Why We Love Jakarta

Published Jakarta Globe, 19 June  2009

Vanessa Hendriadi

On Monday, Jakarta celebrates its 482nd anniversary. For centuries the capital has been a vibrant cultural melting pot, but Jakartans still manage to find peace amid the chaos and reasons to love the modern metropolis. Here eight well-known creative figures share their thoughts on the city they call home.

Dominique Diyose
Age: 20
Occupation: fashion model

Jakarta is…

A real glamorous and busy city. It’s never dead. Almost every second we are out, whatever time of the day, there will be something going on.

What does Jakarta have over other cities?

I like the feel of Jakarta at night. There’s a lot of mystery. Maybe it’s because Jakarta has lights that never die. We can be lost in reverie while we drive at night. It’s something I enjoy.What’s the fashion scene like here?

There are lots of good and skillful photographers, great design ideas and the rest. We are only missing support from the economic angle. Fashion is still not seen as a valid profession yet here. It is a pity because Indonesia, including Jakarta, has a lot to offer with its beautiful and valuable culture.

What is your best memory of Jakarta?

The bajaj. Just try listening to the sound. Trek trek trek trek. It is the best way to get to know Jakarta. It has everything, pollution, traffic, all rolled into one. The bajaj shouldn’t disappear. It would be a pity. It is a characteristic of the city.

Yori Antar
Age: 47
Occupation: architect

Where are you from?

I was born in Jakarta and can still recall my first home, which was in Tulodong Bawah, in the middle of a Betawi village where left and right there were cassava plants. And now it’s a business district.

Jakarta is…

A very challenging city because it develops without any order and without planning. But that is the consequence of it being a capital city. But Jakarta isn’t boring, even though a lot needs to be improved upon. Jakarta is actually a large village, and we shouldn’t be afraid of our identity. We don’t have to be like other cities in the world. We are heterogeneous and dynamic, and we need to find our own uniqueness. There are lots of places in our city that can be made more interesting for people. We are lacking a lot of public spaces, galleries, art and culture spaces. We don’t value heritage enough. If we can fix that, Jakarta can be a cultural city.

What is the loveliest architecture in town?

The architecture from the Sukarno era is beautiful, such as in Gelora Senayan, Monas and Istiqlal Mosque. After Sukarno, there was a move to build skyscrapers. There are lots of pretty buildings but they don’t contribute anything positive to the city because there are no public spaces and everything is fenced in. They are, in a sense, egotistical buildings.

How can a person get to know Jakarta?

There are lots of layers in this society. If you want to know Jakarta, you can go to the remote areas around town, in the shantytowns. I am also a photographer, and subjects can be found behind the skyscrapers and used to create romantic images.

How many times have you thought of leaving Jakarta?

I have never thought of it because the city is challenging and I know it from every angle. I accept it with all its positives and negatives. It’s better to stay and help humanize and further develop the city.

Zen Hae
Age: 39
Occupation: poet, writer

Jakarta is…

A city that is very modern and also crowded. It is chaotic. A city we can get lost in. Yet, Jakarta belongs to me, and others who live here. Good or bad, it comes back to us. Like it or not, we live here. For those who don’t have many choices, they have to live and survive, to find food and achieve their dreams here. So Jakarta has become everything for us.

Where in Jakarta do you find inspiration?

I am sixth generation Chinese Betawi. One of my ancestor’s married a Betawi woman and we converted to Islam. It made me want to find my traditional roots. I enjoy visiting the Pecinan area in Glodok because that was where the Peranakan Chinese developed. I feel as if I have stepped back into the past of the Chinese who helped build Jakarta. There are a lot of Chinese elements that have influenced my work as well. There is a lot of traditional Betawi culture that has been influenced by the Chinese, such as gambang kromong and the cokek dance. Whether it be music, clothing or language, [the Chinese] have had an influence on the Betawi culture that lasts till today. And that has a positive influence on me because I can write about the assimilation process of the Peranakan Chinese and the Betawi.

Is there much difference in Jakarta now than before?

I grew up in the ’70s, when Jakarta was only just developing. A lot of trees are now missing. Over the last 10 years, housing estates, apartments and roads have wiped out all the farming fields and vegetable gardens. That’s a risk that has to be borne by a city where the development hasn’t been well structured and the contamination to the environment hasn’t been managed, year after year.

Is there a positive side to development?

As lousy as Jakarta is, it’s a city that holds a lot of inspiration for me as a writer. I can write about Jakarta from any angle, about life in Jakarta. And that is very important for a writer like me. There are lots of aspects that can be written of about Jakarta, whether it be in the villages, the outskirts or the city itself. That provides positive value for me.

Jason Gunawan
Age: 28
Occupation: gallery owner and co-owner of Potato Head bistro bar

Jakarta is…

A jungle. You can have a lot of fun yet, but the same time be watchful how you present yourself in public as the sensitivity of the people is fragile. People here look easy-going and kicked-back but they still think traditionally. It took me a good three or four years to really settle in [after returning from Australia]. But once you do, it has a lot of opportunities for youths. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, it’s good for you.

How does Jakarta beat other cities?

The city is my bread and butter. This is where my ancestors came and lived. I’m Indonesian. I’m privileged to come back and make as much of an opportunity as I can. This is a growing nation.

You opened bistro bars like Casa, Loewy, Canteen (now all sold) and Potato Head — how did you know they were going to be successful?

Jakarta has picked up really quickly. I think Jakarta’s very trendy at the moment. All these new places have just emerged in the past year or so. Casa was actually the pioneer of the cafe bars. Basically, there was nothing like it before. Everything was either a bar or a club.

Best drink in Jakarta?

The coconut daiquiri at Potato Head. We garnish the rim of the martini glass with grated, caramelized coconut.

Best memory of the city?

Dufan [Dunia Fantasi Dufan, a theme park]. It’s such a bizarre wonderland, it’s an icon that people have forgotten. Back in those days, in my youth, entertainment was outdoors. You sweat, you run around.

Deli Makmur
Age: 35
Occupation: Managing Director of Fame 74, a communications agency, and co-owner of Fashion First boutique

Jakarta is…

a city that developed organically. Here, the government isn’t very involved. We grow organically and independently. That’s what’s happening with creative industries.

How is it different from other cities?

Globalization originates from Jakarta. Whether it is entertainment, information, fashion, it all starts from Jakarta. We are the gateway to globalization.

The reason why Jakarta is so developed is because the people here are creative and have good survival skills. Here, even with the limited facilities, we manage to make it work.

What are relationships like in modern Jakarta?

Relationships in Jakarta are quantity over quality. Here you may know a lot of people, but not in depth, which is a consequence of being a city and not having a lot of time to spend with others.

What is unique about the fashion in Jakarta?

It’s very diverse but there’s no thread that is the signature style of Jakartans. Although if we’re discussing the front-liners of fashion, like the socialites and celebrities, there is an issue of uniformity. For instance, when the Hermes bag is in season, everyone will try to possess it. Fashion hasn’t become a tool of self-expression but is a way to be accepted into and belong to a group. Signature style hasn’t blossomed in Jakarta.

Lucky Kuswandi
Age: 28
Occupation: filmmaker

Lucky Kuswandi

Jakarta is…

chaotic with a certain charm to it, because Jakarta is very messy, but there is a certain pace to it that I like. It’s messy but at the same time it is pretty.

What makes Jakarta unique in terms of filmmaking?

The city isn’t settled yet. People create their own rules here, which creates a lot of stories. Jakarta absorbs so much culture from outside but people don’t have an understanding of the culture they’re absorbing.

What do you want to do in Jakarta?

I want to shock the people a bit, to get them out of their comfort zones, to address certain issues they don’t want to talk about or don’t really care about. Issues about identity. Individuality is somewhat discouraged and money plays a big part here. You can bend the law and get away with a lot of things. It is a very materialistic city.

Places to get ideas from?

The bird and fruit market in South Jakarta when it’s closed. It’s so beautiful; you see all these colorful doors. It feels like a moment where the city takes a breather. Jakarta at 3 a.m. on a weeknight is my inspiration. It’s empty and all of a sudden you see the city breathing, just before the whole chaos starts again. Even then it’s not totally quiet and you see people using the streets, who are in their own world.

Davy Linggar
Age: 35
Occupation: photographer and painter

Jakarta is…

congested. Polluted. The more development, the more destruction there is. Before, you could play in the fields, bike from Tebet to Monas or Ancol or Ragunan.

What is your source of inspiration?

It comes from the ugliness. I’m a photographer and painter and am not good at articulating how I feel with words. If I am annoyed it comes out as photographs and paintings. Maybe I’m different. I prefer what others don’t see or what people think is worthless, such as the corner of a staircase where I found a kitten, or a sandal lying around. They mean something to me.

But your work is known for its beauty.

Perhaps art naturally is beautiful. Jakarta isn’t a city that’s ugly. It’s not the city’s fault but the people who ruin it. The people who live here ruin it.

Is there anything good about the city?

Jakarta’s actually nice. Anything is possible here but you have to be smart, and willing to compromise. As bad as it gets, you can still survive here. You can live on Rp 10 billion or Rp 1,000.

Vanessa Hendriadi
Age: 32
Occupation: Director of PT Atlantic Biruraya, a food and beverage company, and certified yoga teacher

Jakarta is…

a city that has a lot of energy and diversity. In one city you can find almost everything you can think of. And it isn’t as it’s portrayed in the news worldwide, as unsafe and dirty. Of course it is, but that’s the same all over. If you want to get ahead and learn, Jakarta is the city to do it in because, as the capital city, there’s a lot of knowledge and variety of businesses to do in Jakarta and the opportunities are still available here.

What does Jakarta have that’s unique?

One of things that impressed me is that apparently the salons here open at 7 a.m. and a lot of women go and get their hair done before going to work. I’ve never heard of this being done anywhere else!

What’s Jakarta like for a businesswoman?

I never felt mistreated by anybody here. I feel comfortable working here because I have lots of friends in the same situation, female entrepreneurs and young women helping their family businesses.

~ by Titania Veda on Saturday, 20 June 09.