Kanapi, A Porter Who Loves ‘ubrug’

Dwi Bayu Radius

· 7 minutes read

Kanapi, 64, is committed to preserving ubrug, a traditional musical art from Banten, between his work as a dog fruit seller and a porter. As modern entertainment is becoming increasingly offered to the public, this lead figure in the Pegon Group faithfully conveyed wise messages through the show.

Kanapi played three gendang (traditional drums) with agility on Tuesday (16/4/2019). The rehearsal at his house in Sukajaya village, Pontang district, Serang regency, Banten, got more festive with the melodious music. The ubrug rehearsal was continued with Kanapi cracking jokes.

“Kite nang kene kih lagi ngahibur bapak sahibul jahat. Eh, sahibul ha- jat [We are here entertaining sahibul jahat (the evil host). Err, the sahibul hajat (host),” he said. The jokes in the Jawa Serang (Jaseng) language drew laughter from the audience.

Ubrug is a comedy theater that is generally preceded by jaipong dances and traditional musical accompaniment. The central character is a comedian with funny makeup and costume. The comedian welcomes and cracks jokes with other players.

After the training is over, Kanapi conveys his love for ubrug. There were many beautiful stories during his activities with ubrug. However, there hard challenges he has to face in the future. Those challenges are surely not as funny as the jokes nor as vibrant as the costumes on the stage.

He told his story at a simple house. The cement floor had been peeling off covered with used banners. Some of the walls are only plywood with faded paint.

Kanapi said, his interest in ubrug began when he followed some of the arts groups as a gendang player. Kanapi, who believed he had comedic talent, pursued the role as a comedian. He honed his skills by reading books, listening to tapes and watching comedy shows.

Afterward, Kanapi looked for a stage name. Pegon was finally chosen as the alter ego of Kanapi. The reason is simple because in his opinion, the name sounds funny.

“Pegon means \'plowing\' in the Jaseng language. When I was born, I was told, some people proposed to give me the name Pegon. I just use that name,” he said.

It turns out the name brings fortune. He plays ubrug at weddings, seven-month pregnancy ceremonies, to welcome guests, ruwatan (ritual to protect from evil spirits), for births, building inaugurations, exhibition and art festivals. Not only in Banten, Kanapi also performs in several other provinces, Jakarta, West Java and West Sumatra. Kanapi’s ubrug group, the Pegon Group, consists of 20 people.

“My passion for performing ubrug and entertaining people comes from a desire to preserve it. I can travel to many provinces because of ubrug,” he said with a smile.

Aside from entertaining spectators, Kanapi tries to perform ubrug with meaning. Advice is conveyed using everyday terms, ranging from family planning, household harmony, orderly traffic to disposing of garbage in the right place. Kanapi also makes social criticisms without making his audience angry.

Cracking jokes

“I usually provoke laughter from the audience by teasing the gendang players. Criticism is also made, but it doesn’t make the audience hurt,” he said. Kanapi adjusts his performance to the sociocultural conditions

of the area. He , for example, performs using the local language.

“In West Java, I use Sundanese. I can also speak Javanese. The social awareness of the audience with their various cultural backgrounds can be improved,” he said.

“The peak was in 1980-2000, where there were a lot of invitations to perform. In a month, we only had five days off,” he said. In a year, the only time for rest was during the fasting month. Kanapi also routinely performs at Taman Mini Indonesia Indonesia, Jakarta.

“In one year, I performed every week at TMII. I forget what year it was. Likely in the 2000s. I have also performed at the Art Market in Ancol, Jakarta,” he said. He performs at luxury hotels, regional administration offices and the art building.

However, it makes him sad sometimes to think about the past. Now he faces bigger challenges.

Electronic entertainment is increasingly available to the public, from cities to villages. Ubrug, which used to be a favorite, is now vulnerable to becoming extinct. However, Kanapi continues his activities as an ubrug artist even though the stage has become increasingly quiet.

“Now, there are only two invitations a month and that is already very good. It’s getting more and more quiet. People are more than happy to invite a keyboard music group,” he said.

He did not deny the fact that the cost of inviting an ubrug group is a consideration for people. “The cost for inviting an ubrug group is around Rp 6 million. Given the many members of the group, the pay is divided evenly among them,” he said.

In addition to the fee for the dancers and musicians amounting to Rp 3.5 million, Kanapi has to pay for transportation, porters and a sound system, amounting to an additional cost of Rp 2 million.

“My profit of Rp 500,000 must be set aside for coffee and food for the

crew during training. If a crew member doesn’t have a motorbike, I will pay for a motorcycle taxi,” he said.

Meanwhile, entertainment costs such as the keyboard music group are cheaper at around Rp 3 million. “That is not just for one singer but four. People’s interest in traditional arts is also waning,” he said.

Porters

That situation is forcing him to do anything to support his family while still cultivating his love for ubrug. Kanapi realized that if he only relied on his income as an ubrug artist, he would certainly find it difficult to fulfill his needs. Therefore, he is willing to routinely commute between Banten and Jakarta to be a seller.

“I spent a week distributing jengkol [dog fruit] to the Kramatjati Central Market. Then, a week in Banten to accommodate the stuff from Lampung, West Sumatra and Bengkulu,” he said.

Kanapi trades jengkol every two weeks with profits ranging from only Rp 1.5 million to Rp 2 million if the commodity is abundant. Sometimes jengkol is not available. Because of this, he often works as a porter. Even though he is old, Kanapi can carry up to 100 sacks per day.

“Each sack weighs 70 kilograms. I take a sack from the jengkol transport vehicle to the makeshift kiosk. For every sack, I am paid Rp 3,000,” he said.

Now that he is getting older, Kanapi has prepared Nursali, 34, his third child, to continue his love for ubrug. Nursali was among the most enthusiastic about playing the ubrug compared to his three sons. In the last few years, Nursali has participated in Kanapi’s performances. He believed that Nursali could certainly be his successor.

“Until the end of my life, I’m determined to preserve ubrug,” he said.

In the hands of Kanapi, the dog fruit seller and the porter, ubrug from Banten has hopes of a long life. It needs attention and care from many

people so that the spirit to preserve ubrug not only lives in the body of an old man like Kanapi.

Kanapi

Born: Serang regency, Banten, Dec. 12, 1954

Children:

- Rokman (45) - Rusman (38) - Nursali (34) - Nasuha (29)

Education:

- Elementary school SDN Cipete, Serang, Banten

. - Junior high school SMPN Kragilan, Serang, Banten

. - Senior high school SMAN Kragilan, Serang, Banten

Editor:

kompascetak