Splash of Survival Spirit in Old Urban Village, Semarang

Name: Splash of Survival Spirit in Old Urban Village, Semarang
Uploaded: 2021-05-15T06:04:16Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: Every time before Ramadan, for example, the residents hold “Gebyuran Bustaman", a water battle or splashing game.

Every time before Ramadan, for example, the residents hold “Gebyuran Bustaman", a water battle or splashing game.

Aditya Putra Perdana

· 7 minutes read

Amid the transformation into a metropolitan city, old urban villages in Semarang are trying hard not be edged out of the city. In the swamp of the jungle of hotels and plazas, residents faithfully preserve their roots wrapped in local wisdoms.

Three children dressed in traditional Semarangan clothes sit in the courtyard of the prayer room in Bustaman Village, Semarang on Saturday (10/4/2021). A moment later, a number of officials approached and slowly poured the water from the scoop over their heads. A number of spectators also washed their bodies in the water battle tradition.

"This year, the event was held because we did not want to forget the tradition. However, it was held with a strict health protocol. The faces of the event participants should be first crossed with various colors, which means anger, emotion, and so on, then water is poured on each other, ”said Hari Bustaman (76), the village leader.

Since 2013, residents of the Bustaman village have regularly held a traditional event to remind the history of their village. Every time before Ramadan, for example, the residents hold “Gebyuran Bustaman", a water battle or splashing game. The event is held as purification before entering the holy month, a ritual which was carried out Ki Bustam when he washed his grandchildren. The program is usually followed by a communal meal of curry Bustaman village, located in Purwodinatan subdistrict, Central Semarang, was known in the past as a slaughter house and a place to sell sacrificial animals and curry. It is just part of the story about the village that was founded by Kiai Kertoboso Bustam, 278 years ago. Ki Kertoboso Bustam is a great-grandfather of the world-renowned Indonesian painter, Raden Saleh.

The average education level of the residents is high school. He then conducted a research and found out that the village was established by Kiai Bustam.

Hari said that until a few years ago, the village was just a dense and slum village located behind the trading center for electronic goods on Jalan MT Haryono in Semarang. The average education level of the residents is high school. He then conducted a research and found out that the village was established by Kiai Bustam.

Together with the Kolektif Hysteria, a community laboratory in Semarang, he held activities such as Tengok Bustaman and Gebyuran Bustaman traditional events. A number of murals, including the picture of Raden Saleh, were painted in a corner of the village. As the community\'s awareness grows, the young people start to know their identity and want to get to know the history of their residence.

"We are trying hard to ensure old village can survive. I do not want old villages in the city are edged out by economic activities. After all, the villages are part of the city too, ”he said.

About 5.5 kilometers southwest of Bustaman village is Jatiwayang village, which is located in Ngemplak Simongan willage, West Semarang. The locals also have the initiative to revive the history of their village. After being studied, it was discovered that the village on the hill was once inhabited by many Ketoprak art performers. The village is a relocation site of the people affected by the infrastructure developments in the Citarum river area, East Semarang.

Since 2018, in cooperation with Kolektif Hysteria, the Jatiwayang Hill Festival has been regularly held and has become a space for interaction and a symbol of community togetherness. The village is decorated with various murals that record traces of the ancestral culture. Traditional art performances include ketoprak, dances, and other traditional ceremonies. Almost all residents are actively involved in the traditional art performances.

"With this annual event, our village is better known. Previously, I didn\'t even know the name Jatiwayang because it was better known here as Srinindito. What is clear is that we want to continue to maintain and promote the historical value of this village, ”said Waris Sutriono (42), a resident of Jatiwayang.

Local culture

Kolektif Hysteria director Ahmad Khairudin said, since 2008 he and his colleagues had regularly held traditional events in a number of villages in Semarang. However, it was only in 2013 in Bustaman that he found a pattern on how to promote the people\'s awareness. The key is how we can promote the tradition of the village.

From the start, the Kolektif Hysteria had realized that there was a problem in the development t of the city of Semarang. "Many old villages in the city have disappeared, such as Jayenggaten, Basahan, and Kebonsari, because they were removed to make a way for the development of hotels. We feel we need to do something because we live in a city that is everyone\'s right, ”said Adin, Khairudin\'s nickname.

With art as an entry point, Kolektif Hysteria visited a number of villages to raise awareness of the residents about the problems in their villages. Apart from Bustaman and Jatiwayang, they also visited Kemijen, Sendangguwo, Nongkosawit, and Krapyak villages. Residents are encouraged to involve in promoting cultural activities.

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One of the fruits of the efforts in promoting the local wisdom is the ability to develop the people’s potential. In Batik village in Rejomulyo subdisttrict, East Semarang, for example, more than 20 people have been involved in batik making activities.

This idea was then supported by the opening of a batik training center initiated by the city government in 2005-2006.

The chairman of the "Sekar Kananga" Batik Association in the Batik village, Eko Harianto (48), said that although it had been called the Batik village decades, no one in the village could make batik. However, the idea of producing batik emerged as one of programs in reviving the village economy. This idea was then supported by the opening of a batik training center initiated by the city government in 2005-2006. Eko became one of the participants.

"It made a big change. The citizen\'s economy is growing. Previously, the village was known for its slums, especially since it was frequently hit by flash floods, ”he said.

From his researches, the existence of the Batik village in Semarang was related to trading activities in the past. Until now, a former Indonesian Batik Cooperative Association building could be still found in the Old City of Semarang. In the past, merchants from Pekalongan or Surakarta rested in the village when they shipped their products through the Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang. The village is only 400 meters from the Old City.

Professor of the regional and city planning development at the School of Engineering, the Diponegoro University, Nany Yuliastuti, said that the old villages in Semarang had different characteristics. Their charm relies much on their history.

Slamet Budiutomo, the head of the Government Planning, Social Affairs, and Culture, Development Planning Agency for Semarang City, said that the municipal government had a thematic village program to raise the social and economic potential of residents.

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Since 2016, as many as 177 thematic villages have received assistance of Rp 200 million each from the government. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the assistance was temporarily halted in 2020. This year, 58 thematic villages will be formed.

The residents’ efforts in maintaining the existence and traditions of their villages play an important role in the city\'s development. Its existence can also generate an opportunity for educational tourism.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).

Editor:

naranasrullah

kompascetak old city covid-19 pandemic Diponegoro University Semarang City Tanjung Emas Port Sekar Kananga Batik Association Batik village Rejomulyo subdisttrict Old Urban Village traditional Semarangan