Loyalty to Betawi

Lurality and globalization may enter, but the roots of tradition should not fade away.

A traditional café stands, with a line of cookie jars on the table, and a bunch of plantains are suspended in front of them. Several ladies in traditional Betawi outfit and men wearing sarong and head-cover (kopiah) on their heads are seen having chats in the café. Meanwhile, on the other side, several girls are seen playing the mancala. The portrait of old times Betawian village emerges there.

The flourished nature, open fields with houses stood far apart, are now for certain nowhere to be found in the Jakarta area. However the illustration and nuance that scopes over it can still be enjoyed on the canvas of one Sarnadi Adam; a famous Betawi native Indonesian painter. And the scenery mentioned above, is imaged in one of his works named "Kampung Penari" (Village of Dancers).

Sarnadi Adam was born in Simprug Village of Kebayoran, Southern Jakarta, 1956. On his canvas he frequently takes up the icons of Betawian society sulture. All from the Betawian dancers, ondel-ondel (traditional decorative giant puppets), to the atmosphere of old times Betawian village; to the most special of them all, amongst others; moments when Betawians go to wedding parties, complete with the traditional transportation, delman (horse carriage).

Sarnadi is always detailed in finding the breath of Betawian community living that is now rare to be found in the daily live of modern Jakarta population. The culture, customs, architecture, traditional outfits of Betawi; all recorded fabulously.

Enjoying the paintings of Sarnadi, it feels that we have traveled through time back to old times Jakarta; when it was still less crowded by skyscrapers and hyperactive people. This brought the feel of romance in his paintings. Just as mentioned by Agus Dermawan T, that Betawian culture is a major part of the Jakartan culture; although not all cultural elements in Jakarta is Betawian. For that Sarnadi carries up the specific themes of Betawi, which he tries to capture from the scrapes of dynamic , if not aggressive, Jakartan culture.

It is undeniable that Jakarta as the capital city with its plural society is slowly edging the Betawian society as the native population, along with their culture.

And in several newest works of him, Sarnadi seems to realize entirely that the plurality and globalization stream is unavoidable. Just observe the work "Barisan Penari Cokek" (Row of Cokek Dancers). The object of cokek dancers are showed in today's hairstyle. However, from this illustration can also be interpret that; all kinds of modernizations are allowed to enter, but the Betawian people should not be taken out of their traditional roots.

Source: arti magazine 31 edition