Madurese poet D Zawawi Imron expressed the idea in his cultural speech titled “Collective Common Sense as a Source of Creativity and Tolerance” on the third day of the 2018 Indonesian Cultural Congress (KKI) at the Education and Culture Ministry in Jakarta on Friday (7/12/2018).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- Feudalism, unfriendly bureaucracy, regulations that harm the poor and blind fanaticism to a mass organization or political party without any tolerance to other groups are merely toned-down colonialism. These should not have existed in an independent nation.
Madurese poet D Zawawi Imron expressed the idea in his cultural speech titled “Collective Common Sense as a Source of Creativity and Tolerance” on the third day of the 2018 Indonesian Cultural Congress (KKI) at the Education and Culture Ministry in Jakarta on Friday (7/12/2018).
“True freedom must essentially begin in the souls of every individual. A freed soul is freed from any fear, worries, intimidation, arrogance and the shackles of traditions and inherited cultures that disrespect life and culture,” he said.
According to Zawawi, true freedom is the willingness to place all mankind in their dignified position. Therefore, freedom is defined not merely as the absence of colonialism. This is because, even in independence, there are people who have yet to taste freedom and are being chased by those who undermine people’s welfare through their corruption, rampant logging, injustice, rioting and pitting people against one another.
Room for freedom of expression
Zawawi said that, in the realm of freedom, artists and humanists must be given all the freedom they need to express themselves and create great works that will represent their nation. Prohibitions of creative works must not occur in the realm of freedom. Differences of political stances and aspirations must be seen as variations that expands the horizons of life.
Zawai read several of his poems in his fiery speech. “It is time for us to nurture love for everyone. We need to realize that we are all children of the same Mother Nation. Mother, if I go away for a while and drought came by. Wells dried up and leaves and branches fall. Only your tears, Mother, that flow freely still. If I go away for a while, the taste of your coconut milk and my mischievous yells. In my heart, flowers bloom of my longing for you, and all my debts to you that I can never repay.”
Zawawi said that he urged the public to promote the concrete language of religion, which comprises actions and behaviors. God’s compassion, which is often talked about, must also manifest through concrete actions.
“A Buginese adage said akininnawa patujukko mamadecceng kalawing ate or think with a cleansed heart and nobility will enshroud your heart. In a heart covered with kindness and nobility, there will be no room for ill will and hatred and for spreading enmity,” he said.
Therefore, religions based on such ideas will not be violent or in rejection of other people’s creative work. Religions based on compassion can provide inspiration for creative workers.
At the end of his speech, Zawawi urged everyone to be committed in harmonizing their words and actions through his poet titled “Egg”: “The bottoms of chickens that lay down eggs are much more noble than the mouths of intellectuals that only make promises of eggs.”
A guarantee of protection for people to nurture and develop cultural values is among the strategic agenda formulated in KKI 2018. “If culture has no protected room for expression, things will get difficult. A guarantee for cultural space and interaction is highly important if we wish to nurture diversity,” Education and Culture Ministry director general of culture Hilmar Farid said.
Apart from protection on values, expressions and practices of traditional cultures, another strategic agenda is to strengthen the positions of and to empower traditional institutions and communities. (ABK)
/https%3A%2F%2Fkompas.id%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F12%2F20181207ABK_1544193218.jpg){kind=logo}
