Thursday, September 30, 2010

kereenn...TALES from the ROAD di-review in english


Why are the women of Papua, Bali and Nepal ordinary men carry the load on the head while he prefers to use his shoulder Java? This question of course we can not answered by pure logic game. There are details of the course behind the cultural habits are different. Why did he choose to empower Java shoulder than his head? It is said that this is because the Javanese culture that places and consider the chief as part of the most respected body that could not be treated carelessly. Of course, this culture of evidence we can find the details of daily activities, especially Javanese people lived in rural areas, we can find if we really mingle with them.

The uniqueness of local cultural details that affect the behavior and habits of these people are like a cloth-rag. We find easy but not easy to be utilized. Required carefulness, thoroughness, willingness, and certainly enough concern so that the rag-percha can be collated as a mosaic that we can dismantle the uniqueness of a particular cultural curtain.

Quilt sewing skills into something more we can enjoy that’s what worked for Matatita through his adventure story book labeled, “Tales from the Road”. The presence of this book really gave something different (out of the box), by parity of books adventure story or journey that already exist, particularly in Indonesia.

Indeed in recent years quite a lot of books of travel stories (adventurer) who rises in Indonesia. Unfortunately, awareness, foresight, and willingness to enter participatory author in writing object is not so pronounced. Cultural studies that in fact able to give life from a physical beauty of a location often scattered. Fortunately, with the publication of this book, Matatita have started with the awesome.

Posts Matatita travel stories were not only able to share some exciting hunting tips cheap tickets or accommodation super save more money per se, but is able to make our readers, familiar spirits that make the culture places a special adventure. It is undeniable, totality, perseverance and hard work that made the writer can get such a rare experience traditionally adopted by a family or stay at home Dayak indigenous tribe Newari, Nepal. Persistence and concern was also the author able to successfully make attention to small things like culture and everyday people in these places at the same time trying to close and merge with the local population by respecting their culture.

Perhaps this skill is supported by the academic background of the writer that in fact is a dropout Anthropology Gadjah Mada University. With academic provision that the Matatita able to make accurate comparisons of the strong similarities between the nuances of the old city gate of Bhaktapur in Nepal with Jeron area Beteng Palace in Yogyakarta. Perhaps it was also the academic provision that makes the author able to analyze the potential procession Dhaeng (line troops yogyakarta palace) in the ceremony Gerebeg to be ‘go-international’ as a procession of British royal guards change at Buckingham Palace.

But the above assumption is not entirely correct. Academic provision is just one factor alone. There are many other factors that also affected. Most important is the willingness and concern that exists. As long as they want to try the bloody participatory at our destination community and want to hone avonture foresight in seeing the details of cultural elements that influence in there, then everyone should be able to write stories like Matatita. At least Matatita have started spreading the virus. Hopefully Matatita virus through the book “Tales from the Road” can soon become an epidemic that the world of Indonesian writers Book travel stories more colorful and proud.


(source: taken from here no name; pic taken in brussels by me)


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