Perahu highlights need for marine development

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 06/11/2006 2:49 PM | Life

Nandang Aradea, Contributor, Banten

The nation's myriad problems such as malnutrition, poverty, environmental damage and illegal fishing have inspired students of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University in Banten to write and stage an ambitious play titled Perahu (Boat).

The play, which premiered in the third week of May and will be performed in the first week of every month from June to October, aims to draw the attention of the government and the people to the importance of marine-based development.

Being an archipelagic country, Indonesia has to exploit its marine resources and strengthen its Navy, instead of the Army as is currently the case, to maintain its territorial integrity, they asserted.

Based on those concerns, student members of Kafe Ide Teater staged the performance in an open-air theater at their campus in Serang, Banten.

To highlight the goal of the performance, directed by Nandang Aradea, Arip Senjaya, and Ahdi Zukhruf Amri, the students brought a real boat from Banten beach to their campus.

The wooden stage, which can accommodate 200 players, was built in such a way that there was no barrier between the players and the audience.

The play does not utilize verbal communication which the three directors believe is unable to carry the message, instead it capitalizes on the emotions and artistic instincts of the players.

The directors believe that mime can best express meaning when combined with elements central to the issue such as the boat, bamboo, water, sounds of a grinder, fishing rod and the ocean waves.

The performers expressed the wounds of the nation -- poverty, malnutrition and environmental destruction.

The actors were hanging and jumping in sporadic, chaotic, and acrobatic movements to convey their message.

The boat represents the miserable life of fishermen which was symbolized by the bouncing movement of the players against water and stones.

The hard life of fishermen was reflected in the hard work of the students in preparing the six-month-long performance.

The actors and theater workers designed the sets for the performance over a period of more than two months.

With this long performance schedule, the directors and students are hoping that Perahu can reach a wider public, encouraging the people of Banten to appreciate theater.

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