Indonesian ballerina Farida Oetoyo's memoir is an absolute page-turner
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THE CLICHE of not judging a book by its cover does not apply to a written memoir of late Indonesian ballerina Farida Oetoyo.
The compelling sepia photo of the young dancer and the book’s simple title, Saya Farida (I am Farida), profoundly hint at its content.
What is expected is that the book is an absolute page-turner.
During her life in the performing-arts world, Farida had been known by different surnames after her father and husbands.Farida was mama to her children and tante (Dutch for auntie) to her pupils.
In the autobiography, which was written years before she died at 75 in May, Farida shares her inner thoughts on each decision she made, offering long-kept personal views that even her children knew nothing about.
The author Djenar Maesa Ayu, who lightly edited the memoir before handing it to the publisher, said that Farida was a warm-hearted mother and open-minded friend to her children – someone who they talked to about anything, including sex.
“Mama was very open to us, she hid nothing from us. But it’s the first time I learned her true feelings,” said Djenar. “The publisher agreed with me that the book was beautifully written. She could just become a writer.”
Djenar was the daughter of Farida’s husband, legendary film-maker Sjuman Djaya, from a later marriage.
She said that Farida had been excited to get the autobiography published, but the good news came only after she was admitted to the hospital for a chronic heart illness.
“She was struggling with pain after a dialysis when I told her that the book would be ready for release on July 8, a day after her birthday. She was pleased hearing that and, holding my hands, she talked for hours about the book and forgot about the pain,” Djenar said at a media gathering in August.
Farida, who was half-Dutch, had an outlook that remains progressive, even today.
Born on July 7, 1939, as the eldest of three to Raden Oetoyo Ramelan and Mary Te Nuyl, Farida was raised in a mix of cultures.
From the age of 9, she already knew she wanted to become a ballerina.
As a daughter of a nationalist who set up the foundation for international liaisons during the first years of an independent Indonesia, Farida grew up in Singapore and Australia, where she was exposed to modern dance.
She graduated cum laude and saw the Indonesian Red-and-White flag hoisted for the first time at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow for her commencement performance in 1965.
In 1973 Farida received a fulbright scholarship to study dance at Columbia University in New York.
Returning to Jakarta before the attempted coup in 1965, Farida found more stumbling blocks in popularising ballet at home. She came home when the young nation was trying to exert its own identity and when society did not see dancing as a respected, well-paid profession.
Against all odds, Farida held ballet performances and established her own school. She formulated a curriculum that set the standard for ballet in the country.
Dozens of her choreographies, some banned during the New Order dictatorship, were even screened overseas. Farida never confronted the government. In silence, she just choreographed more theatrical dances.
Her strong stance led to her election as a member of the Jakarta Arts Council and as director of Jakarta Playhouse from 1987 to 2001.
In 40 chapters, Farida frankly discusses her career and personal life, including two failed marriages and raising two sons as a single mother.
Farida wrote the last chapter, “Conclusion”, just before her death. Written in English, Farida shared her thoughts on her mother’s influence in shaping her character, her faith and her decisions in life.
“The only thing that stays forever with me is the love for my ‘children’ ,and now also my granddaughter. That is the everlasting love.”
