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Costumed characters brighten up tourist spot
No mean feat:: A street performer posing as an independence fighter holding a red-and-white flag strikes a difficult pose to attract tourists at Fatahillah Square in Old Town, West Jakarta
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span class="inline inline-center">No mean feat:: A street performer posing as an independence fighter holding a red-and-white flag strikes a difficult pose to attract tourists at Fatahillah Square in Old Town, West Jakarta. Many street performers entertain visitors and offer a unique photo opportunity at the square. JP/P.J. Leo
Dozens of visitors to the Fatahillah Square in Old Town in West Jakarta over a recent weekend queued to take pictures with costumed characters ' locally known as manusia batu.
The statue-like performers are part of the Humanoids Community of Taman Fatahillah (Kombat) who have been working at the square for several years. Fatahillah Square boasts several characters, such as national hero Gen. Sudirman, the lonely None Belanda (Dutch Lady), traditional ghost Sundel Bolong, a Chinese vampire and a spooky villain called the Red Devil, among others.
Some children asked to be picked up by Gen. Sudirman, while others asked the Sundel Bolong to pose as if the ghost was chasing them.
Among the costumed characters, the most popular was the Red Devil, who looked as if he came right out of a comic book.
The man behind the Red Devil, 20-year-old Andi Boma, said he indeed found inspiration from reading comic books. 'My costume is a mix between [DC Comics character] Kid Devil and [Star Wars' villain] Darth Maul. I wanted to be an original character so visitors would be interested,' Andi told The
Jakarta Post.
Andi said that he did not charge visitors for taking pictures with him. However, visitors often give him money, from which he can earn up to Rp 500,000 during the week (US$42.70) and over Rp 1 million at weekends.
The costume, he said, was easy to put together. He bought different parts of the costume in various markets in the city. The hair and makeup, on the other hand, can take up to two hours to complete.
Andi said he has been posing as the Red Devil in Fatahillah Square for two years. However, he added, working as a costumed character was only a side job. His full-time job is as a courier in Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta in Central Jakarta.
'For me, this is more of a hobby than a job,' Andi said.
Like Andi, Anwar can make over Rp 1 million on weekends.
Meanwhile, the man behind Gen. Sudirman, 39-year-old Pamudi, said that his income had risen sharply since he became a costumed character.
He said that before becoming Gen. Sudirman, he used to sell beverages in Kota Tua.
'I don't get as much money from selling beverages as I do from being a costumed character. I receive invitations to appear in television shows or attend events in shopping centers. I could get paid Rp 500,000 for each visit,' Pamudi said.
He said that because many visitors asked him about his character, he had been studying up on national history.
Pamudi added that he felt proud that many visitors wanted to take their pictures with him.
'My pictures are all over the Internet. More than any celebrity in this country,' he joked. (dwa)
