Indonesia is home to one of the biggest underground punk scenes in the world, one that many people don’t even know exists.
Punk said to disenfranchised, angry and rebellious Indonesian youth living under an oppressive, corrupt, violent and authoritarian regime: ‘You have power and autonomy.’
It's a place of chaotic, frenzied moshpits filled with screaming 10-year-old punks and collective punk communities that make art and teach street kids how to busk with their ukuleles so that they can survive.
The story of punk in Indonesia is saturated with the rich smell of deep-fried tempeh and the endless sounds of snarling motorbikes. Powerful dissonance is created by the echoing call to prayer, broadcast five times a day, clashing with the sound of Indonesian punks screaming about anarchism over distorted electric guitars.
It encompasses the complications of being a punk parent, historical links between tattoos and criminality, a brutal history of state sanctioned violence, young punks choosing to live on the streets in order to feel free, and a love of the raw, passionate energy of punk music.
The story of punk in Indonesia is also a story of friendship, family, resilience, community and how punk can save your life.
In 2011 the government of Aceh, the only province in Indonesia that operates under sharia law, arrested 64 punks at a concert in the capital of Banda Aceh. This calculated political manoeuvre, intended to boost the popularity of the current government, saw the punks illegally detained, held without charge and forced to attend a 10-day moral re-education military camp.
The story went viral and Indonesian punk became global headline news. The aftermath of this controversial event saw the collective outcry of human rights groups and international solidarity actions from enraged and passionate punks across the world. Punks mobilised and took to the streets screaming, 'Free the Aceh punks!'
Punks were letting the world know that punk was not dead, and it was fighting back.
Punk can act like a gateway drug: a portal to countercultural ideas and radical politics. In the mid '90s, after 30 years of President Suharto’s brutal dictatorship, Indonesia had reached crisis point. This period marked the height of open resistance against the repressive regime. Young people took to the streets in mass protest demanding change, and were integral to the downfall of Suharto in 1998.
This was the perfect breeding ground for punk.
Kids connected over music and smuggled tapes by popular western bands. The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and The Dead Kennedys were just the beginning. Indonesian punks were hungry for more and they discovered underground political punk bands like Crass and Oi Polloi. Their passionate lyrics spoke of fighting back against capitalism, corrupt governments and oppression.
Punk hit Indonesia while the dictator President Suharto was still in power, before the Internet or the existence of a free press. Punk said to disenfranchised, angry and rebellious Indonesian youth living under an oppressive, corrupt, violent and authoritarian regime: 'You have power and autonomy.'
Punk said fight back.
Punk said revolution is possible.
It's estimated that half of Indonesia's population is living in poverty. In a country without a social welfare system there are a lot of kids living on the streets, some by choice and some by necessity. Punk can provide them with community and a way to survive.
Underground punk band Marjinal and their activist art collective Taring Babi have run thousands of free workshops all over Indonesia, teaching street kids how to sing and play the ukulele. Marjinal's music has become the soundtrack to this generation of street kids, who are known as the anak merdeka, the free children.
Empowered by Marjinal's music and what they learn, the anak merdeka hit the streets with their ukuleles. In Indonesia busking has become a way to maintain independence and, more importantly, earn enough money for a meal.
Driven by punk's radical ethos of DIY, politicised punk bands and autonomous punk collectives have created a strong, independent music scene; one that is distinctly Indonesian, responding to Indonesian punks' political, social and economic realities.
In the true spirit of punk; anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian, autonomous, and independent. Punk doesn’t look to the system for solutions, but creates its own.
Street punks defy religious and cultural expectations and the realities of poverty, searching for freedom on the streets. The complicated tension between religious and cultural norms and the punk lifestyle in Indonesia continues to result in targeted anti-punk raids. The visibility of street punks makes them an easy target for harassment and in February there was another mass arrest of punks, this time in Bali.
Today Marjinal are bigger than ever and they continue to spread their message of hope and revolution across Indonesia. In a country of 250 million people, with the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia is caught between tradition and globalisation, old and new and the immediate future is unknown.
In October the country swore in its first truly democratically elected president in years. His name is Joko Widodo. Known as Jokowi, he was a businessman and former governor of Jakarta. Importantly, he was not a member of Suharto's political or military elite. He's a self professed metal-head who proudly wears a Metallica t-shirt. With his big smile and everyman appeal, Indonesians are hopeful that Jokowi's promises of real reform will see Indonesia finally break free from its corrupt political history.
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But it hasn't happened yet. If it does—if Indonesia does undergo a radical transformation—will there still be punk? The punks of Indonesia say yes.
Punk doesn't lose its radicalism in times of stability and peace. By connecting to everyday struggles, punk remains a threat to established power, because punk refuses to work within the system when the system isn't working.
Punk is not dead. Punk lives and breathes and is a force to be reckoned with.
In Indonesia it continues to thrive and shows no sign of slowing down.
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