Strumming for the slum dwellers in Indonesia: musicians’ underground gigs for a cause
- Faced with a virtual closed shop and widespread social injustice, musicians in Bandung, West Java, go underground to raise awareness of slum battle
- Each act is there to illustrate one thing: music’s ability to fight against government policy and for the poorest in society
“Music in Indonesia cannot be severed from political domination and power,” says Kimung from his office in a residential area of Bandung, West Java.
The music historian and stalwart of the underground music scene in Bandung, who goes by one name, pores through decades of DIY magazines and articles as he explains the tricky relationship between the city, provincial and national governments in the west of the country, and the musicians who play there.
Bandung is a place where music and the arts infuse all facets of life, from the army barracks that have been turned into artist studios to the violinist playing to drivers at traffic lights.
Despite this, the city has a history of clampdowns on musical expression. “If you didn’t follow the [government’s] policy, there was no place for you in this music industry,” says Kimung, referring to the reality of Bandung’s musicians in the 1980s. “The government sees the musical potential of young people, and economises it, but does not allow the development of critical attitudes among musicians in addressing various injustices in society.”
Thirty years on, musical expression is still suppressed and police routinely shut down shows in the city.