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1965 survivors choir awarded Gwangju human rights award
The Dialita Choir, a group of survivors of the 1965 tragedy in Indonesia, has been honored with the 2019 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights for “showing the path to reconciliation and healing through music”
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span>The Dialita Choir, a group of survivors of the 1965 tragedy in Indonesia, has been honored with the 2019 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights for “showing the path to reconciliation and healing through music”.
The prize was awarded by the May 18 Memorial Foundation on Saturday in Gwangju, South Korea.
“The award is an acknowledgement of the fight for human rights through music and culture. The recognition has motivated us to continue our fight through arts,” Dialita Choir head Uchikowati Fauzia said in her speech during the awarding ceremony.
Uchikowati recalled in her speech the turns of events involving the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) 53 years ago, which have turned women and children into victims of the tragedy as their families were prosecuted and killed.
“Many people lost their civil rights. They were fired from their work, dismissed from their schools and robbed of their properties. We were only children back then. We grew up in fear and pressure. Some of our parents were jailed while some others went missing and were never found again,” she added.
She said the stigma attached to the PKI had ripped away the social, political and cultural rights of the victims of the 1965 tragedy.
“Through singing, children of the 1965 victims can feel peace and strength to achieve their dreams, because the future is owned by everyone, including the 1965 victims,” Uchikowati said.
She also expressed hope that Indonesia could hear their voices and acknowledge the 1965 human rights violations.
May 18 Memorial Foundation chief Lim Seon-suk said Indonesia had experienced historical turmoil since independence in 1945, with warring ideologies and competition for power.
“This contention culminated in the September 1965 alleged failed coup d’etat, which was followed by the purging of many Indonesians through extra-judicial seizure, torture and executions. This purge effected hundreds of thousands of Indonesians and was never officially acknowledged by the government. Since then, survivors and their families continue to suffer deep stigma and discrimination,” said Lim.
Dialita Choir members sing to support fellow survivors as well as for self-healing. “Its songs convey a message of peace and solidarity, in the hope that it will educate the country about its forgotten past, in particular the younger generation,” Lim went on.
The special prize is bestowed by the May 18 Memorial Foundation, which was formed to commemorate the thousands of victims of a bloody protest from May 18 to 27, 1980 in South Korea. The event has become known as the Gwangju Democratic Uprising.
The foundation, established in 1994 by the survivors of the uprising, has bestowed human rights awards since 2000. “This prize goes to individuals who have made the greatest contribution to human rights and democracy or an organization that has had a significant struggle and contributed to the improvement and advancement of human rights, democracy and peace in the their own country in Asia,” the website of the foundation says.
The special prize, awarded twice yearly since 2011, is given to “those who work for the improvement of human rights by means of journalism, culture and literature”.
National Association of Families of the Disappeared (IKOHI) secretary-general Zaenal Muttaqien said the May 18 Memorial Foundation had asked his organization to recommend groups or figures deserving of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.
“In the past three years, Dialita has actively performed, arranged songs, created albums and received a warm welcome from the public. The group has helped erode the stigma against the 1965 victims. A documentary on them also received the Piala Citra award,” Zaenal explained the reasons behind Dialita’s nomination.
He added that by taking a cultural approach, Dialita has received relatively no repudiation from the public compared to other activities related to the 1965 tragedy.
