An All-Round Betawi Storyteller

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Yahya Andi Saputra

As a sahibul hikayat (storyteller), Yahya Andi Saputra feels like an old friend who is keen to share stories. The 59-year-old recounts irony, jokes, tragedy and captivating joy.

One night during Ramadan in the 1980s, Ahmad Sofyan Zahid\'s baritone voice was clearly heard by Yahya. The hikayat (folklore) told by Sofyan through a private radio broadcast amused Yahya until he fell asleep.

"I admire his deep voice, Arabic proverbs and his quotes of the hadiths. Every time he performs, I always come to watch,” said Yahya while enjoying a bowl of green bean porridge on Monday afternoon (15/2/2021).

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In the living room of his residence, Yahya reminisced about Sofyan Zahid, the late Betawi storyteller maestro. Since studying at the University of Indonesia, Yahya has been active in the Betawi Students Family organization and has never missed watching and hearing the performance of his storyteller idol.

After the death of Sofyan Zahid in 2007 at the age of 65, Yahya is now one of the few successors to the Betawi storyteller. In the midst of the metropolitan routine, Yahya tells stories to keep himself sane and to touch the hearts of his audience. Between the roar of the exhaust and the hustle bustle of Jakarta, the stories told by Yahya faintly sounded and vibrated.

Sahibul hikayat is a combination of Betawi oral traditions and Islamic preaching.

Sahibul Hikayat is Arabic for storyteller. During its journey, sahibul hikayat became a kind of Betawi oral literature performed on various occasions. It can be fiction, fairy tales, storytelling experiences or everyday stories. Sahibul hikayat is a combination of Betawi oral traditions and Islamic preaching.

Yahya\'s encounter with oral literature and Betawi performing arts was very natural. He remembers very well, when he was still in elementary school, he often came home early to watch lenong or Betawi puppets. From there, Yahya realized that all the actors\' utterances on stage contained the values of life that stuck in his head.

"When I watched the Si Pitung show, the value of courage was inherent. It turns out that a lot of parental advice is conveyed through the performing arts,” said Yahya at his home in South Gandaria subdistrict, Cilandak district, South Jakarta.

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Yahya Andi Saputra

From that childhood experience, Yahya concluded that Betawi performance art came from good intentions to share and educate the audience. That spirit was what he absorbed and made into a reference while dealing with storytelling. The stories he told were sometimes illogical. That way, however, it touches the hearts and disturbs the minds of the listeners.

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Just take a look at one of the short stories he told, entitled Manusia Sengsara (Miserable Man). There, there was a wealthy young man. Once upon a time, he went on the pilgrimage. As a rich man, he brought a lot of bodyguards to protect him and make it easier for him to kiss the hajar aswad (black stone at Kaaba). Once, a neighbor found him as a beggar. The neighbor was amazed and asked, "Hey young man, why are you being like this?"

"Mister, this is the reason. In the past, I was so arrogant in a place where I should have humbled myself. And now I am humiliated by many people in a place where I should be able to be proud of myself,” replied the wealthy young man.

Many of the stories that Yahya wrote were inspired by his idol, Sofyan Zahid. Moreover, he observes the phenomenon in society. The phenomena run through his head and intertwine with the imagination. He took notes and made them into folklore.

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Yahya Andi Saputra

The themes he frequently tells, among others, are related to religiosity, humility, the relationship between humans and nature, the relationship between humans and the relationship between humans and the Creator. Yahya doesn\'t only tell stories at art festivals. He is also often invited as a storyteller at circumcision events, weddings, hajj festivals, birthday parties, social gathering and social activities.

Cultural preserver

Because of his persistence and consistency, Yahya was awarded as the preserver of Betawi culture and traditional artist from the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2015. Now, he is not only a typical Betawi storyteller. The man with the white beard has also written many poems, history, culinary and Betawi arts. He is an accomplished teller with a "palu gada" approach, meaning he will fulfill whatever order from his clients.

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Yahya did not want to confine himself in one area. He wanted to explore himself and feel the culture that lives where he grew up, namely Betawi. "I\'m not interested in a single art locus. I am all of them. In fact, even in a shamanic life, I am collecting it,” he said.

From these figures, he looks for the special spices used, how the process of crossing cultures at the Betawi dining table and learns the function of the kitchen in the Betawi family.

Studying Betawi\'s life, for Yahya, it\'s like playing in his hometown that never ends. If he went somewhere, he could suddenly find someone who was known as the main cook in the area. From these figures, he looks for the special spices used, how the process of crossing cultures at the Betawi dining table and learns the function of the kitchen in the Betawi family.

He wrote down all the things he encountered and observed. Some were collected into books and some were still personal manuscripts. Until 2020, at least Yahya has written eight books, all of which are related to Betawi, namely history, culinary, literature and research.

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Yahya Andi Saputra

As a Betawi boy who is "palu gada", Yahya is also worried about his rapidly changing surrounding and does not treat history as something actual. One of them, he wrote about this restlessness in a poem entitled "Rawa Bangke" in the book, Jampe Sayur Asem.

One of the poetry stanzas reads: "Thousands of stops that you stop by//Instead, throwing you over the edge//Scattered sharp gravel and thorns".

Rawa Bangke has now changed its name. The area in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, is currently known as Rawa Bunga. Based on the data collected by Yahya, the place was called Rawa Bangke because there had been battles between the British and the Dutch that killed many soldiers in the swamps. From the verse of the poem, talk about how the name of a place is the origin and history that should be used as lessons for contemporary life.

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When residents of Jakarta and its surroundings are confused about finding knowledge from where they live, Yahya can come to tell a story. He seemed to say, "Whatever you want, I can help!" Then he will tell you about anything that hasn\'t been recorded much.

Yahya Andi Saputra

Born: Jakarta, 5 December 1961

Education:

- History at the School of Literature, University of Indonesia (1979-1988)

- Master program at the School of Culture Studies, University of Indonesia (2012-2014)

Wife: Suli Setiawati

Child: 1

Organization:

- Deputy chairman of Betawi Cultural Institute(2009 - present)

- Chairman of Jakarta Oral Culture Association (ATL) (2013-present)

- Literature Committee at Jakarta Art Council (2016-2018)

Awards:

- Betawi Award 2007 (D’Jakarta Center 2007)

- Award for Writer of History of Betawi and Jakarta (South Jakarta Mayor, 2009)

- Award for Researcher of Betawi Culture (Jakarta’s 485th Anniversary, 2012)

- Award for Preserver of Culture from National Education and Culture Ministry (2015)

Books:

- Ceremony of Betawi Life Cycle (2008)

- Profile of Betawi Culture (2009)

- Betawi Child’s Traditional Games (2011)

- History of Betawi Cultural Village: For Our Grandchildren (2014)

- Sihir Sindir (Sorcery of Sarcasm, an anthology of poems, 2016)

- Jantuk Growth and Development (2017)

- Jampe Sayur Asem (an anthology of poems, 2017)

- Kitchen Stories (an anthology of poems, 2020)

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko)