A monument, which reads "Ambon, City of Music," at Hative Besar village, Ambon City, Maluku, as photographed on Saturday (1/7), was built by the Ambon city administration to show that the area is rich in musical talents and singers. Art is also a medium to sooth people who used to be involved in religious and social conflicts.
The Ambon City of Music monument in Hative Besar village, Ambon, Maluku province, seems to reaffirm the city’s identity as a breeding ground for great musical talents. More than just an entertaining art form, the city’s harmonious melodies have broken down barriers of conflicts and soothed the hearts of locals — making them as calm as the tranquil waters of Ambon bay right in front of the monument.
The message of harmony through collaborative music and singing between Muslim and Christian singers are touching the hearts of residents. At the terraces of the World Peace Gong in Ambon one night in May, a group of students from various cultural backgrounds from Ambon’s Darussalam University sang an Ambonese song titled “Hasa-Hasa.”
The choir was led by a pastoral candidate and a graduate of Ambon’s State Protestant Religion College (STAKPN).
The song “Hasa-Hasa” tells the story of Ambon manise. Manise has many meanings, including natural beauty and harmonious social life. Ambon manise is a call for migrants to return to their homeland. At the end of the song, more than 500 people in the audience clapped in appreciation of the collaboration.
“[The event] garnered a positive public response,” event organizer Siera Latupperissa said.
The song seemed to have brought the audience back to the way Ambon was before 1999. Back then, local communities intermingled with one another. They lived in harmony without suspicion of each other.
The conflict that erupted on Jan. 19, 1999, immediately shattered this harmony. The segregation between Muslim and Christian communities was just one of its impacts. Feelings of distrust hung over people’s daily lives.
This collaboration between youth choirs sparks a new hope that Ambon can return to its manise days.
The event was held by the Rumah Beta Foundation. Since 2009, the public art space has been provided by famed Indonesian pop singer Glenn Fredly for all young people in Maluku. There, they can express their artistic desires, including by singing and playing musical instruments. Once a month, an arts event is held in which all the communities from various background are involved.
Collaboration
Such a collaboration is nothing new. During the opening ceremony of an event held by the nation’s second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, at the Islamic Center in Ambon in February with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in attendance, the choirs of STAKPN Ambon and Muhammadiyah High School collaborated in singing the Muhammadiyah march titled “Sang Surya” (The Sun).
A similar performance was made during the 2015 Church Choir Celebration, which was officially opened by the President. At the event, Muslim youths accompanies their Christian friends’ singing “Kidung Jemaat” using tambourines
Also in 2015, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day, 1,000 Ambonese played trumpet, tambourines, tifa drums and 14 toto buang (small gongs). The interfaith musical collaboration was a unique way to promote peace and is included in the Indonesian World Record Museum with the entry number 7045.
During Lebaran (Idul Fitri) 2016, a Christian music group led by Max Soenpit entertained the audience at the Maluku governor’s office with Islamic holiday songs. At the eve of Idul Fitri, the youths from Soya village played the tifa drum and toto buang to accompany takbir (prayer praising God) chants at An-Nur Mosque in Batu Merah.
In May, during the celebration of local hero Kapitan Pattimura’s 200th birthday, Ambon music enthusiast Maynard Raynolds Nathanael Alfons led a collaboration between tambourines, traditional flutes, tifa drums, gongs, and a Middle Eastern music company.
Players comprised Muslim and Christian youths of the Molucca Bamboo Wind Orchestra (BMWO) group. Maynard is BMWO’s founder with extensive experience performing in front of both national and international audiences.
Pattimura University social observer Josef A. Ufi, who is also a humanitarian aid volunteer, said that intercommunity musical collaboration can be a medium for spreading peace. This is because the Maluku people generally love to sing and play music. Almost every home has a musical instrument for entertainment purposes.
According to Ufi, arts collaborations can foster a positive mindset. Therefore, such collaborations must be encouraged and supported. However, these events should be more than just ceremonial; they also need to also be applied in everyday life, especially for those living in communities comprising Muslim and Christian residents. The sentiment should also be taught to school children at an early age to build collective awareness.
Kompas/Fransiskus Pati Herin
Poli Malioy, a civil servant at the Maluku governor’s office, plays the organ while singing to entertain visitors in a coffee house on Jl. Diponegoro in Ambon, Maluku, on Thursday (6/7) evening. Music has become an indispensable part of the life of Ambon’s residents.
Global music city
The abundance of talented musicians and singers in Maluku has pushed the local and central government to declare Ambon as a Global Music City. This is inseparable from the success enjoyed by Ambon musicians such as Glenn Fredly, Andre Hehanussa, Barry Likumahuwa and Daniel Sahuleka, as well as Hawaiian music maestro Bing Leiwakabessy and a number of other legendary Maluku singers from past generations.
The declaration in October last year was attended by Creative Economics Agency chair Triawan Munaf. It was part of preparations to propose Ambon as a Global Music City to the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO has named 15 Global Music Cities so far.
Acclaimed singer Glenn said that Maluku has huge potential — and he has proven that. The future of Ambon lies in its creative economy, especially in music and singing. Support from the local government in the development of local arts is necessary. Strong political will and a clear and measurable road map are also important.
The world of education has shown an interest in developing this aspect. Other than STAKPN, Ambon State Islamic College rector Hasbollah Toisuta has also submitted a proposal to the Religious Affairs Ministry to open a musical arts department at the college.
Through the arts, life in Ambon can hopefully become more harmonious, just like art itself, with difference as its main requirement.
