Celebrating Independence Day of Indonesia, Indonesian Students Association in Victoria (PPIA Victoria) presents Temulawak, Teater Muda Langkah Awal Merdeka. It is held in Athenaum Theatre, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne. Starting around 4 pm, Madame Spica A. Tutuhatunewa, the Consulate General of Republic of Indonesia in Victoria, gives an opening remark, followed by the project manager and the president of PPIA Victoria. After the speeches, Ajoy, a band by Indonesian students presented some songs to break the freezing Melbourne Weather.
This year, Temulawak has ‘Solara’ as its headline, which derived from the main character’s last name. Solara also means the sun. with that name, Alfa and Tara Solara’s parents wishes that they could bring glory to the nation. The story is about Tara Solara, she’s an athlete. She was trained by her father since she was a child to be a great badminton athlete. Her growth as an athlete also lead her to have a strong personality, be unafraid of failure, and an all-around fighter. However, her father’s ambition led to a disparity in their emotional bond.
Tara’s brother, Alfa Solara, is a determined student who studies hard with the intention to push Indonesia forward. Being an exemplary student who spends most of his time studying, led to Alfa being a social outcast, with only one close friend: Badra. Badra is a guitar player who often spent time with Alfa and Tara. With his relaxed mannerism and outgoing personality, Badra became good friends with the two siblings. With their own unique background, they seek to make Indonesia better in their own ways. The journey is not easy, and there’s some obstacles along the way, but they’re not giving up.
This drama has a positive message that sometimes there’s challenges and obstacles coming in our way, but with a great determination, we will still be able to achieve what we wanted for ourselves and for our country, even if the road is not as smooth as we expected.
This year, all the music is arranged by Jacklyn Marta and the amazing on-stage music crew. Temulawak 2018 is an art piece by Indonesian students in Melbourne, which have a positive message for Indonesia. it relates to the quote by Ir. Soekarno : “This country, the Republic of Indonesia does not belong to any group, nor to any religion, nor to any ethnic group with customs and traditions, but the property of all of us from Sabang to Merauke.”
Writer : Levina Tabita
