T

hrough his solo album, Leks Santoso, a tourism businessman and art and nature lover, discusses the current situation in Indonesia, ranging from potential fuel price hikes, politics and rampant corruption to the rapid rate of forest destruction.

In a combination of country, blues, pop and slow rock, Leks, 52, suggests in his song lyrics not to focus entirely on the socio-political situation in the country’s capital, but also to look at what is happening in all corners of the vast archipelago.

He criticizes the empty slogans of many Indonesian leaders like “for the sake of the people’s welfare” and “for justice, welfare and equality”, because in the end they do not follow up. He writes of such things because many leaders were busy talking, but did nothing.

In the songs “Koran” (Newspaper), “Sarkusno” and “Sang Jagoan” (Champion), Leks tries to stimulate nationalism, while in other songs like “Alam” (Nature) and “Himne Alam Murung” (Hymn of Depressed Nature) he attempts to raise awareness about the uncontrolled destruction of the country’s forests.

In one of his criticisms he sings, “Let’s display the patriotism of the nation’s conscience, beat all thieves of the nation’s welfare.”

“Koran”, “Sarkusno” and “Sang Jagoan” are strongly influenced by country music. “The choice of the style of music was taken under the consideration that this type of music is more popular and can readily be understood,” said Leks, director of Remote Destinations, an Indonesian eco-tour and adventure specialist, in an interview. “Hopefully, messages about social services and nationalism can easily be understood by listeners,” he added.

Leks decided to launch a solo album, consisting of 11 tracks, after feeling confident that he had everything he wanted.

When Leks intended to become a singer during his childhood, his father prevented him because he feared he wouldn’t be able to support himself. “My father argued that my future would not be as bright as expected if I relied on art, as in Indonesia becoming a singer was not yet as good as in the West,” he said.

Leks was advised at that time to choose another profession in order to support his singing hobby. He later studied at the National Hotel and Tourism Institute (NHI) in Bandung, West Java. His father’s suggestion turned out to be correct, as the school introduced him to his love of traveling.

After graduating, Leks started a business specializing in tours and adventure packages for foreign tourists to remote areas across Indonesia, especially the country’s east like Papua, Kalimantan and East Nusa Tenggara.

His success in the tourism business enabled Leks and his American wife, Linda Hahn-Santoso, to collect a wide variety of art from all over the country. The priceless collection consists of thousands of items ranging from Papuan statues and masks from various regions to Javanese gamelan instruments, leather puppets, old Korans and paintings.

They are all beautifully displayed at Roemah Djawa (House of Java), a gallery located on Jl. Lebak Bulus III in South Jakarta. The well-maintained gallery is not only used for the couple’s art that has been collected over the past three decades, but also to conserve the joglo, an increasingly rare traditional Javanese structure.

Leks named his solo album Suka-suka Gua (Whatever I Like). “Why did I choose to name my album that? Because I did all the album production myself,” he said. Based on his ability to play several musical instruments like the guitar, piano, drums, violin and harmonica, he controlled the entire production process himself, starting from the composition of the song lyrics, the arrangement, the recording and mastering and the design for the CD cover, and the marketing and distribution.

Part of the sales, Leks said, will be used to provide scholarships for Papuan children in remote areas, especially in Wamena, Sentani, Raja Ampat, Sorong and Asmat. In Wamena, for example, Leks has sponsored scholarships for children for years to help local Dani, Yali and Lani people.

However, it would be pompous for him to think that his new CD will be displayed in stores in the national distribution network anytime soon, he said. “I have to know myself,” he said, adding he would not be surprised if his product is turned down because he is not well known.

In marketing his products, Leks has adopted a unique style in that sales are entrusted to friends or individuals across the country willing to cooperate and share revenue. For every Rp 50,000 (US$5.30) CD sold, the distributor will get Rp 30,000 and the remaining Rp 20,000 goes to the producer.

Money from the sales themselves will also be partly returned to buyers, because in every 1,000 CDs, Leks provides scholarships worth Rp 6.5 million, consisting of between Rp 100,000 to Rp 2 million to the lucky winner.

People are expected to shun pirated CDs and buy the originals so they will be able to participate in helping the children of the nation, including Papuan children who are still badly in need of assistance, through education.