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Rudi Corens: Putting the traditional back in games
RUDI CORENS: (JP/Slamet Susanto) Every year, one more traditional children's game is lost in the country
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RUDI CORENS: (JP/Slamet Susanto)
Every year, one more traditional children's game is lost in the country. The result is that Indonesian children don't get the chance to learn the educational arts of their forebears.
Concern about the state of Indonesian children's education led Rudi Corens, an artist from Belgium who is also a lecturer at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta, to pioneer the establishment of a children's museum named Kolong Tangga, which literally means The Space Under the Stairs.
"In my eyes children are innocent and unspoiled, and can always make me laugh. What a pity that today they can't get a good education," said Rudi who has lived in Yogyakarta since 1991.
Children have also lost much public space where they could play in their environment. Parents no longer try to introduce them to the rich cultural heritage of their ancestors, spoiling their children with toys made from plastic and electronic games.
"Children are taken to shopping malls where they play modern games which do not educate them," he said.
Teachers at school seem to be happier lecturing on theory without introducing culture to their students. The education curriculum also doesn't recognize the value of introducing the customs of yesteryear to children.
According to Rudi, by playing traditional games children can develop their creative abilities. Since traditional games were made using materials from the children's natural surroundings, he says they are more pleasurable for creative children.
"Traditional games have scientific and educational values, and moral messages which to this day have been recognized by European people. But how sad that in the past 10 years one plaything has been lost every year," said Rudi, who will turn 75 this year.
He said that traditional games teach children the art of socializing with other children since many traditional games can't be played alone, forcing children to cooperate with other children to participate.
Every traditional game is linked to the stories or legends of the culture of a particular region. Playing a traditional game helps stimulate children's imagination and automatically assists them to understand the social culture of their ancestors.
"Indonesian children today don't know or understand the richness of the old toys and games which were part of the fabric of the nation itself," said Rudi.
Because they no longer know traditional games, and because they are being spoiled by electronic games, this has made Indonesian children grow up with selfish attitudes, he said.
"To play electronic games now you don't need a friend. You can just play alone," said Rudi.
Many Indonesian children now grow up having been influenced by violence to the point where they have finally become the "brutal generation".
"The types of electronic games now on sale always express violence. Games are available that just kill, kill and kill. This not only damages their attitudes but can also make children cruel," said Rudi.
He raised hope that the opening of the children's museum, which officially opened its doors in February this year, will create a public space for the children of Yogyakarta and surrounding areas.
He also hoped the museum would become an educational resource, assisting in the development of creative ideas and providing art education and the preservation of traditional values.
On a visit to the museum, people can see around 200 types of games and toys at Kolong Tangga, while at the same time appreciating the culture of the past.
Almost all the exhibits at Kolong Tangga come from Corens' personal collection of about 900 games.
However, since there is limited space at the museum, the items have to be displayed in rotation.
The children's museum doesn't just exhibit games. It also provides facilities such as children's workshops, a children's library and a playground where children can play together -- all involving 30 volunteers.
"We are thankful to have 30 volunteers to help with the children's education. They are not profit oriented. They are concerned with children's education and they work together with sincerity," Corens said.
To finance all the events, the museum depends on donations.
"If it depends on the government -- well, governments everywhere are the same. They offer many promises. That's why we hope more and more people will become involved," said Rudi.
For the future, Rudi hopes that the children's museum will be accessed by more people so that it can help retain the traditional values of society, which he said are starting to disappear.
At the beginning, Rudi said he didn't think about establishing a children's museum.
He just enjoyed his hobby of collecting traditional games and toys. He started his collection with a miniature bread train, a gift from his great-grandfather and which was more than 175 years old.
Rudi has since had the chance to go to many remote places in Indonesia to study culture and society.
"I've traveled around Indonesia because I wanted to see for myself the reality of society and culture."
Every time he travels to the regions, Rudi always takes the opportunity to visit traditional markets to look for old games. He has often had to go to remote places that have been difficult to access in his search for traditional games.
"I've been collecting traditional games for 30 years and all have been difficult to obtain," he said.
Traditional games also provide cultural links between one region and another. For example, a story behind a game in India can be linked to a story or educational value that can be found in an Indonesian game.
"I am more interested in studying the culture of a region which is reflected in the game," he said.
The more that he studies the values and cultures behind a traditional game, the more Rudi feels concerned about the current education of children.
"In order to make my interest be of benefit to the children in Yogyakarta and other cities, I finally had to give my collection to create the museum," he said.
