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Tika Celebrating the diversity of beauty
Making a statement: With her new single and music video, Tika (third right), real name Kartika Jahja, passionately tackles the issue of gender equality
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Making a statement: With her new single and music video, Tika (third right), real name Kartika Jahja, passionately tackles the issue of gender equality.
With her new album, musician Tika wants to tackle sexism, misogyny, and general gender and social ignorance by celebrating women taking full authority over their bodies and the way they are presented.
Although 'Tubuhku Otoritasku' (My Body, My Authority) was already recorded back in 2013, Jakarta-based singer-songwriter Tika will only now rerelease it as the first single from the long-awaited second full-length album Merah (Red), which will be released in March.
It won't simply be a single though. Tika, whose real name is Kartika Jahja, is intent on making it a statement.
The musician is currently putting the finishing touches on a music video for the song that features 30 women who have self-written strong statements about who they are and what they stand for on their bodies.
'We wanted to do a music video that doubles as a campaign video of women celebrating our bodies ['¦] What's interesting is these women are not professional models and each woman represents something different. The diversity is amazing. From different body types, skin color, age, profession, to sexuality. We try to be as inclusive as possible,' explains Tika.
As fate would have it, the video seems to be a timely reminder against the tirade of anti-LGBT sentiment that seems to be sweeping the country. This wasn't the initial intention, but Tika is more than happy that her video should also stand for a larger spectrum of gender equality outside of women's rights.
'We didn't time it on purpose, but turns out this is perfect timing to address gender equality. We started with a very subtle message of self love and respecting our body autonomy, but this is an entrance to much deeper layers of gender and sexuality related issues from body image, sexual violence, to homophobia and transphobia.'
The video also includes LGBT women because, Tika says, she wanted this video to speak for all women ' 'not just heteresexual cysgender women'.
The song's lyrics takes a strong stance for gender equality and strength, while the music fittingly also takes a harder edge than Tika's first album, which was moody and layered with introspective lyrics.
This time, Tika doesn't want to hide between layers of metaphors and analogies ' instead making the case clear as day.
''Tubuhku Otoritasku' speaks about a woman reclaiming full authority of her body. Women's bodies go through so much scrutiny, judgment, policing, objectification, and all kinds of violence,' she says.
'Society sees women's bodies as public property, as sexual objects, so when we express ourself in ways that don't fit the narrow patriarchal perspective and beauty standards, we are seen as indecent and therefore do not deserve to be treated with love and respect.'
For Tika, the song is about breaking down that perspective, reclaiming their bodies, and celebrating the diversity of their beauty.
The musician, who also runs the Bersama Project (Together Project), a larger gender equality initiative on which the Tubuhku Otoritasku project is being run, considers music a healthy and encompassing way to spread her message.
'Throughout our history, music and arts have always been a bridge that connects socio-political issues to the public. I personally feel that my perspective today is partly shaped by the music I listened to, and the films I watched growing up,' she says.
'Having worked in music for quite long, and then focusing on women's issues the past few years, I feel that both activists and artists can really benefit from learning from each other. Artists can build their awareness and capacity from activists. And activists can learn from artists on how to communicate their message better to the public.'
Naturally, Tika has the support of many of her peers ' artists, activists and her acquaintances in the media. It hasn't been easy, seeing that Indonesia is still learning about these issues, but for Tika it is more than worth the fight.
Of course, she realizes there will be usual bigots and chauvinists, as it is with any equality campaign out there.
'We live in a culture that nurtures patriarchy, so there will always be people who think gender equality is against 'God's will', or people who think we are a bunch of women trying to crush men, or people who simply think that women's movements are no longer necessary, despite the fact that one in three women experience violence, and millions of girls are out of school, and we are being raped, abused and trafficked all over the world.' But it won't stop Tika and her friends in letting their voice be known.
' Photos courtesy of Bersama Project
