Letter: Marginalizing Betawi culture

According to the data from the population and civil registration agency, the population of Jakarta reached 9.6 million in 2010. Indeed, as the capital city of Indonesia, people across the country often consider Jakarta a great place to come to improve their standard of living.

Therefore, we find many people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds there.

However, do we care about the fate of the original inhabitants of Jakarta: the Betawi people?

It’s ironic when so many newcomers find success in this capital city, that the Betawi people do not seem to have found their place in their own city.

A group of lecturers and students at the University of Indonesia, who are researching Betawi art and culture, found that not only had the Betawi people started to be marginalized, but also their art and culture.

“How come Lenong Betawi, one of the Betawis arts, was played by Si Buyung, a young man who comes from West Sumatra? He tried to show it as it should be, but it didn’t match with reality”, said Bachtiar, the chairman of a group of Betawi artists from Sanggar Seni Betawi Si Pitung.

In this capital city, there are prominent buildings for Sundanese and Javanese arts, but is there any art building for the Betawi people?

It seems the hand of government is needed for the survival and the development of Betawi arts and culture.

Dristy Winta Septiani
Jakarta