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Kemuning: a reminder of the 1998 May riots
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A thousand deaths: Actress Ria Probo plays Mawar, victim of a gang rape that took place during the 1998 May riots. (Komsos KAJ/-)
A priest in Jakarta recalls the 1998 May riots – one of Indonesia’s darkest tragedies – in a musical drama.
Indonesia has marked the 21st anniversary of the 1998 May riots that led to the downfall of the dictator Suharto and his New Order regime. The riots took place following a severe financial crisis that spiked prices, weakened the rupiah and left millions unemployed.
Thousands of victims died, scores of Chinese-Indonesian women were gang raped and identity politics based on ethnicity and race reached its peak during the riots, thus leaving a deep collective trauma and wounds for Indonesians until today.
Denial about the tragic riots still persists and the instigators remain elusive. Without any resolution, similar violence could potentially happen again in an ever more fragile socio-political situation.
However, some things can be done for now to avoid such a bleak chapter recurring.
Catholic priest Father Matius Harry Sulistyo, for example, has opted to reenact the dark history in a musical drama called Kemuning Mempelai Berkalang Luka (Kemuning the Grieving Bride).
Harry, who writes and directs the musical, said that the inspiration for Kemuning developed after he got a book and a CD containing compositions from Indonesian mythology.
