It was 9 a.m. when hundreds of people packed a stage set beneath giant ondel-ondel effigies on Jl. Benyamin Sueb in Kemayoran to take part in the subdistrict'€™s 200th anniversary.

The date was picked after '€œMayoran'€ was mentioned in the Feb. 24, 1816 edition of local newspaper Java Government Gazette for the first time. That date has since been commemorated as the anniversary of the area in Central Jakarta better known as Kemayoran.

The area has experienced ups and downs over the years. In 1935, Kemayoran Airport opened and changed the economy of the subdistrict from agriculture- to service-centered. The airport became the main gate to the country, and became known worldwide after the country hosted the first Asia Africa Summit in Bandung, West Java, in 1955.

The airport was featured in an edition of Belgian comic series The Adventure of Tintin titled Flight 714 to Sydney, published in 1968.

When the airport ceased operations in 1985, all flights were transferred to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang.

Years later, Kemayoran has a rapidly developing subdistrict with high-rise buildings, replacing the traditional kampungs.

'€œI agree that Kemayoran has been growing rapidly over the years, but the growth is not for us. It is only limited to capital owners and people who have businesses in this area,'€ Rubianto, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver and native Jakartan told The Jakarta Post.

Born in Kemayoran 40 years ago, Rubianto was evicted from his house on Jl. Kemayoran Gempol as another apartment building is set to be built on the land where his house used to sit.

'€œThis place is way different compared to many years ago when I was growing up. Apartments and high-rise buildings are everywhere now,'€ Gugun Setyawan, 64, told the Post.

Gugun sat on the side of the road in his black martial arts attire with fellow members of pencak silat group Sutera Baja, a traditional martial arts group initiated in Kemayoran hundreds of years ago, waiting for their turn to perform in the anniversary celebration.

Gugun, also a native Jakartan, and his family moved to Bekasi last year after selling his last piece of land in Kemayoran.

The martial arts trainer said many of his neighbors had also left Kemayoran after selling their land to businesspeople who then built high-rise apartments.

Sigit Setyawan, another member of Sutera Baja, said both locals and the martial arts group were no longer appreciated and finding it increasingly hard to survive where they hailed from.

He said the group won a martial arts competition at the 1973 National Games (PON) in Jakarta, but was losing members as people were no longer interested in preserving the traditional martial art.

He added that despite being one of the oldest martial arts groups in Kemayoran, it rarely received invitations to perform at events.

'€œI actually hoped the local administration could help us survive, but all we'€™ve be given are empty promises,'€ Sigit said.

Sigit added that he hoped the local administration would declare the Kemayoran anniversary an annual event and that his group could be considered a permanent performer. '€œIn that way we can get more acknowledgement,'€ he said.

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