i'll be on my way..: Cultural Things

Showing posts with label Cultural Things. Show all posts

Saturday, November 29, 2014

A Children’s View of The Netherlands

LisaDidien Saturday, November 29, 2014 0 Comments

A Marie Wijk’s Book
- Erasmus Huis' bibliotheek verzameling -

Some of Dutch/English children books are interesting for me, especially some classic ones and also which bring cultural topics.

The Netherlands – A Children’s View of... is one of children books which gives a view about The Netherlands from children eyes by colourful kids’ illustrations made by 7-11 years old Dutch children to tell the reader about their habits, feasts, religion, etc. Those illustrations are combined with informations written by Marie Wijks, the writer.

Book cover
Source: Personal collection

As a person from another country -not a Dutch- this book gave me basic knowledges about Netherlands. It’s interesting as I was assuming myself as a child while reading the illustrations and is also simply to be understood how every content is described by good combination of those illlustrations and the sentences.

A thought of similarities with Indonesian culture popped-up as I found these information :

“ The guests bring flowers, en envelope with contents (money) or something for the home.” (page 17)
In Indonesia, nowadays the guests bring envelope with money when attending the reception of a marriage couple. In past, usually the guests bring something for the home, in example: tableware set, etc. Perhaps, nowadays the guests bring something but just few.

Source: Personal collection

“On 30th April it is Queen’s Day. On that day the Queen’s official birthday is celebrated. Flags are flown throughout the country. Street games are organized.” (page 69)

Source: Personal collection

Indonesian citizens in some regions also like to organize street games on The Independent Day every 17th August, though nowadays, those street games are not as many as in the past. What surprised me is that some games are similar: sack race (balap karung) walking on stilts(egrang), bite-the cake (in Indonesia, it’s not the cake, but is krupuk/kroepoek), climbing post(panjat pinang).

Balap Karung (Sack Race)
Source: Internet

Walking on Stilts (Egrang)
Source: Internet

Makan Krupuk (Bite-Kroepoek)
Source: Internet

Climbing Post (Panjat Pinang)
Source: Internet

Hmm, what about the game marble spoon race (lari kelereng)? Any in Netherlands?

Marble Spoon Race (Lari Kelereng)
Source: Internet

Then a question was arisen on my mind: are these similarities result from Dutch colonialism years ago? Or are they international cultures?

Oh ja, other things that catch my interest are Curly Kale, Doughnut Ball receipts and the folktales, especially the folktale of The Volendam.

Source: Personal collection

Well-done for this book! Happy reading and let explore the world via books!

(...while hoping for the chance to travelling around the world in the future, hihihihi....) :p

Thursday, September 25, 2014

FOOTSTEPS: Notes of Some Little Issues

LisaDidien Thursday, September 25, 2014 0 Comments

Erasmus Huis' bibliotheek verzameling

Dear W,

It's almost weekend. What's your plans this weekend? Hope you'll have great weekend with G.
I also hope the same for everyone :)

Today, I'll try to finish a roman-Indisch novel which was written by a well-known Indonesian writer, Pramoedya Ananta Toer. He once wrote four novels which were called "The Buru Quartet". Footsteps is the third volume of novels inspired by the life of one of the pioneers of the Indonesian awakening and of Indonesian journalism, Tirto Adi Suryo (Introduction, p. 9). Others novels are: Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind)-first volume, Anak Semua Bangsa (Child of All Nations)-second volume, and Rumah Kaca (The Glass House)-fourth volume.
I borrowed this book from Erasmus Huis Library.

Book cover, english version published by Penguin
Source: Internet

Well, while I have been reading this novel of Jejak Langkah (Footsteps), I found some words which-perhaps it's not important things :p-are not really related to the main idea of the story. I called them as some little issues. Here they are! :)

" Betawi was not as busy as Surabaya. And so clean. Big wooden rubbish bins stood in apporiate places and the people placed their garbage there. Not like Surabaya. And there were little parks everywhere, their brightly colored flowers adding a touch of festivity." (p.17-18)

Source: Internet

" In Surabaya all you ever saw were bamboo-hut slums and fires, and rubbish everywhere." (p.18)

Source: Internet

"It was the same with the Europeans. Once they arrived here they were forced to take concubines. But the Dutch were also known to be really stingy. They wanted to return to Holland as wealthy people. So many of them didn't want to take concubines. As replacement for a mistress, they made the guling-a mistress that can't fart. Hey, you, Kleooo-have you ever come across a mention of the guling in any of javanese literature you have read? No, you haven't. And you, Sutan, what about in Malay literature? A big zero. It just didn't exist. It was a pure Dutch invention-the mistress that doesn't fart-'A Dutch Wife.'..." (p.54)

Source: Internet

"....The two of us swung around to face the street. There appeared a big four-wheeled box, which stopped in front of the house.
"An automobile!" I shouted exactly.
Immediately we both descended the front steps and headed for the horseless carriage. But before we made it to the gate, the car was surrounded by people. It was shaped like normal carriage, except there were no horses. It's wheels were made from wood. It's hood was folded back. Smoke and dust were still spewing out of the back." (p.221)

Source: Personal Collection,
taken from A Train Exhibition @Erasmus Huis, Jakarta, 2013

" He asks for smaller print. He is a true Dutchman, not a native. He does not know that the natives cannot afford to buy spectacles. Many Priyayi are forced to retire at forty-five and cannot afford to buy them." (p.241)

Source: Internet

" "Three strong teas, please! Will the chicken be long?"
"Maybe another hour, Ndoro." " (p.283)
" He left and straightaway the grilled chicken arrived, golden brown and glistening in oily kecap. And out of the holes left by the skewers wafted the most mouthwatering smell, an aroma more wondrous than could ever come from any incense." (p.287)
" And three chickens, which two hours before had still been running about on their own two feet, still tidying up their ruffled feathers, still competing with their fellow roosters, now dissappeared, destroyed, dissoveld in our mouths among the glistening kecap and saliva, then to descend our throats to meet the waiting worms in our stomachs." (p. 289)

Source: Internet

"...Shoes are nothing but a means to protect your feet from broken glass, sharp stones, and dog shit. Wearing shoes is not the same thing as becoming European or Christian. They are not symbol of how close you are to Dutch authorities, so the native rulers do not need to be offended and infuriated when they see another Native wearing shoes...." (p. 348)
"...the shoe shops were besieged by young people wanting to buy shoes. And so Bandung was full of youths defiantly striding the streets in their new shoes,..." (p.349)

Source: Internet

Hmm, so those 'nowadays things' for us in this modern era were not such ordinary ones in the past of Indisch: the condition, the way people see it, the process, etc. For me, those little issues I rewrote above are some unique description which made me smile a bit when visualized them in my mind.

Time to continue reading the last pages!
Hope to hear from you, W,...one day...

Thursday, September 19, 2013

The Dutch Puppet Show:Panta Rhei II

LisaDidien Thursday, September 19, 2013 0 Comments

“...everything flows, reality is contantly subject to change...”

~ The Old Greek Philosophers, Heraclites ~

That’s the idea which basically gave the soul to “Panta Rhei II”, an impressive performance by ‘t Magisch Theatertje (Little Dutch Theater). For about 50 minutes, on September 14th, 2013 at Erasmus Huis, Jakarta, ‘t Magisch Theatertje was bringing a mystical ambience from the stage to all the spectators. The light was turned off, then slowly a play of the light was flowing in the centre of the opening box on the stage. The puppets was appeared with mystical movements and music. Once, a human figure with mask was also stood on the stage. For me, it’s an abstract and absurd performance, so theaterical thing! It’s a bit difficult for me to get the story line from those movements. But still, their performance was impressive and unique. During the performance, the spectators were not allowed to take pictures with any camera and was told to turn off the phone because it could be distracting the show.

Opening words about the story line of the puppet show before the performance

After the performance, the old lady of de theatertje, was sitting on the stage while showing all the puppets to the spectators. Everyone were pleased to ask questions. She gave explanation that those puppets were made from toilet papers and papers by herself. Perhaps, it also can be named as one of Papier-mache, is a composite materials consisting of paperpieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papier-m%C3%A2ch%C3%A9). Awesome, right? Those puppets were kind of unique puppets with faces and figures of – I imagined- witches in cartoons or story books. The puppets were put into the hand and were played by the fingers. How the player managed the movements, the expressions of the faces, timing, to let the spectator knows the story line and also got involved in the ambience, was one of the impressive things that they created.