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Jakarta Art Council: '1965' drama will go on despite police ban
Jakarta Globe - December 8, 2015
Cops in the capital issued a letter on Monday evening that banned a discussion on and reading of a drama script for "Family Album: #50years1965," which was supposed to take place at Taman Ismail Marzuki on Tuesday afternoon.
The prohibition letter was issued after a protest was lodged by a lobby group calling itself the Jakarta Theater Family Who Cares for the Jakarta Theater Festival, which considered the topic too sensitive.
The anti-communist purges that started in 1965 left hundreds of thousands of people dead, with many of the perpetrators being considered heroes to this day. Questioning the official account of what happened or calling attention to the plight of the victims remains taboo in Indonesia.
At a press conference at Taman Ismail Marzuki, in Cikini, on Tuesday, DKJ head Irawan Karseno said the police ban amounted to a violation of civil rights. Vigilante groups have on several occasions disrupted events linked to '1965'.
"The police should be able to protect us from disturbances that we may face when practicing our right to free speech. We are always open for discussion, but we will not back down in the face of such intimidating moves," he said.
Irawan added that the DKJ would be reporting the Jakarta Police to President Joko Widodo, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the home affairs minister, the education and culture minister, the chief of National Police and the governor of Jakarta.
M. Nurkhoiron, a commissioner with Komnas HAM, said the commission fully supported the DKJ in hosting the '1965' drama, which is about 14 young Indonesian writers and how they re-imagine the campaign of torture, rape and killing.
"We are expecting answers from the police regarding the ban and hope they will be able to make us feel safe when we express our free speech," the commissioner said. "If there are no answers, this would be a step back for the police."
Head of the theater committee for DKJ, Dewi Noviami, said there is not a lot of attention for the 1965 tragedy in Indonesian drama.
But Dewi said that five decades later, it is time for Indonesia to face the darkest chapter in its history. "Those who disagree with our program should come to our event and talk with us, not forbid us from doing so," she said.
Zak Sorga, director at Kanvas Theater and one of the opponents of the event, said the festival should not highlight such a sensitive issue because it is an art institution.
"This is a matter of ideologies and an art institution is not supposed to highlight a particular [ideology]. It is a very sensitive topic. This festival is supposed to be a place for young students to learn about art," he said.
Head of the Indonesia Art Coalition (KSI) M. Abduh Aziz said this is the first time an art event was not allowed to be held at Taman Ismail Marzuki. He also noted that there have been 34 cases across Indonesia where the screening of the movie "The Look of Silence," which deals with the same tragedy, was banned. "I'm having a deja vu because what is happening reminds me a lot of 1998," he said.
The Jakarta Theater Festival runs only until Thursday, but Irawan said he would make sure the '1965' drama would get a spot, with or without a police permit. "We are currently editing the script and trying to figure out some technical issues, but it is happening," he said.
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