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James Danandjaja: Bringing back Chinese folklore
JAMES DANANDJAJA (JP/A
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JAMES DANANDJAJA (JP/A. Junaidi)
Nothing gets in the way of James Danandjaja's passion for folklores, not even a physical hurdle -- from his wheelchair he fervently discusses traditional tales and jokes.
"Through folklore, we can trace our history and maintain our identity," the 74-year-old emeritus professor of the University of Indonesia said in an interview with The Jakarta Post, following a seminar at Tarumanagara University recently.
James, who was born Tan Soe Lin, said Chinese folklore in Indonesia had been suppressed for almost 35 years during the authoritarian regime of former president Soeharto.
Chinese schools had been closed down and Chinese performing arts, such as the lion dance and dragon dance, were banned after the failed coup of 1965, which was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party.
Chinese-Indonesian descendants were also forced to change their names to alleviate difficulties when dealing with administrative matters, such as the processing of identification cards.
But in his new book, Folklor Tionghoa (Chinese Folklore), James jokes that his alias is Kasnawi Karna Dipanegara, which is an acronym for bekas Cina-Betawi tukar nama karena dipaksa negara (a former Chinese-Jakartan who changed his name because he was forced to by the state).
James, who was born in Jakarta on April 13, 1934, has written several books on the cultural tradition of folklore, including Foklor Indonesia (Indonesian Folklore, 1984) and Foklor Jepang (Japanese Folklore, 1997).
"I aim to continue writing books on folklore," James said in an interview relating to World Book Day, which falls on April 23.
World Book Day was first celebrated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1995 to promote reading. The date was connected to a festival in 1923 by booksellers in Catalonia, Spain, as a way to honor the author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day. UNESCO decided on the date as it was also the birthday of several world authors, including William Shakespeare.
In Indonesia, only a handful of authors have written books on folklore.
"Actually, many have studied folklore, but they do not write books (on it), like me," said the author who received his master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in the U.S.
He said writing about folklores, which are usually passed down orally from generation to generation, could help trace the history of certain ethnic groups.
"I believed former president Gus Dur when he said he was actually a Chinese descendant," James said, referring to former president Abdurrahman Wahid.
Based on his research, James said the physical characteristics of people from East Java -- including Gus Dur, who was born from an elite family in Jombang -- were similar to those of people from East Asia.
But some analysts said Gus Dur's statement was merely an effort to lure the votes of Chinese descendants.
However, many Chinese descendants favored the president due to his friendly stance and acknowledgment of Confucianism as a religion and the Imlek lunar new year as a national holiday.
James said folklores were very important to maintain identity, especially for ethnic Chinese-Indonesians amid pressure from the New Order regime.
"For more than three decades, Chinese descendants were forced to forget their roots. Some of them suffered a type of 'amnesia' ... folklores could be used to cure this amnesia," James said.
To help preserve traditions, James suggested Chinese descendants contribute their works to the whole nation -- or even the world -- rather than focusing on their own groups.
In May 1998, massive riots broke out in Jakarta and other cities across the country, leading to the downfall of Soeharto. Thousands of buildings -- mostly belonged to Chinese descendants -- were destroyed during the riots.
"At the time of the riots, I was asked not to return to the country. I was in America at the time. But I refused and decided to return. It's my country," he said.
James was also one of only a few intellectuals who were very critical of the politicians who became the country's new leaders at the beginning of the so-called reform era.
Although, he now finds it difficult to talk -- due to a having suffered a stroke -- James still passionately discusses ethnicity and nationalism.
He said he was rushed to a hospital in Tangerang after collapsing in his home earlier this year and has been paralyzed ever since.
Friends and former students know James as a man proud of his ethnicity who loves his country.
One of his students -- business consultant A.B. Susanto, who also uses a wheelchair -- praised James's stance.
"Pak James is a good intellectual with a conscience. He teaches his students to love their country, regardless of their ethnicity," Susanto told the Post.
