The Years of The Voiceless, a Novel by Okky Madasari

Author : Okky Madasari
Genre : Novel
Paperback: 266 pages
Publisher: Gramedia Pustaka Utama (July 1, 2013)
Language: English

Marni is an illiterate Javanese woman who still practices ancestor worship. Through her offerings she finds her gods and puts forth her hopes. She knows nothing of the God brought in from that faraway land. Rahayu is Marni’s daughter, part of a new generation shaped by education and an easier life. She is a firm believer in God and in common sense. She stands against the ancestors, even against her own mother. To Marni, Rahayu is a soulless being. And to Rahayu, Marni is a sinner. Each lives according to her own creed, with nothing in common.

Then come the sounds of the jackboots, constantly disrupting and destroying souls. They are the ones with the authority, the ones who play with power as they desire. They are the ones who can turn the skies and the fields red, and blood yellow, their guns ready to strike anywhere. Marni and Rahayu, these women from two generations who have never understood each other, finally find something in their lives that they agree on. Both are victims of those in power. Both fight against the guns.

*) this novel was first published in Bahasa Indonesia under the title “ENTROK”. Visit Okky Madasari personal weblog at okkymadasari.net

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Laskar Pelangi Movie

Laskar Pelangi, a best-selling Indonesian novel written by Andrea Hirata in 2005 now has been adapted to movie with the same title "Laskar Pelangi". Laskar Pelangi based on the writer's own experiences, about an inspiring teacher and her 10 students in the poverty-stricken Kampung Gantong in Belitong. The poor condition of their school building does not dampen their high spirits and hopes for a better future.

It took 40 days of filming on Belitong Island, Bangka-Belitung province, involving 12 local actors, and reportedly cost Rp 8 Billion. With all the efforts of transforming Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warrior) into a moving picture, will it satisfy readers' imaginations?



Andrea entrusted the filming of the story to respected figures in the film industry, Mira Lesmana and Riri Reza, as producer and film director, respectively. Mira have made a record at the Indonesian box office with teen flick Ada Apa Dengan Cinta and children's adventure movie Petualangan Sherina.

Laskar Pelangi has just been released in cinemas on September 25th 2008.

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Andrea Hirata's novel goes beyond childhood memories

Title: Laskar Pelangi
Author: Andrea Hirata
Publisher: PT Bentang Pustaka, Yogyakarta
2005, republished 2008,
534 pp


Andrea Hirata's Laskar Pelangi seems to start slowly. Like other coming-of-age novels, the story maintains an intimate closeness to its childhood characters, who in this case are children from the impoverished neighborhoods of resource-rich Belitong or Belitung in southern Sumatra.

The novel, which has been republished for the 16th time since its 2005 launch, focuses on a class of 10 elementary school students with a rainbow-like variety of talents and defects, hopes and desires. Their individual struggles to soar eventually succumb to the realities in which they are rooted.

Apart from studying the world through the lens of the children's eyes, the novel also provides insight into the perspectives of the meagerly paid teachers who dedicate their lives to the happiness and growth of their students.

The novel chronicles the simple and hard lives of a nickel-rich town, which is socially usurped by an affluent and greedy mining company that divides the people.

Andrea's novel provides a rigorous and heartfelt examination of a crumbling education system, a never-ending class struggle and the poverty which these two social dynamics seem to perpetuate. By selecting a setting which is very close and personal, the author passionately weaves a witty, metaphor-rich story.

Andrea's portrayal of class struggle and deep-rooted poverty emulates the work of literary giant Mark Twain. Class struggle is seen as a reality to live with. Although there's nothing amusing about it, the narrative seem capable of unleashing a dimension of pathos capable of eliciting a smile or a giggle.

For Indonesian readers, Andrea has offered something more than Twain, particularly for readers familiar with an upbringing in a small town setting. The story seems to evoke a suitcase of memories and nostalgia. The childhood characters of the narrative become as close as the reader's own.

Throughout the story it's difficult to distinguish whether the book is a memoir of the writer's experience or a fictitious novel. The author was born and grew up in the same area as his debut novel. But whatever the truth is, whether it's fictitious or not, Andrea succeeds in enunciating his childhood reminiscence. A romantic recollection of impoverished lives in his hometown becomes a literary work that intrinsically carries with it the higher moral impetus which is social satire.

The novel begins with "Ikal" the first person protagonist, providing an account of his first day of school at Muhammadiyah elementary school in Belitong. The school, which is the oldest one in town, was established by moderate Muslim clerics. The particular day represents a critical moment for the school. A crucial decision must be taken if the number of enrolled students does not reach 10.

Andrea carefully builds the suspense with descriptive exposure of the facial expression of the school's caretaker K.A. Harfan Effendy Noor and teacher N.A. Muslimah Hafsari. Although central to the novel, the two people are not fictitious characters.

Andrea subtly manipulates and rides on the waiting moment -- as one by one would-be students show up -- to take on the vicious cycle of poverty and fairness of the education system.

"My father is nervous. I can understand it, it's not easy for him, a 47-year-old mining worker to send his son to a school. It's easier to give me up to a tauke or dried coconut kopra company for I can help to earn money for my family."

Other parents possess similar dilemmas, weighing the desire to advance their progeny while buckling under the strain of their poverty. Instead of taking it as a form of basic rights, education is simply seen as a conduit to attain better welfare. Uneducated, the small town folk generally assume seven- or eight-year-old children are ripe to earn real money for a living rather than attending classes to learn abstract concepts and knowledge that push them to an uncertain future.

"Parents are here (at the school on the first day of school) to avoid mockery from government officials if they are not sending their children to school."

The Muhammadiyah school where Ikal and his nine friends go is rundown. The patched building lacks decorations to embellish the crumbling walls and faded paint. The pious teachers' untiring spirits are the only light shining in the otherwise grim classrooms. Andrea's recollection of his classroom is best reflected in his description of the class wall.

"There are no pictures of the President and Vice President, nor is there a picture of that weird big bird (state symbol Garuda). To cover a crack on the wall, a poster has been placed. It's a picture of a thick-bearded man wearing Muslim garb. The man looks up to the sky and a lot of money rains down on his face from the sky. There is a sentence below which later I understand is the name of the man, Rhoma Irama...Hujan Duit (Rhoma Irama...rain of money)." Rhoma was a dangdut king who is also known for his staunch Islamic point of view.

Though taking Islamic education, Andrea doesn't present his main characters as religious students. Gullibly, they remain kids and better off that way for the children's innocence -- intentionally or not -- works well in this particular situation. For instance, upon hearing a story told by the school principal about Noah and his giant boat that gives salvation for those who believe and practice the belief, Ikal naively draws his first moral lesson: "If I'm not pious, I have to be a damned good swimmer, otherwise I'll drown."

Though predominantly inhabited by ethnic Malay residents who are staunch Muslim, the coastal town of Belitong is also home to ethnic Chinese. Unlike the common stereotype, Belitong Chinese are not all wealthy and happy.

Many make up the poorest part of the society. But Andrea humorously flips the misery: "...families of Chinese descent don't have to think about costly trips to their ancestors' land in Jinchanying to see the Great Wall because in Belitong they can see it, stretching for tens of kilometers, dividing Belitong."

The Great Wall he means is the one built by the mining company which divides the hustle and bustle of the mining industry and the rest of Belitong. Inside the wall, which he calls The Tower of Babel, the mining company quietly runs its own life: well maintained asphalt roads, Victorian-styled housing complexes, best schools for their children and public facilities to pamper the company's staff and their families.

It's a world apart, on the other side of the wall as Andrea describes it. The scenario is a textbook example of social stratification in the domain where the mining giants operate. The economic gap somehow seems common amid the rapid economic growth which both raises and excludes. Andrea's work somehow manages to provide readers with a sense of proportion. Through extensive use of paradoxes, Andrea allows his readers to draw their own conclusions.

Laskar Pelangi is not as light as it seems. The author is very resourceful in his use of metaphor. The witty story-telling shows a depth of understanding regarding the human struggle. The writer provides an appreciation for what it is to be alive and not only to blindly submit to one's fate.

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Source: Jakarta Post

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The spiritual side in Ayu Utami latest book

The Indonesian Edition

Title: Bilangan Fu
First Edition: June 2008
Published by: Kepustakaan Gramedia (KPG)
Size: 13.5 x 20 cm
Price: Rp 60,000


Celebrated author Ayu Utami shares her thoughts on her latest book, Bilangan Fu (The Fu Numeral), at her house in Central Jakarta. She moves fluidly between subjects, from critical spiritualism to rock climbing and her partner in life, Erik. I even get treated to a dance with the couple's beautiful dog, Alpo.

I arrive at Ayu's house in Utan Kayu area at noon on a Monday. The men hanging around street outside tell me the doorbell is behind the brick wall, next to the rustic Balinese wooden door.

Peeking out from behind the wall is a man who flashes me a smile as he opens the door.

This is Ayu's partner, Erik Prasetya: freelance photographer, Jakarta Institute of Arts lecturer, rock climber and inspiration for her new book, due for release next month. Just behind him is the writer herself.

The two look 10 years younger than their years. Ayu, who will turn 40 in July, is slender in dark jeans, with a purple tank top showing off her toned biceps. Her skin, tanned from her 10 to 15-kilometer runs, glows. She wears her thick wavy hair down and looks beautiful with little makeup.

Erik has reached the ripe age of 50. Spectacles perch on his nose and I catch a glimpse of silver grays in his short hair. Dressed in a black-and-white batik sarong and gray sleeveless shirt, he looks in good shape, thanks to a disciplined fitness regimen.

They show me into the study and Ayu offers me dim sum to eat. I tell her I am a vegetarian and she disappears to the kitchen.

The study is spacious and opens onto other rooms. A tall white cabinet filled with books stands along one part of a wall. In front of the cabinet sits an antique desk with a laptop. A wooden art installation hangs from the high ceiling.

As I sit, a beautiful creature with big eyes and long eyelashes hops forward and rests its front legs on my lap. This is the couple's dog Alpo.

"Back up a little," Erik tells me. "She can stand on her feet and dance."

It is true. Alpo is not only beautiful -- she really can dance.

Ayu returns from the kitchen with a jug of water and a plate of tasty homemade energy bars, and we sit in wooden chairs in the middle of the study to get down to talking.

Right away, Ayu launches into an explanation of the concept of the fu numeral, which is the essence of her new book. She talks fluently, the words and sentences flowing freely from her lips.

Ayu is characterized by a mixture of sound historical knowledge, a healthy dose of free imagination and a critical way of thinking. This mixture led her to the concept of the fu numeral.

"The fu numeral is something that I've formulated. It's a number that has the properties of both one and zero. It's not a mathematical numeral, but a metaphorical numeral; not a rationalistic numeral but a spiritual numeral," she says.

"I use this to criticize monotheism."

With this last statement, her voice takes on a stern edge.

In the background, Erik, his legs resting on an exercise ball, is nodding off to sleep.

"I feel quite happy with my formulation," she says with a laugh.

And with another laugh: "I feel quite a genius with my discovery."

Ayu thinks monotheistic traditions understand the concept of one in an overly mathematical way, "whereas monotheism actually developed before the number zero was conceptualized".

To understand Ayu's concept of the fu numeral, it is first necessary to understand the history of religious development and the history of numerical development.

The concept of one god in the monotheistic tradition that started with Abraham around 4,000 B.C. emerged before the concept of zero was incorporated into the numerical system. The concept of zero or nil was first discovered in India around the fifth century.

"There, the concept of nil came from the concept of sunya or emptiness. The concept of a holistic divinity in the Eastern tradition is conceptualized into nil, while in the Semitic tradition it's conceptualized as one," she says.

"The numeral one, which monotheistic traditions use to define god, is actually one that is whole. However, we've come to understand the concept of one in a very mathematical sense since zero was discovered, which has resulted a very mathematical monotheist belief."

She incorporates this concept of the fu numeral in her book, along with "critical spiritualism", another concept she developed, by telling the story of a skeptical rock climber named Yuda.

By "critical spiritualism", Ayu means attempting to use our mind, living on Earth with our bodies and struggling against the urge to surrender to fatalistic faith.

"After we struggle to the very final moment and realize that we cannot grasp the ineffable, then yes, we surrender," she says.

This critical spiritualism is reflected her own spiritual journey. Raised in a Catholic tradition, she grew up despising religion. She became an atheist in her 20s, rejecting all religious values.

As she entered her 30s, she says, she came to view religion in a different light.

"I see in religion humanity's attempt for dialogue. Scriptures cannot be read literally, but have to be read contextually and metaphorically.

"Religion can renew itself. It's like a historical reality. In the end, what is important is not what is true, but what we do on Earth. Truth will always be delayed -- what's important is kindness," she says.

The spiritual Bilangan Fu has a different emphasis to her previous books Saman and Larung, which dealt with sexuality. What they do have in common is that they serve as a social critique.

Saman, released in 1998 just months after the toppling of former president Soeharto, was a critique of the hypocritical patriarchal society and repressive New Order Regime. Its sequel Larung shared the same broad themes.

Bilangan Fu is a critique of the growing power of religious fundamentalists, such as the Islam Defenders Front, and the increasing violence toward religious minorities over the past 10 years.

Both Ayu and Erik have signed the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Belief.

"In the past 10 years, people have been interpreting religion in a very shallow and fatalistic way. Religion is used to give life to power, or people are lured to the powerful side of religion. It's a sad development," she says.

Ayu dedicated Bilangan Fu to Erik. She was inspired to write a novel about rock climbing because of him. Once an avid climber, Erik stopped for 14 years after the death of his best friend in a rock climbing accident.

"When I first started going out with Erik, I didn't do any rock climbing, and neither did Erik, because of his trauma. But he kept telling me all these stories about rock climbing. I thought, why are you telling all these stories if you don't even do it anymore?" she says.

"So I decided to write a book about it."

By this time, Erik has woken from his doze. He joins us at the table and places his hands behind his head.

"I dedicated this book to Erik. This is a way for me to picture him in his youth with his late best friend and his girlfriend who left," she says, looking at him with a smile.

She started to learn rock climbing in late 2003, after which Erik returned to the sport.

"The first time back was magical. It all came back, the smell, the feel of the wind," Erik says.

They now have their own climbing wall in their house.

According to Ayu, Bilangan Fu was her hardest book to write, taking her around four and a half years to finish.

"There was so much that I wanted to say, my concepts of the fu numeral and critical spiritualism, but I didn't want that to ruin the structure of the story. Finding a simple structure for a complex matter is the hard part," she says.

"I saw her struggle to put her ideas into her book," Erik chimes in.

"It was not easy, and there were times she despaired and even said that her ideas could not be put into a book. But then she found her way."

Ayu likens writing to rock climbing.

"In rock climbing, a good climber should climb clean, which means we have to find a natural path, we can't destroy the rocks. That was my principle in writing as well -- if we can't find one path, we choose another," she says.

"And in desperate times we usually find the way."

Image: www.khatulistiwa.net
artcile: The Jakarta Post

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Metamorfosis Ikal dalam Laskar Pelangi dan Sang Pemimpi

oleh Wiwik Hidayati

Setelah membaca laskar pelangi, yang saya rasakan adalah sebuah emosi jiwa. Ya, saya merasa masuk dalam ruang penceritaan. Saya hanyut di dalamnya. Saya ingin mengetahui bagaimana nasib tokoh-tokoh itu terutama Lintang dan Mahar. Kemudian saya lanjutkan dengan pembacaan novel sang Pemimpi, yang kata Andrea lanjutan dari kisah Laskar Pelangi.

Saya sedikit kecewa karena yang saya temukan orang lain. Bukan mereka yang membuat diri saya bergejolak ingin tahu. Lalu setelah itu, saya sadar bahwa Lintang dan Mahar sudah berakhir dengan ditutupnya lembar terakhir Laskar Pelangi.Lintang menjadi seorang supir sedangkan Mahar sedikit lebih beruntung, menjadi seorang budayawan lokal. Hasrat keingintahuan saya sebenarnya tidak terpuaskan. Tapi apalah daya, informasi yang diberikan penulis hanya sekadar itu, ala kadarnya.

Karya pertama dan kedua Andrea bagi saya bukan sepenuhnya Dwilogi. Alasannya simpel saja. Ikal yang ada pada karya pertama bukanlah Ikal yang ada pada tokoh kedua. Ikal dalam karya pertama hanya seorang tokoh yang keberadaannya tidak terlalu penting. Ada tiadanya Ikal takkan mengganggu isi cerita. Mungkin alasan tersebut bisa dipatahkan dengan argumen seperti ini. “Jika tidak ada ikal, tidak akan ada sang juru cerita yang akan mengantarkan sejarah laskar pelangi dalam sebuah memoar.” Benar. Hanya saja sang juru cerita bisa diganti orang lain.

Namun masalah yang kemudian muncul adalah karena ini memoar, sebuah kisah nyata. Jadi, Ikal tetap saja Ikal yang keberadaannya tidak bisa digantikan orang lain. Mungkin diantara kesebelas orang itu yang punya inisiatif atau obsesi menulis hanyalah seorang Ikal (Andrea Hirata Seman).

Alasan lain. Ikal dalam novel pertama tidak digambarkan berkarakteristik kuat sebagai tokoh yang menjual. Sebenarnya siapa tokoh yang ingin dimemoarkan? Tentu Ikal. Kenapa orang yang seharusnya menjadi tokoh utama seolah-olah tidak tampak. Ia tidak meresap di hati pembaca. Dalam novel itu, Ikal hanya seorang bocah yang memunyai sepuluh orang teman yang aneh-aneh. Ia seorang tokoh yang kurang mendapat simpati pembaca. Bukankah tokoh utama biasanya merebut hati pembaca?

Kemudian wajar jika pembaca Laskar Pelangi lebih mempertanyakan kondisi Lintang saat ini, atau Mahar barangkali daripada Ikal. Bukan karena keberadaan Ikal yang memang sudah diketahui. Tapi karena Lintang dan Mahar digambarkan lebih hidup daripada yang lain.

Selanjutnya, dalam sang Pemimpi, tiba-tiba Ikal ada secara penuh. Hanya dia satu-satunya tokoh dalam laskar pelangi yang diADAkan kembali. “Siapa Ikal yang berani-beraninya muncul di karya Andrea yang kedua?”. Dialah tokoh utama itu. Tanpa Ikal, sang Andrea sendiri, takkan ada Laskar Pelangi, sang Pemimpi, kemudian Edensor, dan Maryamah Karpov.

Dalam karya keduanya, Andrea memunculkan karakteristik tokoh Ikal yang harus dilihat. Ikal orang yang pandai, pekerja keras, dan sedikit nakal karena keremajaannya. Ia bukan lagi orang yang ikut ke sana ke mari tidak jelas seperti yang ada dalam Laskar Pelangi. Ialah tokoh sebenarnya tokoh.

Karya kedua Andrea memang berbeda. Awalnya saya menganggap bahwa Andrea dan Laskar Pelanginya tak lebih hanya mendapat durian runtuh. Jika tidak punya Lintang, Mahar, dan sekolah mengenaskan yang bersanding dengan lingkungan elit PN Timah, ia tidak bakal seberuntung sekarang. Ia punya modal awal cerita yang menarik. Di samping itu, ia juga tiba-tiba muncul saat masyarakat mulai bosan dengan keberadaan chikleet tenleet.

Saya menyukai Laskar Pelangi karena substansi ceritanya yang menyentuh sisi kemanusiaan. Sebuah kehidupan yang serasa tidak nyata. Saya tidak melihat ada kelebihan lain dalam novel tersebut kecuali ceritanya itu sendiri.

Namun setelah membaca sang pemimpi, saya mulai berpikir ulang. Saya sadar ada kepiawaian di sana. Jika tidak ditulis oleh jari yang lentur, pikiran seorang yang imajinatif; cerita Ikal, Arai dan Jimbron, hanya akan berakhir pada keranjang sampah. Namun, Andrea membuktikan itu. Cerita yang biasa bakal jadi luar biasa bila diramu dengan baik. Mungkin begitu juga dalam laskar pelangi.

Andrea dan budayanya

Ada pujian yang berlebihan pada Andrea. Ia bukan dari lingkungan sastra namun dapat membuat novel best seller. Tak hanya karya pertamanya, namun juga karya yang kedua.

Berbicara mengenai best seller, banyak novelis muda Indonesia yang bukan dari lingkungan sastra tapi karyanya terjual laris manis. Sebaliknya, tidak mudah menemukan karya yang dibuat oleh kalangan sastra yang dapat diterima masyarakat luas.

Best seller tidaknya karya tidak hanya ditentukan hanya dari novelnya itu sendiri. Banyak kalangan yang berjasa. Di sini bisnis pun bermain. Dengan sedikit taktik karya bisa menjadi fenomenal. Misalnya saja dengan promosi besar-besar di media, launching dengan mengundang artis, atau bisa juga mencari komentator untuk ombustment.

Sedangkan dalam novel Andrea, saya lihat murni dari karya. Kelihaian bercerita menjadi kunci kesuksesannya. Kelihaian itu tak serta merta turun dari langit. Lingkungan dan budayanya sangat berpengaruh.

Ia orang Belitong, berdarah Melayu. Coba tengok ke belakang. Masyarakat tentu tidak awam dengan sastrawan Melayu seperti HAMKA, Marah Roesli, Muchtar Loebis, Iwan Simatupang dll. Jadi wajar jika Andrea pun seperti itu. Orang melayu terkenal pintar bercerita.

“Pendidikan di Sumatra itu sangat berbeda dengan di Jawa. Guru di sana seperti seorang teman. Dia hanya bertugas memfasilitasi. Orang Sumatra yang sukses itu bisa sangat sukses Karena cara mendidiknya tadi. Contohnya saja Andrea,” kata Aulia Muhammad dalam diskusi “Membaca Geliat penyair muda” di Fakultas Sastra Undip. Ia seorang pemred suaramerdeka.com yang juga bergelut dalam dunia sastra. Sebagai seorang yang lahir di Sumatra, tentu ia tahu bagaimana sistem pendidikan di sana.

Dalam Laskar pelangi maupun sang Pemimpi sebenarnya juga bisa terlihat jelas bagaimana pendidikan di sana. Tak jauh beda dengan yang dikatakan Aulia. Dalam novel Sang Pemimpi, Andrea menjelaskan bagaimana cintanya ia dengan sastra. Itu tak lain karena gurunya. Sang guru mengajarkan sastra sekaligus menghipnotisnya untuk mencintai bidang itu. Ia membuat pelajaran itu penuh dengan kepesonaan. Tak hanya teori yang diajarkan tapi ia membebaskan sang murid pada imajinasi-imajinasinya sendiri. Jadi, benarkah Andrea Hirata Seman benar-benar awam dalam dunia sastra?

*Wiwik Hidayati, a college student in faculty of letters, Diponegoro University, now she on a last semester, majoring Indonesian Literature. Visit her blog at http://heedawiwix.blogspot.com

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Atheis by Achdiat K. Mihardja (English Version)

Set in Indonesia before and during the Japanese occupation, Atheis tells the story of Hasan, a pious Muslim who loses his faith after falling in love and becoming involved with a group of radicals. It is both a love story and a vivid account of the period. Definitely worth reading.

This edition was translated from the Indonesian by R.J. Maguire
University of Queensland Press 1972

buy from Amazon.com

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