Ulma Haryanto – Four jaipong dancers took to the stage in Central Jakarta on Sunday morning to show off a traditional dance they say is in peril because of a law that could restrict such performances.
"The Constitutional Court will come out with a verdict on the Antipornography Law this coming Thursday. Therefore, we would like to remind the public that the law has to be annulled because it could threaten the nation's cultural and historical pluralism," Sri Nurherwati, of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), said on Sunday.
Jaipong is a traditional West Javanese dance that features the graceful movement of the arms and hands and swinging of the hips. Last year, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan cited the controversial 2008 Antipornography Law to criticize the dance as being too sensual.
"We are trying to educate the public as well. What is jaipong without its 'goyang, geol and gitek' [basic body movements], or as we call it, 'the 3G's'? Should we just sit and do nothing when our cultural diversity is threatened?" Nurherwati said.
Lilis, a dancer from the Mayang Arum studio in Bogor, was there to "coach" the public to move along with the jaipong dancers on stage. She said removing the 3G components destroyed the character of the dance.
"When we staged the dance, and the public danced along, they understood the beauty of the dance. The law definitely will restrict us as artists," Lilis said.
She added that jaipong bookings had fallen by half since Ahmad had criticized the dance. "This really threatens our livelihood," Lilis said.
"He said that jaipong came from slum areas. He clearly observed the wrong places if he came to that conclusion. Jaipong dances are being performed in hotels and presidential palaces. We were really offended by his remarks," she added.
Nurherwati noted that animist Papuan highlanders who wear koteka, or penis gourds, could also be sentenced to jail according to the Antipornography Law. "The law does not protect those who are victims. Look at the Bandung dancers who were jailed. They could be potential victims of human trafficking but instead they are the ones who are being criminalized," she said.
During arguments at the Constitutional Court last year, legal experts testified that the law employed a flawed definition of pornography, saying the legislation could harm culture, science and sports. The Constitutional Court has taken more than five months to come to a verdict on the law, which was backed by conservative religious groups.
Still, Nurherwati remained optimistic. "Pornography is already regulated in the Criminal Code," she noted. About 500 people attended the dance protest.