sedang jadi buah bibir. Penyanyi solo karir juga ikut menyemarakkan toko-toko kaset seantero negeri dalam usaha memuaskan konsumen. Semuanya bernaung di bawah payung musik pop. Banyaknya variasi membuat persaingan dalam industri musik pop begitu ketat. Pendengar, secara otomatis, menjadi penentu sukses tidaknya musik pop. Lagu yang dekat di hati dan enak didengar akan bertahan. Menurut Theodor Adorno dalam esainya yang berjudul “On Popular Music” (1941), musik pop masuk dalam kategori instan karena cepat menanjak dan cepat pudar. Namun para pendengar bisa berganti selera sesuka hati karena tawaran begitu beragam.

Variasi tentu meninggalkan pola dan bentuk. Rata-rata, lagu-lagu pop di Indonesia bertema tentang hubungan cinta antara laki-laki dan perempuan; naksir, cemburu, patah hati, dan hal-hal sejenisnya. Musik pop juga harus mengenal pasar dan peminatnya. Karena ‘cinta’ bersifat universal dan dialami semua orang, lagu-lagu pop dengan bebas mengeksplorasi hal abstrak tersebut melalui representasi jender dalam suatu hubungan cinta.

Jender dan Pemaknaan Perempuan
Konsep jender pertama kali muncul karena perbedaan fundamental antara dua jenis manusia, laki-laki dan perempuan. Jender, menurut Judith Butler (1990), merupakan sifat-sifat yang dibentuk dan dikonstruksi secara sosial dan budaya terhadap laki-laki dan perempuan. Laki-laki ‘diberikan’ sifat kuat, agresif, dan rasional, sedangkan perempuan dilabeli sifat lemah, pasif, dan irasional dan hal itu diterima sebagai kodrat atau ketentuan Tuhan.

Namun, perbedaan tersebut ternyata menimbulkan ketidakadilan jender: laki-laki diberikan kesempatan lebih luas untuk mengeksplorasi diri di ranah publik sehingga mempunyai akses lebih untuk kemajuan dirinya. Sedangkan perempuan terkungkung dalam ranah domestik, sehingga tertutup kemungkinan bagi dirinya untuk mengembangkan potensi diri.

Hal ini terjadi berlarut-larut, sehingga kaum laki-laki merasa dirinya lebih superior daripada perempuan. Simone de Beauvoir (1949) dalam buku legendarisnya The Second Sex menyatakan bahwa yang ‘dianggap’ manusia itu adalah laki-laki, sedangkan perempuan adalah pelengkap bagi laki-laki. Hal ini seolah mendapat legitimasi dari mitologi penciptaan Adam dan Hawa, di mana Hawa tercipta dari tulang rusuk Adam, sehingga Adam dan kaumnya bisa ‘mendefinisikan’ Hawa dan kaumnya berdasarkan ketentuan mereka sendiri.

Menurut Eko Subiantoro (2002) dalam Jurnal Perempuan, masyarakat patriakhi menghendaki perempuan untuk merelakan harga dirinya, kemampuan, maupun eksistensinya dalam bayang-bayang laki-laki karena hal itu dianggap sebagai kodrat yang harus diterima sebagai penebus dosa atas kelalaiannya sehingga Adam diturunkan ke bumi dan menanggung penderitaan manusia. Untuk itu menjadi menderita karena laki-laki adalah suatu kehormatan dan diyakini sebagai sebuah penebusan dosa. Maka, melakukan perlawanan terhadap laki-laki–yang telah memberi kesempatan untuk menebus dosa–dianggap sebagai sikap yang tidak bertanggung jawab dan tidak tahu berterima kasih!

Dengan subordinasi perempuan seperti yang digambarkan di atas, bias jender selanjutnya dapat ditemui di mana-mana. Mulai dari buku pelajaran anak Sekolah Dasar, misalnya, di mana diceritakan seorang Bapak sedang membaca koran di ruang depan, sementara Ibu sedang memasak di dapur. Ketika streotip jender seperti itu telah ditanamkan sejak dini, tidak heran jika masalah tersebut menjadi biasa, karena dianggap memang begitulah adanya.

Musik populer juga salah satu medium bias jender karena lirik-lirik yang ditulis umumnya menggambarkan ketidakadilan posisi laki-laki dan perempuan. Pada lirik lagu penyanyi laki-laki biasanya terdapat tokoh perempuan yang lemah dan mengharapkan perlindungan laki-laki; dalam hubungan percintaan, pihak laki-laki sering digambarkan sebagai ‘Sang Pangeran’ berkuda putih yang datang menyelamatkan ‘Sang Puteri.’ Ketika Sang Pangeran datang, Sang Puteri akan mendapat ‘arti’ dan memperoleh cintanya yang hilang kembali.

Musik pop telah menjadi industri dan mengalami persaingan yang sengit. Oleh karena itu, pasar merupakan faktor utama dalam penciptaan suatu karya musik, sebab musik yang laku dan terjual berjuta-juta kopi adalah yang disukai pasar. Jika tema lagu tentang ‘patah hati’ laris manis di pasaran, puluhan lagu sejenisnya akan bermunculan. Ketika lirik-lirik yang bias jender menjadi konsumsi utama masyarakat yang permisif dan tidak kritis, para pelakon musik pop tetap akan mengusung lagu-lagu sejenis. Variasi tema lagu yang bias jender selanjutnya memulai babak baru dalam musik pop di Indonesia.

Representasi jender ini pada akhirnya dapat dilihat sebagai cerminan budaya populer di Indonesia dalam menyingkapi persoalan yang melibatkan laki-laki dan perempuan. Lirik-lirik lagu dari band dan penyanyi pop sering menyajikan dikotomi peran antara laki-laki dan perempuan.

Radja dan Perempuan ‘Ideal’
Karya-karya musik populer selalu berkaitan dengan konsep jender dan seksualitas. Sejauh ini, perdebatan mengenai fakta penciptaan lirik lagu populer meninggalkan sebuah pertanyaan: Benarkah sebuah grup band adalah wadahnya kaum lelaki? Tulisan ini akan membahas Radja, sebuah grup band terkemuka di Indonesia (untuk saat ini, tapi entah dua atau tiga tahun lagi) karena lirik-liriknya yang secara vulgar mengandung isu-isu jender.

Kenapa Radja? Rasanya lebih banyak band lain yang lebih ‘pantas’ untuk dibicarakan, seperti Ungu atau Peterpan yang vokalisnya ganteng, Gigi atau Dewa 19 yang sudah lama mapan, atau Letto dan Nidji yang mengusung lirik-lirik bercita rasa Inggris. Namun, Radja selalu ramai dibicarakan, lagunya diputar di berbagai stasiun radio, konser di berbagai dearah, dan langganan sebagai musik wajib mikrolet dan bus kota. Walaupun vokalisnya sulit dikategorikan tampan, namun, lagu-lagu yang ditulisnya sering didendangkan karena mudah mengena dan berbaur dengan tipe masyarakat kita.

Lagu-lagu seperti Jujur, Tulus, atau Aku Ada Karena Kau Ada, sepertinya selalu hits dan sudah tidak asing di telinga. Dan yang lebih meyakinkan dan susah di tolak adalah fakta bahwa penjualan album mereka yang dianugerahi Multi Platinum Award, alias penjualan di atas dua juta kopi dalam enam bulan pertama. Prestasi yang sulit ditandingi untuk kategori band yang baru berumur enam tahun. Pertanyaannya adalah: Kenapa lagu Radja bisa laku keras?

Lagu-lagu Radja dapat berterima dengan baik pada masyarakat kita yang memang rata-rata masih dijerat oleh ideologi patriarki. Lirik-lirik Ian Kasela dkk memang rata-rata menceritakan kisah-kisah perempuan yang butuh perlindungan laki-laki, stereotip-stereotip khas patriarki yang melabeli lawan jenis mereka dengan istilah ‘bunga,’ ‘bulan,’ ‘kembang,’ ‘bintang,’ atau ‘gelapnya malam.’ Perempuan, bagi Radja, adalah ‘Cinderella’ yang butuh pertolongan dan keajaiban untuk mendapatkan cintanya yang hilang. Simak lirik Tetaplah Kau Jadi Milikku di bawah ini:

Bisakah engkau kuagungkan
Sesuci dan secantik sang Rembulan
Mampukah engkau menahan godaan
Dari seribu rayu manis yang datang
Jangan pernah merasa gelap
Di antara sinar-sinar yang terang.

Kalimat-kalimat di atas tentu diambil dari sudut pandang laki-laki (dan memang seluruh personal Radja adalah laki-laki), yang mendefinisikan perempuan sebagai produksi dari konstruksi sosial. Laki-laki adalah pemburu (hunter), sedangkan perempuan adalah mangsa (prey). Hal ini menciptakan stereotip bahwa laki-laki adalah pihak yang aktif, sedangkan perempuan pihak yang pasif.

Sifat pasif diibaratkan dengan Sang Rembulan dan sifat aktif disimbolkan pada frase Seribu rayu manis yang datang. Bulan (pasif=perempuan) hanya bisa menerima dan memantulkan sinar matahari, yang direpresentasikan oleh Sinar-sinar yang terang (aktif=laki-laki), karena tidak mempunyai cahaya sendiri. Helene Cixous (1975) dengan sinis menyatakan bahwa jika perempuan tidak pasif, maka ia tidak ‘eksis’ karena peran perempuan aktif tidak (belum) diterima oleh masyarakat patriarkal.

Lebih jauh lagi, de Beauvoir mengatakan bahwa seseorang tidak dilahirkan ‘sebagai’ perempuan, tetapi ‘menjadi’ perempuan. Perempuan telah lama dikonstruksi secara sosial dan bawah sadar untuk menjadi pasif. Kapasitas mereka dalam lingkungan sosial adalah untuk menghibur, menyenangkan, dan memuaskan (laki-laki). Pada diri perempuan, masih menurut martir feminisme Perancis itu, terdapat konflik batin antara kebebasan dirinya sebagai individu dengan objektfikasi dirinya di depan laki-laki.

Perempuan secara sosial diajarkan bahwa untuk menghibur, menyenangkan, dan memuaskan (bahkan untuk membebaskan dirinya), ia harus memposisikan dirinya sebagai objek. Lagu-lagu Radja, dalam koridor yang besar, membawa pola-pola seperti ini. Contoh lainnya dapat dilihat pada lagu Takkan Melupakanmu, Yakin, dan Benci Bilang Cinta.

Senyumlah melati
Sambutlah mentari
Raihlah cintamu hari ini (Takkan)

Seperti bintang kupuja dirimu
Seperti malam datang (Yakin)

Bila kau malam gelap aku bintangmu
Kuterangi dirimu dengan cintaku
Agar kau bisa mencintai cinta (BBC)

Lirik-lirik di atas menjelaskan konsep pasif pada perempuan. Ia diasosiasikan dengan bunga, melati. Bunga hanya berkembang dengan bantuan sinar mentari. Hanya dengan kehadiran mentari (laki-laki), sang melati (perempuan) akan memperoleh hasratnya untuk dicintai dan mendapatkan arti. Pada lagu-lagu berikutnya, perempuan direpresentasikan pada oposisi biner patriarki siang/malam, di mana ia harus menanti, dengan pasif, akan kedatangan laki-laki yang akan mencintainya. Bintang dan malam gelap, lalu, memperkokoh dikotomi tersebut.

Perempuan pasif sepertinya adalah impian bagi personel Radja, yang dalam hal ini mewakili kaum laki-laki. Perempuan yang pasif, penurut, dan nrimo akan mudah dikendalikan sehingga budaya patriarki akan tetap lestari. Terhadap stereotip ini, feminis Mary Daly (1978) secara radikal mengatakan bahwa perempuan telah ‘dibekukan’ untuk menjadi pelengkap laki-laki dan hanya bergerak bila diperintahkan, seperti ‘robot’ yang dikendalikan radio kontrol. Lagu Cinderella kurang lebih juga menggambarkan sifat pasif perempuan. Radja, dengan semangat patriarki, menyanyikan dongeng tersebut dengan perspektif lama. Lagu tersebut hanya berfokus pada Cinderella sebagai objek, pelengkap penderita:

Ada sebuah kisah tentang dara jelita
Hidup selalu penuh dera dan siksa

Si Cinderella, dalam kesedihannya, tidak melakukan apa-apa untuk mengubah nasibnya; ia hanya pasrah menunggu keajaiban datang. Dan ketika keajaiban tersebut akhirnya mampir, dia mendapatkan laki-laki yang dicintainya– Semua mata terpana dan pangeran jatuh cinta padanya–walaupun hanya sesaat. Jika perempuan ingin bahagia, ia harus dicintai; supaya dicintai, ia harus menunggu (dengan pasif) sampai pecintanya datang. Perempuan adalah sang Cinderella, Putri Salju, Putri Tidur, atau mereka yang duduk diam dan pasrah akan nasibnya.

Dalam lagu atau dongeng, kata de Beauvoir, seorang pangeran diceritakan berpetualang menempuh bahaya dalam menyelamatkan sang putri calon kekasihnya. Dia membunuh sang naga, menaklukkan para raksasa, melewati gunung; sedangkan sang putri terkurung di dalam kastil, gua, atau menara, menunggu sebagai tahanan, terikat pada rantai, atau mati suri karena memakan apel beracun; ia hanya bisa menunggu.

Lirik-lirik dalam lagu-lagu populer menceritakan sekaligus memperolok perempuan dengan mimpi-mimpi semu dan janji palsu. Lagu Radja, alih-alih mengubah tatanan sosial, malah melestarikan ideologi patriarki dalam masyarakat. Dengan istilah yang lebih radikal, Tania Modleski (1986) mengatakan bahwa kaum perempuan telah ‘ditiadakan’ oleh budaya populer. Mereka ‘hilang’ dalam tatanan kata-kata dan lirik-lirik yang ditulis melalui pengalaman dan fantasi maskulin. Masyarakat kita secara mewabah dijangkiti penyakit seksis karena berakar pada berbagai relasi maskulinitas.

‘Sabuk pengaman’ patriarki
Lagu Radja diterima baik oleh seluruh lapisan masyarakat, walaupun mereka mendukung ideologi patriarki dalam penciptaan lirik-liriknya. Band ini, seperti kebanyakan band di Indonesia lebih memilih tema tersebut karena itulah yang ingin didengar oleh masyarakat kita, karena dalam industri musik populer, telinga pendengar-lah yang menjadi ‘Raja’ sesungguhnya.

Budaya massa tidak lagi menyajikan mutu; jika seseorang bosan dengan lagu yang satu, ia dapat dengan mudah beralih pada seribu pilihan baru. Radja sepertinya tidak perlu capek-capek bekerja menciptakan lagu-lagu rumit yang multi interpretatif (yang mungkin disukai oleh salah seorang personilnya). Faktanya adalah bahwa lagu-lagu yang disukai adalah yang bersifat seksis dan menyajikan dikotomi usang terhadap laki-laki dan perempuan.

Karena budaya massa berada di tangan para pemilik dan produser laki-laki, mereka akan menjalankannya demi keuntungan masyarakat patriarki. Musik populer, yang diwakili oleh Radja, telah berfungsi sebagai ‘sabuk pengaman’ bagi ideologi patriarki yang dibonceng mesra oleh kapitalisme. Sedangkan khalayak perempuan hanya menjadi konsumen pasif yang dibius dengan kesadaran palsu dan euforia semu.

Radja, dalam hal ini, hanya ‘mendayung satu kali untuk melewati dua pulau.’ Pada satu sisi, mereka memenuhi permintaan pasar, dan pada sisi lain, mereka melestarikan budaya patriarki. Dua hal tersebut terkait satu sama lain, karena jika tidak, album keempat Radja, Aku Ada Karena Kau Ada, tidak akan terjual sampai dua juta kopi pada tahun 2007!

Masyarakat konsumtif patriarkal-lah yang menentukan eksistensi musik populer, bukan musik populer yang memengaruhi masyarakat. Lagu-lagu bias jender pun sudah menjadi akrab di telinga dan menjadi konsumsi sehari-hari. Dalam musik pop, Radja, dan band-band laki-laki lainnya, mungkin dalam bentuk yang berbeda, akan tetap datang dan pergi silih berganti. Ketika ideologi patriarki begitu berterima dengan baik oleh masyarakat kita, kapan kiranya cita-cita gerakan feminisme bisa terwujud?

Tulisan ini bukanlah bentuk sinis terhadap kaum feminis, namun jika ditelaah dari kaca mata budaya populer, gerakan feminisme masih harus berjuang keras, karena bias jender dan seksisme masih merajalela. Semoga dengan pemahaman dan pandangan kritis terhadap musik populer dan segala bentuk representasi laki-laki dan perempuan di dalamnya, bisa membentuk pola pikir yang bebas bias jender. Karena disadari atau tidak, budaya massa, dalam komoditi musik pop, berpotensi kuat untuk memperkokoh kapitalisme dan patriarki.

*Artikel ini telah dipresentasikan dalam workshop on “Gender and Sexuality in Popular Culture: Voices from Southeast Asia” di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 4-5 September 2007.

 

Asian Idol dan Fetisisme Budaya

Setelah Indonesian Idol 2007, lalu apa lagi? Setengah panik dengan animo masyarakat yang mulai menurun terhadap program tersebut–di satu sisi, karena melulu menghasilkan penyanyi yang kurang berkualitas, dan di sisi lain, karena acara serupa juga menjamur di stasiun-stasiun televisi lain–RCTI bekerja sama dengan pihak Fremantle, berinisiatif mengembangkan program tersebut dalam konteks yang lebih besar.

Asian Idol pun lahir berkat pemikiran untuk menciptakan kontes menyanyi dengan mempertandingkan idola-idola dari lima negara di Asia. Sesuai namanya, tentu kontes ini akan memilih seorang juara yang nantinya, tak tanggung-tanggung, menjadi idola di Asia. Asian Idol diikuti oleh negara-negara yang menyelenggarakan kontes idol-idolan serapan dari Barat, seperti Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philipina, Singapura, dan India. Terpilihlah Mike Mohede pemenang Indonesian Idol 2005 mewakili Indonesia, untuk bertarung dengan wakil-wakil dari kelima negara pesaing.

Acara yang dihadiri oleh Bapak Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), Gus Dur, dan Agum Gumelar ini menyaksikan kemenangan wakil dari Singapura, Hady Mirza, sebagai Asian Idol pertama (indikasi bahwa pada tahun-tahun ke depan acara ini akan digelar lagi). Hasil ini memang berada di luar jalur perkiraan, karena menurut poll, pendapat juri, dan kualitas suara, jelas dia bukan kompetitor yang kuat. Namun, sebenarnya tidak perlu heran, karena ini bukan lagi kontes menyanyi, seperti tujuan awalnya, tetapi telah menjadi kontes popularitas. Sesuai dengan judul acaranya, Asian Idol adalah idola dari Asia, bukan penyanyi terbaik dari Asia!

Kontes idol-idolan ini berasal dari Inggris yang kemudian dipopulerkan di Amerika Serikat dengan tajuk American Idol. Sejak tahun 2002, AS sukses dengan program pencarian bakat menyanyi ini. Pemutaran perdananya di stasiun televisi Fox berhasil menyedot perhatian 26,5 juta pemirsa. Acara ini juga melahirkan bintang-bintang seperti Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, atau Clay Aiken. Beberapa di antaranya malah sempat mendapat penghargaan seperti Grammy dan MTV Music Award.

Karena latah, sebanyak 154 negara lainnya berbondong-bondong meminta lisensi untuk menggelar acara serupa di tempat masing-masing, tak terkecuali Indonesia. Untuk urusan yang satu ini–latahisme–memang telah menjadi budaya kita. Kita latah dalam segala hal: dari model pakaian, makanan dan minuman, jenis musik, sampai program televisi.

Ketika Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ‘booming’ pada tahun 1999, misalnya, mendadak masyarakat negeri ini menjadi penggemar berat film India. Berbagai versi lagu dan film tersebut dibuat dan semua laris manis. Sewaktu Inul dengan kontroversial memperkenalkan goyang ngebor–dan sukses besar–banjir goyang pun melanda: ada goyang ngecor, vibrator, dan nyosor. Ketika film bertema kuntilanak membajiri rumah produksi, tema sejenis seperti genderuwo, jelangkung, suster ngesot dan rekan-rekannya ramai-ramai ikut syuting.

Begitu juga dengan kontes idol-idolan ini; begitu banyak acara serupa diputar di televisi kita. RCTI sukses dengan Indonesian Idol 2004-2007, Indosiar dengan AFI I-IV dan Mamamia, TPI dengan KDI, tak ketinggalan pula stasiun-stasiun lain dengan format ‘serupa tapi tak sama’ menghiasi layar kaca. Dan pemirsa ‘dipaksa’ menonton dan berpartisipasi di dalamnya.

‘Kematian’ penyanyi
Menurut Theodor Adorno (1944), seorang alumni mahzab Frankfurt, produksi dan konsumsi budaya dalam masyarakat kapitalis sudah ‘terstandardisasi.’ Kontes idol-idolan, dalam hal ini, juga sebenarnya hanya mengikuti pola dan standar: audisi, babak final, eliminasi, dan juara. Begitu semuanya dalam kontes-kontes serupa. Lalu, sebagai jembatan pola tersebut adalah dengan mengirimkan SMS sebagai pengganti voting untuk menghitung jumlah suara yang masuk.

Dalam kontes yang sejatinya merupakan medium pencarian bakat menyanyi ini, penonton diminta untuk mengirim SMS sebanyak-banyaknya kepada peserta yang disukainya. Nantinya, perolehan SMS ini akan menentukan apakah sang penyanyi akan tetap bertahan dalam kompetisi atau harus tereliminasi.

Tak dapat dihindarkan bahwa yang berkompetisi pada akhirnya adalah para pemirsa dan fans, bukan penyanyi, apalagi juri. Dalam konteks ini, para peserta kontes idol-idolan sebenarnya telah ‘mati’ sebelum jadi idola. Mereka tidak lagi diperhitungkan berdasarkan kemampuan menyanyi mereka, tetapi berdasarkan tingkat popularitas mereka. Yang menjadi persoalan bukan lagi kontrol suara atau musikalisasi, melainkan kemampuan persuasif dalam menjaring fans sebanyak-banyaknya. Komentar juri sedikit banyak memengaruhi penilaian terhadap peserta, namun, kekuasaan tetap berada di tangan penonton.

Dalam suatu komunitas budaya populer, menurut Dominic Strinati (1995) dalam bukunya Popular Culture: An Introduction, masyarakat dipicu untuk ‘mengingkari’ upaya berpikir rasional dan menciptakan respon-respon sentimental mereka sendiri. Mereka digiring untuk melawan ‘rangsangan intelektual’ dan dijadikan sebagai sasaran empuk konsumerisme, iklan, impian, dan fantasi yang laku dijual. Maka tidaklah mengherankan jika penyanyi yang berkualitas bisa saja tersingkir di babak-babak awal, karena hal tersebut bukanlah masalah besar bagi produsen budaya massa. Sedangkan, pihak korban adalah pemirsa yang menghabiskan pulsa mereka untuk memilih sang idola.

Televisi, media utama budaya populer, adalah penyalur yang sempurna untuk hal tersebut. Terlebih lagi, karena masyarakat kita masih terbiasa dengan budaya lisan, maka menonton televisi, yang dilengkapi perangkat audiovisual, adalah kenikmatan yang tak tertandingi. Kita memuja televisi dan idola-idola kita yang tampil di di dalamnya lebih dari diri kita sendiri. Dalam hal ini, penonton ternyata sudah ‘mati suri’ dalam pemujaan semu. Kita selalui ‘dihantui’ oleh harapan-harapan yang tidak pasti akan kejadian-kejadian di dalam televisi.

Fetisisme komoditi
Pernyataan di atas dapat dikategorikan berkenaan dengan implikasi teori Karl Marx, tentang fetisisme atau pemahaman Adorno tentang budaya populer. Fetisisme komoditi merupakan landasan teori bagaimana bentuk-bentuk budaya populer seperti program Asian Idol dan sejenisnya berfungsi mengamankan dominasi modal ekonomi, imej, politis, maupun ideologis yang berkelanjutan. Direktur Asian Idol, Daniel Hartono, sendiri tidak menampik fakta bahwa acara tersebut memang bertujuan mempertajam citra dan meraup untung yang sebesar-besarnya. Biaya produksi yang nyaris lima milyar Rupiah tertutupi oleh berjibunnya sponsor dan iklan yang masuk. Namun, yang jadi korban (sekali lagi) adalah para pemirsa. Mereka seolah-olah terbius untuk menghabiskan pulsa mengirim SMS sebanyak-banyaknya pada kontestan idol-idolan.

Pekan ini sang penyanyi berada di grup aman karena perolehan sms yang tinggi. Masyarakat dan konsumen acara idol-idolan akan memuja-muja banyaknya sms yang mereka kirim untuk sang idola daripada kualitas idola itu sendiri. Sifat memuja (fetish), menurut Adorno dalam bukunya Dialectics of Enlightement (1944), pada musik terletak pada quid pro quo (sesuatu yang diberikan atau dikembalikan sebagai balasan). Pada fetisisme komoditi, azas manfaat diambil alih oleh azas pertukaran.

Para pemuja kontes idol-idolan, oleh karena itu, telah ‘dipaksa’ berpartisipasi aktif dalam produk budaya massa tersebut dengan berpacu mengirimkan SMS sebanyak-banyaknya. Sebagai gantinya–jika pilihannya menang dan lolos ke babak berikutnya–mereka akan mendapatkan kepuasan dan kebanggaan karena telah berperan serta dalam suksesnya sebuah produksi.

Namun, yang tidak disadari adalah pada saat itu mereka hanya mengalami euforia semu dan kesadaran palsu, karena pada akhirnya, satu-satunya pihak yang diuntungkan adalah produsen budaya populer. Konsumen ‘dijebak’ dan ‘dikurung’ dalam lingkaran pemujaan atau fetisisme terhadap budaya populer, sehingga mereka menjadi pasif, lemah, dan rentan terhadap manipulasi dan eksploitasi. Manfaat tidak lagi bisa mendapat tempat pada masyarakat yang telah diracuni oleh sifat fetish dan, menurut Adorno, inilah ‘rahasia sejati’ keberhasilan konspirasi kapitalisme dengan budaya populer.

Asian Idol, dalam konteks ini, merupakan puncak (untuk saat ini) fetisisme komoditi budaya populer, terutama dalam hal program televisi. Kita adalah korban fetisisme komoditi di mana relasi sosial dan apresiasi budaya diobjektifikasi melalui konteks uang dalam pengertian jumlah pulsa yang dihamburkan untuk acara ini. Namun demikian, untuk komoditi-komoditi budaya seperti musik dan televisi, karena melahirkan suatu hubungan ‘langsung’ dengan apa yang kita pertukarkan, lanjut Adorno, asas pertukaran secara licik mengambil alih asas manfaat sedemikian rupa sehingga ia bisa menyamarkan dirinya sebagai objek ‘kenikmatan.’

Pada akhirnya, diharapkan munculnya penonton yang kritis (bukan sinis) terhadap gejolak budaya populer. Ada tiga alasan kuat untuk bersikap kritis. Pertama, budaya populer atau budaya massa menyita waktu dan energi. Daripada hanya duduk terpaku di depan televisi, lebih baik waktu dan energi digunakan untuk kegiatan-kegiatan lain yang lebih konstruktif dan bermakna, misalnya kesenian, olahraga, atau politik. Kedua, budaya populer jelas memiliki dampak yang merugikan terhadap partisipannya; membuat mereka menjadi malas, pasif, melemahkan, sehingga rentan menjadi korban manipulasi dan eksploitasi. Ketiga, budaya populer akhirnya, perlahan-lahan tapi pasti, akan menyingkirkan budaya dan kesenian rakyat. Hal terakhir ini mungkin adalah yang paling menakutkan: di tengah gencarnya klaim negeri lain terhadap budaya dan kesenian kita, jangan sampai ia ikut ditelan pula oleh budaya massa.

Industri budaya dapat mengeksploitasi dan mengerahkan pikiran dan tenaga manusia. Industri budaya populer menawarkan bentuk dan kuantitas (form and quantity), bukannya substansi dan kualitas (substance and quality). Ia hanya memberikan pemuasan semu dan kebutuhan palsu sebagai pengalihan terhadap berbagai persoalan nyata yang seharusnya lebih dapat menyita perhatian kita. Dalam hal ini, budaya populer telah mengambil alih kesadaran massa. Ia mencegah masyarakat melawan sistem kapitalis, maupun berusaha membentuk sebuah masyarakat alternatif di mana individu bisa bebas, lepas, dan bahagia.

*Artikel ini telah dimuat di Harian Padang Ekspres, Minggu 13 Januari 2008

 

Malibo

The idea to clear out hard stuffs and stiff things out of minds seemed to make its debut when the class of 2003 (particularly those who were eager for travelling) came up with suggestion to go to Malibo Anai this weekend. In fact, the time was right for a successful trip. My zodiac said that, “If you are planning any travel, today is the day to push these plans forward and make them happen.”

Making all the arrangements could take more time than we thought, but there were some amazing bargains and upgrade opportunities just riped for the picking. All we had to do was looking in some unusual places, and we would surely find them. Some suggested to go to Bungus for a beachy-sandy trip, others kept on arguing to spend the weekend in the hillside.  Some just wanted to have fun by going around West Sumatra by cars, others were busy to defend their arguments to bring us swimming in the lake, or natural public baths. But the majority would agree to have the trip to Malibo, cause it covered them all: fresh air, ponds to swim, natural inhabitants, not too far away from home, and of course the most important, it was certainly not the most expensive resort in the world.

Getting the traveling companions, the plan was made. Although some faces showed disappointment, hesitance, and dislikeness (everybody has an altered ego, afterall), the trip was sure to work out. It was not that they didn’t care about the others’ feelings and opinions, but please be sure, that this trip should have been our ‘last’ trip before we were all scattered to continue our lives. Disminish any conflicts, calm any angry tones, we would be packing tomorrow morning no matter what.

Tetty had called the car rental company she used to deal and with some long arguments we agreed to take two cars, Kijang, because the drivers available were not used to drive another minibuses. We found it relatively easy to deal with the cost, and without thinking too much broader, we took our leave. Andri was appointed to drive the first car with supposedly Efrizal as the back up driver. Tetty and me owned the second car, with a planned shifting system from Padang, Malibo, Bukittinggi, back to Padang again. We left for Malibo with two cars and twenty-two hearts.

The journey was filled with songs and laughters (I had no idea what it was like in the first car). They guys kept telling stories, the fishermen kept throwing their nylons and rods, the shy kept smiling benevolently, and the crazy were busy moving and bubbling here, there, and everywhere. We played The Beatles, The Corrs, and some my guilty pleasure of Westlife hits. We really enjoyed the moments. Warm and intimate.

Malibo only took one and a half hour to reach. Before entering the gate, we were all posing and smile to the blitz. It was a matter of fact, that taking picture was actually the most important thing of all. Before having comprehension exams, they had pictures; in the graduation day they got shot. It is as if the world will leave you, if you don’t take pictures. “Now, take another picture, another, one more shot!” Fortunately, the camera industry grows rapidly that people can buy the digital cameras. What was it supposed to be with the old-fashion one? The people will not be aware that they have taken the same pictures in the same background seven times and they will soon run out of film rolls. So, we arrived in Malibo for good.

Surely, swimming would be the first agenda before the others. To see the crystal-like water stream, fresh air (something we would never find in Padang until we all die), and the fact that there were not so many visitors in there, triggered your adrenaline. Took of clothes and jumped down the chilly pond. I forced myself not to join the swimming party, not because I was still in a not-very-well condition, but more to the anxiety that I would fall asleep while driving the car. It always makes you feel hungry and sleepy after moving and swimming in the pool cause it takes a lot of energy. It’s a pity I could only see. 

Meanwhile, those guys just ‘came back’ to their childhood times when they found water to splash and dive in. And it’s true that Darwin claims that human cannot live without water. Laughters were all heard louder than ever. Some showed their swimming skillsd by doing butterfly style and practicing the salto things from the edge of the pond. While most of the girls were hesitant to join in, Refi and Fani found their golden opportunity to get into the water. “If men can earn money, women can either. If men may speak in public, women may too. If men can swim in Malibo, nothing should stop women from doing the same,” so they claimed.

So it came to pass that those lads overwhelmed the pond. Oska seemingly was the master of all. He could do the salto overtimes, swim and dive like there was no tomorrow. He treated the pond as he wished. Pole was curiosly attracted to jump down the pond from the board, but all he could do was standing still and descending back into the water peacefully. But, there was no stunning frame other than that of Firman, Wahyu, and Renal, who eagerly showed their muscular, the-result-of-going-to-gym bodies. While Boy was busy taking pictures with my ray-ban glasses, some other girls sat on the carpet we ordered, preparing the snack and drinks. Some were very ‘women’  (you know what I mean), some were caught gossipping, some just sat and played with the water, but Afni found her best time yet in Malibo to sleep like a mama’s sweet girl. I myself busied myself walking around the resort, taking pictures of beautiful view, la belle, and had a cup of coffee, while looking at the energetic golden fishes in the rescued pond.

Long it was for me to wait cause I didn’t join swimming. I had no idea whether my clock running so slow, or the guys bathing so long, I could only sit. We planned to continue the trip to Bukittinggi and had our lunch in the middle of the journey. Thanks God, those lads were already all pale with cold, chilly bodies, red eyes, and hungry stomaches. The show had to go on and we packed each bag, and walked into the free parking lot, where our cars were situated. Err, do I miss something? Yes, they would not forget taking pictures! Hundred of shots were donated with the title of ”Farewell my lovely Malibo,” as if there was no chance at all anymore of visiting the place once again in their lives.

Back Home
So, we left Malibo for good. Tetty gave back the key of the car to me to continue the trip to Bukittinggi. Now, Alind was changed with Boy. The rest would not bother to feel the two different atmospehere from the two different cars. Arrived in the nearest mosque, we took the prayer. The track in Silaiang was relatively peaceful, without many traffic jams and landslides. Some naughty truck drivers might block our way to overtake, but things ran smoothly until we found a fine place to rest and had some lunch in Padang Panjang.

The lunch time itself was not without good moments. The fresh air, the beautiful sceneries of mountaneous terrains, the voluptous menu, and the blitz from the cameras were all more than enough to make us thanked God the Almighty to have created such a merry condition. When things were crowded and noisy before the plates were delivered, these people became all goddamned silent and quiet crunching and swallowing their food. Some took double portions (including me) and were successful enough to ensure everybody that the blame was on Firman’s shoulder, because of his reputation (and got an award in it) as the greedy man. He only grinned and took his own double portion. And the guys kept laughing and smiling.

However, before the sun got down, we should have arrived in Bukittinggi since these people wanted to hunt for souvenirs. In my bare calculation, ignoring other aspects, we had to gather again in Jam Gadang at 6 pm.  We scattered our preferred directions. I was intended to buy some hand-made sandals, which were all looking good, cheap, and this town was the producer. I got three sandals with different colors and shape. With a loose- as-a-goose face and a little sweet bargain, I won the game. Fani bid farewell to everybody cause she would stop here and went back home. The Jam Gadang was the witness of how sad and moving the goodbye was. If it could only talk, it would say, “Young men…” It was soon raining and we were all ready to march.

Setti’s house was the next destination before going back to the capital. She was motivated to drop herself home instead of going to Padang because there were some unfinished businesses waiting for her. The road was actually not sufficient enough to pass through by cars, but as far as the drivers concern (in fact, they didn’t take any concern at all), we kept moving. Twenty minutes were more than enough to have some conversations and drinks in her house since it was already 7 pm. If we followed the clock, we would see Padang around 1o pm! After a little clash between the people, whether dropping in sate Mak Sukur or not, we kept moving. Scratches on the cars were ignored, since there was no more time to contract another debate about it. It was true that we dropped in Bika Si Mariana, though some arguments were still heard in the air that we should have stopped in sate Mak Sukur. But there was no use of quarelling about things we actually couldn’t afford to defend with. It’s already 8.15 pm, and all we had to do is to think how we could going back home safely. The spot lights of of the second car were expired. Nothing is more dangerous than to drive at night without lights. And the fact that we should pass through Silaiang once again, willy-nilly, turned me anxious.

If the world should stop
revolving and spinning
And is slowly down to die
I’ll spend the end with you
And when the world was through..

With big hearts, we continued the journey. I should kept on distance to the first car, since we were not occupied with lights. We stayed on 45 miles/hour speed. What could we expect from the situation other than praying to be safely home, and I got to concentrate along the street. It was a ‘heartbeating’ back home. I’m lucky to have friends like those in the second car: Amie, Bundo, Firman, Wahyu, Renal, Tetty, Refi, Alind, and Afni.  They kept making jokes, telling stories, thinking the names of their children in the future, laughing out loud: their spirits were boundless. And those small things were enough to ensure me to drive well along the way.

When one problem was gone, another arrived. Problèmes vont et viennent, everyone in the second car were all furious to see Andri limpingly drove the first car. The car suddenly turned left very hard and overtook  other cars in a very strange way an amateur driver could have imagined. When we had been fighting against our own anxiety about our light-less car, we had to pay much attention to the car in front of us. Thus, It sucked.

Not until we arrived in the gate of Padang city, the spot lights had totally disappeared from the car. But the street neons helped us recognize the intersections and crossroads. The fuel was still sufficient enough to make a short travel, but what could one do at 11.30 pm? No stores opened, no resort available, and the faces were all very tired. After dropping Bundo, who couldn’t stay much longer in the car, we just stopped in a fried rice stall near Andalas and had some supper, before giving the entire bodies a full rest. The first car would be parked in Andri’s boarding house, while the second car would sleep in Tetty’s garage for tonight. Everyone had come back home. We should forget all clashes and remember the trip fondly. The lights were out and the curtain was down.

 

Graduation Day: I’ve Had My Run

The Saturday 27 was the day I had been been waiting for; not because the “game is over,” but more to the fact that all burdens as a student have evaporated and vanished in the haze. I was graduated.

I was wrong to think that I could easily sleep the night before. Considering the distance between the campus and my house, I had to get the pillows earlier than ever. This is the first time I went to bed before 10 pm after four years: and I think it’s enough to explain how important the day was for me. But, I hardly closed my eyes. The memories of being a student in the English Department for four years suddenly crossed my sight; I was drifted back to the very first day of my classes, the campings, the Student Day things, Mr Gonzales’ lectures, the day when I talked to her for the first time, my changing attitudes from semester to semester, the intricate drama performance, the apprentice, the proposal seminar, comprehensive examination, activities outside campus, the “philosopher’s” café, and the hikings and trips. All came and vanished. I was lucky that I could fall asleep at 2 am, afterall!

The girls were a lot more complicated. They had to stay awake from 3 am in the saloon to “mend” their faces, the make-up things, and so forth. They launched some protests to me when I told them not to be too much in dressing for the graduation ceremony. In fact, this event was only once for a lifetime, so why bothered thinking “why should they dress like that?” Moreover, they looked amazing with the kebayas, at least from my eyes.

I took an early departure to Andalas University to avoid traffic jam in Pasar Baru. This morning, the car and the street were very smooth. When you feel very comfortable with something, the others will follow. Good sign. No traffic jam at all, though. We stopped the car in Faculty of Letters parking lot. Though the regulation had been made that all parkings activity would be handled by the university, in fact, some free men who settled nearby campus, took the opportunity to collect illegal taxes. They charged every car Rp5000. And the university authority was all to weak and afraid to handle this problem. The clash between university and the local people never ended in many places in Indonesia. We could do nothing as we needed the parking, though I was not sure they would stay there still until the graduation ceremony was over. It was not a dilemma, because if you refuse to pay and defend the argument that the campus authority is responsible for this, those guys will surely scratch your car or jab its tires once you leave. So granting Rp5000 for the sake of your car’s safety seem ‘reasonable’ in this condition.

The first move was in the auditorium, where all graduates were situated to listen to some speeches. It took 2.5 hours before each faculty handled its own ceremony. Andalas University produce 3,000 graduates this period and that was a great amount to count that tomorrow the number would rise the unemployment rate. Our faculty yielded seven best graduates, and one of them was choosen as the university’s best graduate. Pride was in the air.

The second move was in the faculty. We were led from the auditorium by some students from the Art Community to the Faculty of Letters with talempong performance. It was glorious indeed, considering that other faculties never had the idea of such an honor for their graduates. The seats had already been arranged for each graduate; the moves and manners had been practiced the day before to avoid mistakes and anxiety. So, the certificates were all delivered, the dean had take the chance to give speech. Now a word or two from the graduates’ parents. And it was my father, chosen to give speech. Rina Agustin, as the best graduate was also appointed to give some words representing all the graduates from the Faculty of Letters. Everything ran smoothly. Some lecturers were seen around and we took pictures with them. Eventhough my supervisor was not there, cause she had to attend another more important ceremony, but still there were many friends to take pictures with.

Hundreds of photographs were recorded in the camera. It was full charged in the morning and by 2 pm, the battery had already been empty. My hair was already messy, the girls with the kebayas were all looked like they wore masks with the chunky make-ups.

The ceremony was over and we got to take a ride back home. But, it was the time when we got to encounter another problem. The cars were all left lying on the roads without care and looked messy and crowded. We found it very difficult to get the hell out of this situation. Everyone wanted to be the first to get out of the university right now. Striken cars, chaotic parkings, shoutings were all seen and heard simultaneously from every metre of the road. We were trapped for over one hour just to reach the main gate! When people got panic and frustrated because their cars were trapped in the middle of impatient hordes of other cars, no authority came up to give directions and solutions. Though I cursed several times upon the condition, nothing I could do but to wait patiently and took any chances to turn the car to right directions. The condition all got worse when some trucks and buses also came inside and took a totally wrong direction cause they move against the mainstream. My first year as a student had witnessed how the transportation problem never found the solution in this campus. And until I graduated from this university, the same old problem was always there to trigger everyone’s anger. One side of my heart was all too sad to leave these days in the campus cause there were a lot of sweet memories, but the other thanked God very much to have been set free from it.

I’ve had my run and all is done: for a small thing. But, the graduation day is only the beginning of a much bigger thing. One phase of life has been passed through, very well indeed.

 

Gempa Lagi!

Trauma gempa tektonik sepertinya akan bertambah lama dalam benak masyarakat kota Padang dan daerah-daerah di pesisir barat Sumatera. Dalam dua hari terakhir, telah terjadi lebih dari 120 gempa, baik kecil, sedang, serta kategori besar mencapai 7,9 skala Richter.

Saya dalam perjalanan dari Payakumbuh ke Solok ketika gempa pertama terjadi pukul 18.10 WIB. Terpaksa turun dari kendaraan dengan panik, semua mobil berhenti mendadak, dan orang-orang yang sedang melakukan ritual balimau di danau Singkarak lari terbirit-birit menyelamatkan diri. Melalui radio dan headline news televisi diketahui bahwa pusat gempa adalah pantai Bengkulu kedalaman 10 km dan berpotensi tsunami! Kata terakhir sudah sangat menjadi momok bagi masyarakat kita; hantu yang menakutkan, yang bisa membuat wajah bergidik cemas, mata berair, dan lutut gemetaran. Walaupun tahu bahwa tsunami baru akan muncul setelah gempa yang merusak secara ekstrem (sekitar 9 SR), dalam tenggat waktu 30 menit, tetap saja berita, isu, dan ancaman tsunami terlalu merusak pikiran: kata tersebut telah merusak mental masyarakat. Namun, setelah dua jam, akhirnya pihak BMG mencabut kembali peringatan tsunami.

Tiba di Padang pukul 21.30 WIB, saya dijejali dengan berita menyeramkan dari Padang, baik sms, telepon, atau informasi tidak jelas seperti “kata orang sih begitu.” Sebuah mall besar katanya kebakaran hebat karena korslet, banyak rumah yang rata dengan tanah, katanya. Beberapa kerabat  dan teman tidak bisa dihubungi, mungkin karena jaringan sibuk atau tower operator pada roboh? Saya jadi mbeling! Radio, melalui penyiarnya, cuma menyajikan program livetalk biasa yang sifatnya menenangkan warga. Sedangkan informasi detil tentang dampak gempa belum bisa saya ketahui. Beberapa radio swasta malah memutar lagu dangdut! Ya sudah, setelah tarawih, saya tidur.

Ternyata pada pukul 07.00 WIB esok harinya (13/9), gempa susulan yang sangat kuat terjadi lagi. Saya sampai terbangun dari tidur dan langsung keluar rumah. Para tetangga melakukan hal yang sama. Ada yang membawa bantal (mungkin juga terbangun dari tidur), ada yang hanya memakai handuk (mungkin sedang mandi), sementara orang-orang lansia terduduk di jalan sambil menangis. Beberapa berdoa, dengan wajah pucat pasi; anak-anak dipelukan orang tuanya, menangis campur bingung karena tidak tahu apa yang sedang terjadi. Gempa kira-kira berlangsung empat menit. Saya sampai tidak bisa berdiri tegak karena getarannya yang kuat. Suasana tiba-tiba mencekam. Beberapa tetangga langsung mengeluarkan kendaraan, membawa barang-barang berharga, dan pergi begitu saja. Entah ke mana. Yang tidak punya kendaraan terpaksa numpang. Kami juga langsung mengeluarkan kendaraan. Siaga bukan berarti berdiam diri di rumah, setidaknya berusaha menyelamatkan diri. Perkara ajal hanya Khalik yang tahu. Komplek Singgalang langsung sepi dalam 15 menit: Warga pun mengungsi. Suasana di jalanan sudah diprediksi bakal kacau balau.

Simulasi tsunami dan cara evakuasi yang dulu pernah dipraktekkan tidak pernah terealisasikan. Mobil, motor, bahkan sepeda dan becak simpang siur. Saya mengambil jalan ke Simpang Kalumpang dengan asumsi bahwa jalan ke bypass via Simpang Tabing akan macet total. Ternyata sama saja, sama macetnya. Setengah jam berlalu sampai di jalan bypass. Radio tetap menyiarkan pembicaraan pak Walikota yang menenangkan warga. Salut pada Pak Fauzi Bahar: beliau tidak berusaha ‘kabur,’ tapi malah ikut mengambil corong di RRI yang letaknya cuma 700 meter dari bibir pantai. Tsunami tetap saja ancaman, namun setelah setengah jam, sepertinya tidak ada tanda-tanda air laut naik drastis.

Hal yang menyedihkan tentu saja kejadian di sepanjang jalan bypass. Dalam rentang 10 menit, saya sudah menyaksikan tiga sepeda motor terpelanting, dan mobil yang tergencet karena berebut jalur. Suasana panik tak terhindarkan; motor-motor melaju kencang dengan muatan bahkan sampai lima orang, tanpa pelindung kepala, dan tidak jelas ke mana tujuannya. Semuanya ingin menyelamatkan diri.

Dua jam berselang, tidak juga terlihat tanda-tanda tsunami. Air laut sepertinya adem-adem saja. Cuaca cerah, langit terang. Kami pulang. Namun, satu hal yang cukup menyita perhatian adalah SPBU. Kami telah melewati beberapa SPBU pertamina tanpa satupun petugas yang melayani. Tangki- tangki bensin dan solar dibiarkan kosong tanpa petugas. Bagi yang keukeuh ingin mengisi bahan bakar, dengan setia menunggu di sana. “Beko kalau tsunami, awak harus lari. Ancak isi minyak banyak-banyak, bia ndak bedo beko,” kata salah seorang bapak yang antri mengisi bensin.

Toh, para petugas SPBU juga manusia. Mereka juga punya rasa takut dan pergi menyelamatkan diri masing-masing. Ketika salah satu SPBU di Tabing buka, terang saja petugasnya menjadi pahlawan dadakan. Rebutan kembali terjadi. Pos yang sedianya diperuntukkan bagi sepeda motor telah penuh dan pengendara lainnya masuk ke pos mobil. Runyam dan penuh sesak.

Perumahan Singgalang masih mencekam. Beberapa pemuka warga ketahuan ‘melarikan diri.’ Bukannya membantu menenangkan warganya dari kepanikan, malah sibuk dengan diri sendiri. Semua orang takut mati. Beberapa tetangga sudah tidak menghuni rumah mereka lagi. Mungkin pulang kampung, mengungsi ke Indarung atau Limau Manis, saya tidak tahu. Yang jelas, gempa susulan masih terasa. Saya terduduk tanpa bisa bicara apa-apa.

Siangnya, saya putuskan untuk melihat-lihat keadaan kota, dari jalan utama Khatib Sulaiman, sampai Jalan Pemuda, hingga ke Pasar Raya. Kota sunyi senyap. Hanya beberapa kendaraan yang terlihat lewat di jalan.  Angkot nyaris tidak ada. Baru kali ini saya melihat Pasar Raya Padang yang biasanya sibuk, sesak, dan macet menjadi tenang, lapang, dan sunyi. Ternyata benar berita yang kemaren bahwa banyak gedung yang ambruk. PT Suka Fajar milik keluarga Kasim dan juga showroom ruko di daerah Sawahan dan Pemuda juga mengalami kerusakan berat.

Jalan Permindo senyap. Toko-toko tidak ada yang buka satu pun. Plas Andalas ternyata memang rusak berat seperti yang diberitakan kemaren malam. Gerbang utama pusat perbelanjaan yang didominasi Ramayana itu rubuh. Dinding lantai tiga bagian depan jebol. Saya ngeri membayangkan apa yang terjadi kemaren sore, ketika manusia lalulalang di depan gerbang tersebut. “Tabaka patang, Nak, korslet mungkin. Tigo urang mati kabanyo,” tutur salah orang bapak yang kebetulan bersama saya mengambil gambar di depan jalan. Aduh!

Saya yakin setelah kejadian gempa ini, Plasa Andalas tidak akan dikunjungi lagi. Bukan apa-apa, selain bagian depannya runtuh, bagian belakang plasa tersebut juga ambruk dan terdapat retak terbuka memanjang horizontal di sepanjang dinding utamanya. Jika tidak dipugar baik-baik mungkin, Plasa Andalas sepertinya hanya tinggal menunggu ajalnya. Saya jadi melamun sendiri. Masih trauma. Mungkin 4JJI sedang menguji hamba-hambanya pada hari pertama puasa ini. Eh, tiba-tiba gempa! Hmm, ternyata, cuma kepala saya yang agak pusing..

 

Inyiak’s Open House

There should be no other pleasure than making an escape from your daily boring life and starting a new recognition of being yourself in the middle of the crowd. Inyiak made the approach by inviting us to his house in Lubuk Buaya for a gala lunch, say. I had just came back from the workshop the day before, when they delivered the message for the event. Nice, it could be a great moment to stay together with all class of 2003 before Ramadhan. But, it rained very heavy, I thought only a few of us would gladly join the party. But, I was wrong for a great extent.

Picking them up in Pattimura, there were Bundo, Biya, Refi, Oska, Yogi, Alin, and Ningsih, the rain wouldn’t care to stop. The other had just departed by minibus. They just poke fun all the way to Inyiak’s house, la plaisanterie, giving commentaries on anything we saw, did, and said. I missed all this time. Thirty minutes were enough to get us there. On normal condition, I could get there half of the time. The buddies had making crowd in the interjenction, waiting for others to march to Inyiak’s house. There were about 30 of us making a corner in the street; a good amount  to consider the unfriendly weather.

I thought Inyiak hadn’t just woke up from his dream at that time, but all went with the wind, when I saw the preparation. He and his mom had worked out to serve anything what a gala lunch need of. There were roosted fishes, vegs, samba lado should always be favourite, even kerupuk jengkol: I had forgotten the taste of the last stuff since years ago. I embarassed myself for not giving anything significant cause they had demanded something from Malaysia. What I did just buying some candies and kerupuk for no good cause in Yossie department store. Walala!

Taking pictures had been the tradition. Hundreds of posing and style had been deployed in camera. We were all indeed, camera maniacs, who could spend all the time with the blitz. The sad thing was that the core point of the event itself lost its sight. What was it all about? Was it the time to hang out? We had done the same thing overtime in campus, cafes, Khaidir library, and jurusan. Was it the place to share experience? I didn’t think so, since most of us just laughed out loud for humble jokes, and busied ourselves with pictures and useless moves. Was it the time to find self-recognition? Yes, I thought it was. We played pro-wrestling, we laughed and talked like we never did before. We sang the songs like we would never be able to do so anymore. But, it was all the series of things we would never forget for a great length of time (at the bottom of this snece, there was mister crocodile, holding up his breath for we jumped over his body). We couldn’t get enough.

We tried to secure the relationship, cause we realized that things could never be the same in the future. Thirty years to come, I thought I could never see Pole, Bundo, Inyiak, Adan, Yogi, and others with these moves. I thought I could never look at my friends the way I did this time. Today was the moment of epiphany: let everyone find him or herself in the middle of the crowd. The silent would always be the silent, the blubber was just the same, the troublemaker, though sometimes was good-mannered, should always find themselves as the center of all wreck and havoc. Everyone tried to find a reason to rationalize every action, raison d’être; that was the way we did in the gala lunch at Inyiak’s house.

 

Two Days in UKM

SEMINAR ON GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN POPULAR CULTURE:
VOICES FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA, UKM, 4-5 SEPTEMBER 2007

Arrived in Malaysia at 10.40 am, I found things weren’t really comfortable to deal with. From the cynical faces of the airport officers and the ‘jealousy’ for comparing the Malaysia with Indonesia, I was stunned for seconds. Landing down the LCCT actually grants many transportations to the downtown.

Arrived in Kajang (this place was chosen due to its easy direction, either to KL or UKM. The place was near with all public facilities: malls, plazas, cybercafe, Rumah Makan Padang, movie; everything could be reached on foot. Checking in the New City hotel for RM80/night, nothing should be worried about. UKM can be reached easily using the cheap bus. I really had to prepare for the workshop; the power point was all too simple, and I still had no idea where the exact place of the conference. Mdm Noraini had already emailed me that the first session would be started at 08.00 am.

Here it was! I was mistaken when I thought that the conference was held in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. In fact, the committee had arranged a place in the school of language studies and linguistics. And it took another fifteen minutes to reach the place. Oh dear! The school of Language and Linguistics was covered with the brownish maroon paint, making the building looked fresh and friendly. I kept comparing it with my faculty in Andalas, whose walls were all dead-grey, covered with the reckless ‘unsympathetic’ green algae here, there, and everywhere. The banner was too small for such an international event. But that was the way things should be arranged. Nothing needed to be over-exposed; the quality of the event mattered more. While we used to wall up big banners and ads for a small event, they stayed cool with a few words and simple color.

Enough comparing! I would not let myself bothered with those things that kept my feeling away from my own country. Malaysia had just celebrated their 50th independence day on August 31. No wonder they ‘tidied up’ their country; I saw flags everywhere. Clean. Discipline. The workshop register only took a few minutes; the committee welcomed me to the conference room with some papers, schedule, and a nice hand bag (just to mention how impressed I was with their friendliness). The hot issue dealing with our karate referee being severely punched some days ago didn’t touch the workshop’s atmosphere. They didn’t take it seriously, while we do many protests with burning logos and flags.

I stumbled my knees upon seeing the schedule, which was distributed before the conference. There were Ph.Ds and Doctors, not to mention a bunch of masters in various fields, such as Anthropology, Sociology, Gender studies, even author and art director. While I was a mere fresh graduate: it was my first international conference. But later I found out that there were two more final year students, but they had their own companions from the respective universities. Nervous, for sure. But it was all gone with the wind when I witnessed their appearance on stage. Their presentations, PowerPoints, ideas, and English ability were not the best in the world, I should say. At least, I could make myself comfortable with this no-win situation. I would not take profit from their ackward styles, for example, but only to provide an inner convenience for myself. I would present on the second day of the workshop, so there would be enough time to learn some tricks to win the audience’s attention. It would be pretty silly if you came across the island only to know that people just threw their attention to somewhere else, while you were giving your best in a presentation.

The first panel was the Contemporary Film and Music. I found the themes of the workshop interesting, so to speak. From the analysis of Indonesian film Berbagi Suami and its intricate relationship with polygamy to the analysis of female images in Malay songs, I really wish the same workshop be held in my university. However, tones of disappointment were heard, of course, due to their undiscipline time management. The first two speakers spent an hour, to consider 40 more speakers on the queue. The movie analysis, for me, wasn’t quite satisfying; there were too much theories and methodolgies, while he missed the point of the movie itself, the cultural context, and marketting strategy behind the production. I didn’t even remember that he mentioned the name Nia Dinata, who had both produced and written the film.

The next panel for the first section was Contemporary Fictions. Here, the analysis focused on the Chick Lit, because the author of the books emphasized the relationship between man and woman. Another interesting presentation was from Prof. Zalina Lazim, who discussed about ghost things in Malay fiction. Ghosts, ghouls, satans, vampires, witches, and their scepter fellows are always ‘created’ female. And the surprising fact is that the victims are always mostly male. Stereotypes are, thus, made that female is closed to evil. The end of the presentation saw the participants having tea break at 10 am. Because there was no much time to discuss in the seminar room, the participants took the advantage to discuss and talked about the aforementioned themes in the break room. People from the same interests would be seen gathering, talking, and debating, while having their tea and cakes.

The third panel was for Comic and Anime. The workshop featured a speaker, who was the expert in this theme. Datuk Lat provided a long and profound analysis of cartoon and its relation to gender and sexuality. A mere slip of humor was attached to catch our attention, and of course, he was the man for it. Another speaker presented the analysis of cartoon as bringing the patriarchal ideology in daily newspapers and magazines. The other explained the Japanise anime in through gender perspectives. The stunningly beautiful girls and the macho boys were all the productions of the cartoons to construct an ideology of their own.

Lunch break was also filled with hot and interesting discussions. This time, the audience got the answers to their questions, which perhaps, could not be answered in the seminar room. The moderator only permitted one question for each speaker. Two, if the presentation was considered really interesting and needed some further explanations. I found it great to know many people from different cultures, religions, countries, interests, habits, and styles. The Philippines, for example, came with their lose-as-a-gose styles; they didn’t care with the dresscodes. They would seemingly be comfortable to anything they wore. In fact, what mattered more was your presentation and the point of your analysis, not the way you dress or how famous the brand of your clothes and shoes were. I also loved the way they pronounced ‘television,’ ‘mission,’ and any other words with –ion suffix, because they articulate the last three alphabets the way they are written. The Singaporeans were a bit conservative. They came with formal coats and blazers; they looked elegant in giving presentations, though I wasn’t really familiar with their ‘Singlish’ accent. It was as if they spoke in Chinese by using English words. The Malaysian were all the same; semi-formal suit with shoes and long sleeve shirts. The women covered themselves with baju kurung a la Malaysia. I did understand all their conversations in English because it was similar to that  of Indonesian, though some pronunciations were a little bit different. What troubled me the most was when they talked to me in Malay language, “Ncik Ivan dah temu bilik?”

The next session was for Masculinity panel. Wan Zawawi Ibrahim was the pointed as featured speaker, who gave the presentation about two tales of Malay women. He explained the dichotomy between ‘The Pure’ and ‘The Whore,’ in every creation of female characaters in fictions. One also talked about gay literature, which was called The Genesis of Ladlad from Philippine. Rumour had it that the speaker himself was a gay. In fact, I was sitting next to him, and nothing weird happened. He was like the ordinary man, I didn’t know; perhaps he would change his attitude with his gay partner. I didn’t care.

The last panel for today was Popular Literature. It was a huge research done by five researchers from Malaysia, who then contributed in this seminar. They mapped the popular literature in Malaysia through feminist perspectives for a period of time. I remembered my Literary Research Method class fondly. Drs. Ferdinal, MA also assigned similar tasks to his students that time. It was a heavy, sistematic, but satisfying research to conduct. Prof. Ruzy herself also presented her paper about women and sexuality in Malay popular fiction. Then, after the high tea, the participants might leave UKM for good.

Some stayed in Puri Pujangga, a dormitory for visitors, in UKM locality. Some lived in hotels, just like me. Living outside campus would grant me a better access to public facilities. I went to the cybercafe, malls, traditional markets, Padang restaurant, and so on; the things I could not afford to do within the campus. It was exhausting a day and I completely fell asleep once arrived in Kajang. The bus in the route was hard to come by though the cost was completely cheap. You can travel anywhere within the Rapid KL’s track area with only a single RM1 ticket for a whole day.

At night, I tried to improve the PowerPoint for my presentation. Adding some slides and information as well as the embedded songs, all preparations had been completed. For dinner, I just went to Padang restaurant because I needed to play a ‘safety first’ game. I could not take the risk of stomachache eating the food I never knew before, because my time here was not very long enough for ‘food traveling.’ I also tried to contact friends and families in Indonesia. The operator in my phone networking had been changed into Maxis from Telkomsel. I was still able to make a phone call or send a text message, but the cost was extremely expensive. One message was charged Rp4,500! Without realizing the charge it costed to me, I had unintentionally spent Rp50,000 of my credits in 10 minutes. Ain’t that a kick in the head?!

Today, I arrived in UKM earlier than yesterday. Even a donkey will not fall down the same hole twice in a row. I took the early Rapid in Kajang and got through the right direction: no more lost. I had asked many people for directions yesterday, and today I walked down the road as if I had known the place for years. Nobody came just yet, when I was entering the gate of the faculty. Thus, I spent some times to make notes on the paper before giving presentation. The rest of the time was used to take photographs of the campus. It was a clean, bright-color, and elegant building. Academic banners stood tidily in the corners, Malaysian national flag hung up in the balcony because they just celebrated their Independence Day four on August 30.

At 08.00 am sharp, the committee asked me to enter the room. Some participants were seen walking down the corridor with each bag. Not until all the participants came, the seminar should be continued. The sixth panel was for Advertisement. Most of the speakers talked about gender persepective in magazine ads. Emily Law started off the topic by identifying gender identities in some Singaporean magazines ads. Jano, from Malaysia discussed Guess ads as bringing gender and capitalist ideology by portraying sexy women. The other speaker, Yuyun, from Thailand exposed the images of urban young people and their sexuality in NGO posters for a period of time in Bangkok. I hardly concentrated to their presentations because, partly, I wasn’t really interested in the theme. It was also because I was about to present after the tea break, so that, reading my paper once again thoroughly would help me much rather than paying attention to the on-going presentations.

 

The next panel was Imported Culture. I hardly understood the committee’s decision to choose the theme. The speakers also presented some difficult topics to discuss. No wonder why the audience started to look like they were boring. Tea break finally released me from the unending lacklustre situation. I got acquinted with a participant from West Timor, Dr. Koli Bau. I didn’t think that the people in this seminar were racists, but in fact, it seemed that nobody wanted to talk to this man. I accosted the man, who was drinking his tea, asking where he came from, and what he did for a living. He was a big man, black, his visage was quite hard; it mirrored his experiences in the ups and downs of this life. We talked much and discussed about the presentations. His vision about human beings was great, no wonder, he was a doctor in Sociology. I learned much from him.

The next panel was Popular Music, in which my presentation took place. For this section, I asked Dr Koli Bau to take pictures for me. Collin Jerome from Singapore began the section by revealing the representations of gender identitiy and sexuality in  popular Malay songs. But, I doubted the accuracy of his research, because he also included the singers and bands from Indonesia that didn’t even have the sense of Malay, such as Krisdayanti, Rossa, Peterpan, P-Project. Jean Claire from Phillipine discussed about the construction of masculinity in Pinoy Rock Music, one of the leading programs in her country’s national TV. Again, I thought, her presentation should have been included in the panel of Masculinity yesterday. I didn’t know their consideration.

In a break, Madam Latifah Emir took her chance as the featured speaker during the panel. She was the author of the now-best-selling-novels in Malaysia. Everyone loves the way she blends the plot with the settings, which makes her stories come to real life. But, Collin and I agreed that the woman was only burst in over-pride when she palpably promoted her successful career as a writer. She couldn’t help to give an offensive answer to a question from Miss Arezou, for example, who criticized some of her characters as the ‘dreaming’ ones. We concluded that Madam Emir was never attacked by such a question before she came to the seminar.

My paper itself was entitled “Radja and the Utopian Women: Revisiting Gender Representations through Popular Songs.” It tried to look at some, or half, of Radja’s songs as they have brought gender matters. Works on popular music have had an intricate relationship with gender and sexuality. Debates have been ongoing and the facts that are raised in the early days of popular songs writing leave us questions: Is rock band a male form? And if so, is this achieved through the gender representation of their song lyrics? This paper encompasses a textual analysis of the song lyrics suspected to have brought gender issues. The corpus is from one of now-leading-bands in Indonesia, Radja. Fifteen out of 32 songs are examined as they productively bring the misconception of gender and its stereotypes.

After dealing with the songs, patterns are found in the texts: Women are ‘written’ as objects to men (much dealing with love relationship), and they are left passive; women are ‘associated’ with symbols (flowers, night, moons, stars, etc); women are ‘ambivalent’ creatures (they cannot keep words, maintain relationships, stay on commitment) or the worst, they are ‘pretenders.’ These patterns eventually bring Radja to assess their utopian women. Those pictured in their songs are the ‘girls of their dreams.’ This will lead to the apprehension that pop music is also another comfortable site for women’s subordination. Radja cannot avoid writing the ‘masculine’ lyrics because the society and the market admit them. The patriarchal system has conspired with capitalism upon the ‘objectification’ of women. While, the band, through their songs—with their utopian women—is only the medium to achive it.

I ended the presentation with questions like: “Is feminism fighting ‘a loosing battle’ against the collusion between patriarchy and popular culture?”, “Do feminist fellows have to change direction, or instead, work harder?” Some applause was enough for me to think that my contribution in the seminar was worth its while. Some participants asked me for the copy of the paper. Their fondness for my topic was another private glorious moment.

The ninth panel was Popular Magazines, which was begun after the lunch break. Some presenters from Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia took their turns in this panel. Dr. Shanthini started off by analyzing the role of popular magazine in English toward the development of Malaysian identities. Robin from National University of Singapore continued with his research on female bodies exploitation in some Singaporean magazines. Diana from Universitas Indonesia ended the panel with her analysis of the construction of women’s bodies, desire, and sexual relationship in some popular magazines in Indonesia. None of them really attracted my attention because it was another ‘magazine-based’ analysis. The last panel was Femininity, which dealt with the role of the working mother in media, the women in criminal newspaper, and woman politicians.

Two days in UKM were very exhausting, indeed. To count it as an international seminar experience, then, should ease the pain. Thank you to Universitas Andalas’ authority for the financial aid, thank you to all the presenters and the committee. Thanks to Ni Ija, for the corrections, and thanks to everyone who had read the article and gave comments.

 

 

I Pass the Exam, Miss Antigone!

The examination was finally accomplished. I had been dealing with the thesis-making since October last year and I picked the fruit of it now. The idea of analyzing either Antigone and Medea was coming from the sky; I had to face the bitter fact that our English Department had never been consulted by any ancient Greek literature. I still remember that I kept on my decision to work with the two tragedies by Sophocles and Euripides. Hard times, harsh critiques, and heavy load of finding the difficult sources had completely consumed most of my times. Now that thing had been done, I was feeling great and loose. It’s not about the grade that satisfied me, but it was the feeling of freedom aroused me the most.

The making of the thesis left me a new thing: I loved ancient Greek literature. Either the tragedies or comedies were rich of poetic composition, laden with meanings, loaded with political attitudes, and served as the ancestors of the plays that follow, e.g. Elizabethan drama. The words were beautifully written, the plots were well-managed; Greek tragedies were the real thriller.

Since I had been dealing with Feminism through the course of my studies, the Greek tragedies provided me with great ideas and corpus. I chose Antigone and Medea due to their paradoxical attitude towards women and female characters. The heroines in both tragedies had a comparatively stunning efforts against the male-domination (patriarchy, Kate Millett will say), but their destinies were severely outlined. Instead of achieving the victory for all the things she did in the burial of her brother, Antigone was banished to the very dismal site she could have ever imagined. What was more offensive for a mere slip of a rebellious girl than being sentenced to death by her own uncle? Sophocles showed his political attitude towards woman’s movement by poking fun at it. For the patriarchal bard, woman’s liberation should be banned and ‘buried alive.’ Similarly, Medea, for Euripides, was used as the mirror of attitude towards women and children. Taking the story from the famous Greek myth about Jason and Medea, the tragedy was masterfully blended with mortal corruption and betrayal with divine supernatural vengeance; Euripides’ gripping thrill ride trancends the ages to reveal the tragic darkness of (wo)man nature. Medea was a killing machine, who would do any treacherous deeds to avenge herself. The playwright had transformed a princess into a heartless assassin.

What was it all about? Both Sophocles and Euripides actually made a mockery towards woman; later Howard Bloch called it misogyny. It is the hatred, fear, anxiety, and deep distrust toward women. Greek tragedies, are then laden with misogynous dialogues and actions. Not surprisingly then, if we caught some of misogynistic plays by Shakespeare, who was much bound with Greek stories and ideas. Name Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, Titus Andronicus, or King Lear, all left the pathetic heroines for no good endings. The catasthrope was only seen as the men’s triumph; while the women were absent, or without any consolidation at the conclusion. Then, one may catch that the feminist-look alike works of literature cannot be said as the medium of woman’s liberation. Those kind of works are not to be naively read as providing the examples of woman’s emancipation. Instead, the the ideology they bring to the readers are vise versa at all cost.

It was August 13 2007, the schedule was arranged for my final exam. Some people said that the number 13 was the number of unfortunate events. I was trying hard not to believe the myth, but when something (be it true of false) had been living with you for some long times, you would find it hard to neglect its existence. It has become a universal myth, that everyone in the planet would agree that ‘13′ is bad luck. And so it came to pass, that the morning gave me the first disaster: my car’s tire was poured out. The flat tire was without reason. I didn’t remember that I had passed some thorny roads, or something. Someone might have jabbed through it.

I started to look around whether there was someone smiling or not. I was suspicious that my new neighbor, they were quite unlikely family. I didn’t know where they came from, what they did for a living. They didn’t maintain relationship with other residents: They were simply mysterious. I thought that one of the family members did it to my car. I felt like their youngest son hated me, because once I cut the a tree in front of my house, it fell down to his ground. I kept looking at their house, it is just next to my house. What did they thought they were doing in the garden by making such a bonfire? Celebrating their victory to have successfully flatted my tire? But they were busy as usual, like there was nothing to worry. Changing the tire would cost some times until 11 am. My scheduler reminded me to have arrived in campus at 1 pm.

The number 13 came across my sight. Would it be like an unfortunate day for me? Because it seemed so. And one bad luck usually succeded the other. On the way to campus, I was provoked into some debates with other drivers. It was a traffic jam and they almost hit the bottom my car. I could do nothing but to force myself patient. It was my big day.

The Exam
The examination room had been waiting for me with a grave smile. I was reminded to call Drs. Bahrizal, M.Ed twice before the day, supposedly he would forget my final exam. The other examiner were Dra. Isramirawati, M.litt. and Marliza Yeni, MA, my first supervisor. I had lunch on the go, while picking some ideas or the answers for the questions the examiners would oppose later. I feel like I was Etoecles who should fight seven forces against his country in Thebes. If Eteocles then, died, I hardly wanted to follow him. So, the exam took place.

The powerpoint slideshow I had prepared seriously at home didn’t yield anything. I was only given five minutes to explain the whole thesis. It was a joke for me, then, I closed the powerpoint as soon as possible and tried to explain it in my way. The first attack came from Mdm Isra, who blatantly asked me with the detailed questions about the background of the thesis. I was furious to know that I forget to bind the thesis before, so that, the pages were all scattered like the lambs guided by the dog. I had to turn many pages over and over again, and it was tiring. She also rather objected to some of my answers. I lost the first round. With a bitter taste of vengeance, Mr Bahrizal opposed me directly to the content itself. He doubted my statement that both playwrights were making jokes at Antigone and Medea as the failure of feminism. Again, I got to show off pages per pages. Now I dediced to separate the thesis per chapter to make it a lot more easier to manage. However, he didn’t buy my arguments just yet. His voice raised and he began to walk around the room to show his bossy, bureaucratic, overconfident attitude. I kept arguing to my wit’s end, but he seemed never satisfy with it. At the top of his irritation, we walked out. I was mad, thinking that I spent a whole six months doing the research and he just didn’t believe anything to what I said. I also lost the second round, then. Was he playing drama this time? Frankly, it was difficult to differ the situation in which he was acting or just being serious. When one thinks that he is making fun, in fact, he tells something serious. When one supposes that he says something in a very solemn way, in fact, he is telling a lie. He is all too good to be true. He is my favourite teacher, anyway.

Miss Ija was not all silent in the room. As my supervisor, she gave questions, which opened up a new perspective in answering the other examiners’ questions. I was much helped by her statements and questions that indirectly led me to the right path again. “That was what a supervisor for,” I said silently. Not until Mr Crocodile was back into the room, were questions, protests, denials, rejections all coming back and forth. But this time, I could excellently answer them all. I won the third round. The next path was the evidence that Antigone and Medea were really the victims of misogyny, and hardly lost my point there. I also got the fourth round.

The final patch of my statement saw the examiners smile and look satisfy with my performance. I gave them chance to discuss about the mark and I peacefully get out of the room. I was still pale and look messy though some parts of my heart said that it was a good sign. Friends overwhelmed me like bees outside. They interrogated me with various questions: How it felt down there, how I managed the answer, how cruel the examiners were.

Five minutes were enough for them to take me back into the room. I was filled with anxiety before they annnounced my mark for the examination. It was ninety and I was relieved. Mr Bahrizal gave me big hug. He said I passed the mental test, trickery and his cunning attitude. Comprehensive exam is not only the academic test for a sarjana, but also the test of academic attitude. One will never win in the exam room. But keeping the arguments well and managing good manner and nice attitude will grant one a successful trial. The exam was done.

Not until I finished returning the laptop and the cables, did the lads all came to the room and congratulated. I couldn’t hope for another happiness other than that glorious time. But one thing they surely would say was: “TRAKTIR!”