Wednesday, 8 September
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

Indonesia, 2009 (85 min)
Indonesian with English subtitles
Director: Aditya Gumay
Cast: Atik Kanser, Reza Rahadian, Didi Petet, Niniek L. Karim

Adapted from the work of best-selling author Asma Nadia, this story focuses on Emak (Atik Kanser), a widow who leads a simple life working as a pastry cook and her son, Zein (Reza Rahadian), a struggling painter, who despite his poverty, tries to find ways to raise funds to allow his mother to fulfill her obligation as a Muslim by joining the hajj to the holy city of Makkah. A series of family challenges whittles away Emak’s meager savings as she assists all who need her without passing judgement on them, but causing Zein to consider desperate measures to find money to help her realize her dream. Emak’s wealthy neighbors and shallow local politicians seem to take the hajj for granted presenting us with what Iranian director Gholamreza Ramezani notes is a story that “reflects closely everyday life and social realities…that are easily identified by people in Muslim-majority countries.”

This screening is co-sponsored by the Muslim Societies in Asia and the Pacific (MSAP) program at the University of Hawaii.

IMDB | Facebook Page | Flixter | Download Poster

Hands Percussion Team from Malaysia
Drumming Up a Storm!
Special guests: Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble

Sat., Sept. 18, 8:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 19, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Kennedy Theatre

Combining mesmerizing theatrics with dynamic, multicultural rhythms, the renowned Hands Percussion Team drum ensemble from Malaysia has been creating quite a sensation at performances around the world since it was formed in 1997 out of its founders’ desire to bring new creativity to Chinese-Malaysian drumming traditions. Since then, the troupe has received stellar critical acclaim for its approach combining respect for cultural tradition with innovative, contemporary performances on instruments drawn from a diverse range of percussion cultures.

In recent years, Hands Percussion Team has thrilled audiences at numerous international performances, ranging from Southeast Asia and China to Europe and the Middle East. According to the ensemble’s website, “the sound of a drum is part of a universal human bond, interconnecting cultures and peoples.”

The ensemble’s Kennedy Theatre performances will feature a dozen of the troupe’s energetic young drummers, whose rigorous training includes intense physical and mental discipline in addition to musical development. Also performing will be the acclaimed, Hawai‘i-based Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble.

For more information on Hands Percussion Team, visit hands.com.my. This event is co-sponsored by the East-West Center and the University of Hawai`i’s Kennedy Theatre. The performances are part of the EWC’s 50th anniversary year celebrations.

Ticket Prices:
$16 Advance Super Saver until Sept. 5;
$20 Regular; $18 Seniors, Military, UH Faculty/Staff; $12 Students; $5 UHM Students with ID. (All service fees included.)

Tickets are now available online at ETicketsHawaii.com; beginning Sept 13, tickets will be also be available at Kennedy Theatre Box Office (M-F 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Sept 18 from 5:00 p.m., Sept. 19 from 1:00 p.m.), or by phone, 944-2697.

The Hands Percussion Team will also perform Sept. 23 at Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Sept. 27 at Kahilu Theatre, and Sept. 29 at BYU-Hawaii.

In the Mandarin-speaking world, Stefanie Sun is more popularly known by her Mandarin name, Sun Yan Zi or Sun Yanzi (孙燕姿). She has sold over 10 million copies in Asia. With ten albums to her name, she is arguably the most successful singer from Singapore. She is also a fashion icon in Asia, being called the Kate Moss of Singapore. Stefanie Sun is also known to be best friends with fellow Pop Princess of Taiwan, Jolin Tsai. They are often performing guests in each other’s concert. Most of her songs are sung in Mandarin Chinese, with a few in English. Sun’s ability to speak various dialects is reflected in the songs she sings. In the song “Cloudy Day” (天黑黑), she sings in both Mandarin and Hokkien. It is an adaptation of a traditional Hokkien folk song that included Hokkien in the chorus.

The album Start contains 6 songs in English: covers of “Venus”, “That I Will Be Good”, “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough”, “Silent All These Years”, and “Hey Jude”; and the original song “Someone”. As a singer, Sun is not known for her voice, but her physical appeal and fan base. She does most of her recording, and conducts most of her publicity events, in Taiwan, which comprises her largest audience. She also visits mainland of China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore frequently for promotional rounds . Her first album was released in June 2000, the self-titled Yan Zi (孙燕姿), published by Warner Music. The Yan Zi album sold over 330 000 copies alone in Taiwan. This was followed in December of the same year as My Desired Happiness (我要的幸福), which has also sold over 380 000 copies in Taiwan alone. Both albums achieved commercial success by having each sold over 1 000 000 copies in China.

In 2002 and 2003 Sun sang the official theme songs for Singapore’s National Day Parade: “We Will Get There” (一起走到) and “One United People” (全心全意). The former was included on the album Leave.
In early 2003, she released her fourth album titled, To Be Continued… which was also met with commercial success. It managed to sell over 250 000 copies in Taiwan and over 1 000 000 in China. Few months later, she released her seventh album with six new songs mixed with fifteen of her old songs. By the end of 2003, Stefanie Sun had sold over 7 000 000 copies in Asia with just seven albums.

In late 2003, she decided to take a one-year hiatus from making music, believing that she needed to recover her lost sense of direction in her career. She returned in late 2004 with a new album titled Stefanie, intended to be a mirror of her debut album (self-titled as well, but in Chinese). This was to symbolise her return with a fresh attitude. This album was well received by the critics in the Chinese music industry. This album sold over 2 300 000 copies in Asia; making it the most successful album from her. She also started her own company, Make Music, during this sabbatical.

A Perfect Day was released on 2005, almost one year later. Reviews of this new album have been mixed, but Sun had mentioned before that her priority was to make quality music, instead of over-commercialized products that sell well but have a lower level of artistic quality. Though this album did not reach the best commercial success, it still managed to sell over 1 000 000 copies in Asia.
In 2006, Sun was in the midst of a regional concert tour. She has staged four full-house concerts at the renowned Hong Kong Coliseum. The performances received positive reviews from the media as well as overwhelming support from fans. Sun also returned to Singapore in a much-anticipated homecoming concert. Yet, not all was smooth-sailing for her. At the Golden Melody Award 2006 in Taiwan, whilst performing renditions of other male singers’ songs, she went off-key and was heavily lambasted in the Chinese pop media, which reported that she has shattered her image of a pop diva with great singing skills. She attributed it to factors like not enough rest, jet lag, inadequate time for sufficient practice etc.

Sun’s first album under the Capitol brand is entitled Against The Light (逆光) and has been released on 22 March 2007. Her decision to leave Warner after 9 albums was partly due to music executive Sam Chen, who now works at EMI. He had collaborated with Sun on 8 of her 9 albums. On 26 February 2007, Stefanie Sun returned from Cairo where she and her team were extorted by suspected local gangsters. Sun was in Egypt to shoot a music video for her new album when two men disguised as government officials followed her and the crew and asked for money—at one point even showing a handgun. The crew tried calling the police, only for the two crooks to dismiss them with just a few words. The crew had to hand over a total of over 200,000 yuan in order to continue shooting. The extortion went on for four days. Finally, Sun and her team were able to leave the country with the help of the Singapore embassy. Upon returning home, the pop diva said nothing except that she was tired and needed some rest.

Stefanie Sun’s 10th album, Against The Light, has been a major success in Asia. In Taiwan, it sold over 60,000 copies in the first 3 days it was released. In addition, over 500,000 copies were sold within a week in Mainland China. So far, Sun has been the number one spot in Taiwanese music charts for six weeks. In 2007, Stefanie Sun sang the official theme song for ASEAN’s 40th anniversary celebrations: Rise Again. And, in May 2009, Stefanie Sun started her new world tour “The Answer is…” with her first stop being Taiwan. In this world tour, she worked with William Chang, her concert image consultant. She also sang her new song “愚人的國度”. She is hopefully going to release a new album by the end of 2010. taken from wikipedia.org

Official EMI Site |iLike Page | Facebook Fan Page | Article from Straits Times

Wednesday, 15 September at 2:00 pm in Moore 319 (Tokioka Room)
Presented by Dr. Takeshi Kawanaka, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of Developing
Economies

Although the Philippines started the “third wave” of democratization in Asia, its democracy has been perceived as unstable. The country experienced not a few coup attempts, scandals of the Presidents, and large scale rallies on the street. Even elections, a fundamental democratic solution to the conflicts in the society, have not been able to gain the confidence of the people due to various frauds. In the 2010 elections, Noynoy Aquino, son of the two national “heroes” of democratization, was elected new President. Did the 2010 elections bring the hope for democratic consolidation? Or was the same old game merely repeated? We will try to assess the impact of the 2010 Philippine elections.

TAKESHI KAWANAKA is Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan. His research interests are in political institutions and political economy of new democracies. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Kobe University, and conducted research at the University of the Philippines, Stanford University, and Ateneo de Manila University as visiting scholar.

Download Poster | Co-Sponsor – Center for Philippine Studies

Christian Razukas (MA, Asian Studies) finished an exchange semester at the National University of Singapore and now works as an editor at the Jakarta Post. Christian and fellow journalist Teguh Santosa (MA, Political Science) welcomed Professor Emeritus Alice Dewey (Anthropology) to Jakarta for a seminar in March 2010 to discuss Anne Dunham-Soetoro’s (Ph.D., Anthropology) dissertation on micro-financing in Indonesia. Dewey spoke on a panel with Teguh, Jakarta Post columnist Julia Suryakusuma, the Minister of Marine and Fisheries Fadel Muhammad, Jakarta’s Deputy Governor Aurora Tambunan, and the Vice President of the Indonesian Senate.

Congratulations to Christian and our best wishes on his future endeavors!

CSEAS is proud to promote our alumni achievements and projects. Email updates to us at cseas@hawaii.edu>>>
Join the CSEAS Alumni & Community group on LinkedIn.

This summer, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies is working on translating and subtitling selected episodes of the controversial Indonesian political satire television series, Republik Mimpi (Republic of Dreams). Acquired by UH SEA collection librarian, Rohayati Paseng-Christensen, the collection is currently archived as part of the Southeast Asia Digital Library at Northern Illinois University. The two-person subtitling team working on this project is hoping to complete five episodes that will be available for access in Fall 2010. This effort marks the first subtitled versions of Republik Mimpi to be made available to English-language researchers.

Special mahalo to Kelli Swazey for the following Reuters article.

Political satire tests Indonesian media freedom / Ed Davies / JAKARTA / Wed Nov 14, 2007 1:16am GMT

(Source: Reuters) – Poking fun at Indonesian politicians would have been unimaginable a decade ago, but a local television show in which actors play government leaders is breaking taboos in the young democracy and winning audiences.

Media freedom in Indonesia has come a long way since mass protests in 1998 ended the iron-fisted rule of former president Suharto, whose government severely shackled the press.

“We are free but now it is up to us to use this freedom,” said Effendi Gazali, a media professor at the University of Indonesia who helped devise the twice weekly shows — “Republik Mimpi” (Republic of Dreams) — and who also appears on them.

Gazali, who said he had received death threats over the show, was inspired by learning that many Americans got their political information from Jon Stewart’s political parody “The Daily Show”.

The series — originally called “Republik Benar Benar Mabuk” (Drunken Republic) — was launched two years ago and has a format consisting of a panel of look-alike politicians in front of a live audience lampooning the nation’s leaders past and present.

So, one character is based on former president B.J. Habibie, an engineer who was famously obsessed with turning Indonesia into a technological powerhouse. Another portrays former president Abdurrahman Wahid, who in real life was often seen nodding off in meetings and who spends much of the show dozing.

“Republik Mimpi” also mirrors elements of the British TV series “Spitting Image” launched in the 1980s that used puppets to mock establishment figures from royalty to Margaret Thatcher.

While not as biting as most western political satires, partly reflecting a Javanese tradition of respect for authority figures, the series has upset some in the establishment.

In March, local media reported the then information minister, Sofyan Djalil, accused the show of giving “negative political education” and threatened to report it to the broadcasting commission over complaints he said he got from the public.

“Republik Mimpi” often grabs laughs at the expense of the perceived prickly relationship between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former general who is sometimes seen as indecisive, and his outspoken vice president, Jusuf Kalla, who is widely expected to run against him in the 2009 election.

Yet the show tends to shy away from going for the jugular, often simply playing up personal traits in politicians or fairly gentle parodying.

“Probably we can call our program the most polite political parody in the world,” said Gazali.

The actor who plays the president, or Si Butet dari Yogya as he is known on the show (the same SBY initials as Yudhoyono), said the real president had no problem with the show.

“I believe that a show like this has a big role in educating people in democratic values — at least we can ask them to always be critical when dealing with life,” said the actor, Butet Kartaredjasa, relaxing after a Sunday night show. Wearing a traditional black Indonesian hat, round glasses and a brown shirt, he looked uncannily like the real president.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Agus Apriyanti, a student from Bandung Islam University, who was in the audience for a recent “Republik Mimpi” airing, said the show worked because it “used simple language so that people can understand the real political situation and press freedom.”

“They use satire and it goes straight to the heart,” added the 20-year-old journalism major, who wore a Muslim head-scarf.

Alongside media freedom gains and an explosion in the number of publications and TV programs, there have also been setbacks.

In particular, activists say flaws in the legal system have sometimes allowed unwarranted cases to be brought against the media, threatening freedom of expression.

Time magazine was recently ordered to pay over $100 million (48 million pounds) to former leader Suharto in libel damages after the Supreme Court overturned two lower court rulings in the U.S. weekly’s favor.

Janet Steele, an associate professor at The George Washington University who has closely tracked the Indonesian media, said via email the media faced ongoing problems of a weak legal system and a general lack of understanding among judges of press laws.

Although optimistic about media freedom overall, she said that another chilling effect came not from authorities but from hardline Islamic or nationalist groups sometimes intimidating or physically attacking Indonesian journalists for supposed slurs.

“Republik Mimpi” tries to take on serious issues and Sujarwo, the actor portraying the vice president, with his trademark moustache, said he believed it had an important role to educate.

The wife of a murdered human rights activist took part in a recent show, explaining how a campaign to win justice for her dead husband was proceeding.

“So far, the press has been extraordinarily supportive,” Suciwati, whose husband Munir Thalib was poisoned on a flight to the Netherlands in 2004, told Reuters after her appearance.

Prosecutors are trying to overturn a Supreme Court move to clear a key suspect, who has been linked to the state spy agency.

The show has also taken on issues such as deadly flooding in the capital Jakarta, partly blamed on incompetent bureaucrats.

Despite its brushes with authorities, a number of politicians including the vice president have appeared on the show, but Gazali said he recognized a need to keep some distance.

“We don’t want to be close to the government, to the establishment. Because we know exactly that this is the kind of program that should maintain credibility.”

(Additional reporting by Mita Valina Liem, editing by Megan Goldin)

Reuters article

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies has been asked to host a special blog posting for the late Vincent K. Pollard, our colleague and neighbor here at Moore Hall. We invite friends of Dr. Pollard to express their condolences here.

Update: Vincent Pollard Memorial
Location: Rainbow Shower Tree (next to Henke Hall), University of Hawaii at Mānoa
Date & Time: 9:45 am, Monday, 30 August 2010
view photos from memorial event – NEW

Vincent Kelly Pollard was a lecturer with Asian Studies and a cooperating graduate faculty member at UH Mānoa. Pollard was a popular teacher and a prodigious scholar and writer with a worldwide reputation in all aspects of Asian contemporary affairs, including film and popular culture. Please join his former students, colleagues and friends at this memorial gathering. A commemorative plaque for Dr Pollard has been installed on the row of UH memorial trees. His tree is located closest to the lamp post, 2nd tree from EWC road, next to Diamond Head side of Moore Hall.

The ASP is collecting in memory of Vincent Pollard to help anticipated expenses such as a memorial plaque. Tess Constantino will collect whatever you wish to donate at the Asian Studies Office, 413 Moore. Cash is preferred.

Vincent Kelly Pollard, Asian Studies Lecturer and Cooperating Graduate Faculty at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Lecturer at Kapiolani Community College, died at 3:15 PM, Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at Straub Hospital, following a massive stroke on Wednesday, May 26. He was 66. After considerable effort, family members in Chicago were contacted on Monday night.

Vincent earned a PhD in the Political Science Department of UHM. Prof. Mike Hass was his chair, and Profs. Yasumasa Kuroda, Teresita Ramos, Estrella Solidum and Jim Dator were on his graduate committee. Prof. Kate Zhou served as proxy during the defense of his dissertation on foreign policy making in the Philippines and Japan. His dissertation was eventually published as the following:
Globalization, Democratization and Asian Leadership (Aldershot, England / Brookfield, USA / Singapore / Sydney: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2004; reprinted 2007, 2008). xii, 204 pages.

At the time of his death, he was working on another book.

Vincent taught many courses as a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Asian Studies and in the community colleges, as well as in the Liberal Studies of UHM. He was also a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for Philippine Studies, School of Pacific and Asian Studies (SPAS). He did a great deal of field research work in the Philippines and taught many related courses on the Philippines.

He was an extremely popular teacher, giving exceptional care and attention to each student. He was also a prodigious scholar and writer with a worldwide reputation in all aspects of Asian contemporary affairs, including film and popular culture.

A memorial service will be held early in the Fall 2010 semester.

Further inquiries may be directed to Prof. Jim Dator , telephone 956-6601

about Vincent K Pollard | Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement Profile

Until today, the Muslim Societies in Asia & the Pacific program (MSAP) only had a facebook presence online, so we are very excited to announce their new website: http://www.msiahawaii.com!  We hope our readers enjoy the site as much as we do!

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies would like to recognize the incredible efforts of graduate assistants, Nezia and Effendy, who were instrumental in the building of the Muslim Societies in Asia program.  The quality and success of the current MSIAP is a testament to their hard work and the CSEAS wishes them the best of luck on their future endeavors.

Aloha UHM CSEAS Students! The Fall 2010 Course Schedule is now available. For SEA-related courses, download the CSEAS Course List.

Are you an alumni of the Asian Studies program at the University of Hawaii?  Are you a Southeast Asia aficionado?  Are you interested in professional networking with SEA specialists?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the CSEAS Alumni & Community Group on Linkedin is perfect for you!  By joining this group, members will receive a weekly newsletter with 10-20 open positions, fellowships, and opportunities in addition to open positions posted by our colleagues around the globe!  In addition, we have a discussion forum and newsfeed so you can stay up to date with the Center and participate in discussions with Southeast Asian specialists.

Linkedin is the largest professional social networking site with over 60 million users.  The purpose of the site is to connect with professionals and obtain references from those who personally know the member.  Linkedin is rapidly becoming a common name as the company has unique partnerships with larger institutions such as the New York Times, Business Week, and Google among others.  Linkedin also allows users to research companies where they wish to gain employment in addition to searching for open positions in their field.

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies also runs a facebook page, yet our Linkedin page remains separate with differing uses.  Overall, facebook is used to connect friends and family while Linkedin is used to connect professionals.  Therefore, the CSEAS tends to place emphasis on jobs within our Linkedin group while our facebook group is used primarily for local events pertaining to Southeast Asia.  If members are more interested in employment opportunities, Linkedin is a better source while those only interested in UH events would benefit more from our facebook page.  While members can choose which service they wish to join, we hope many utilize both as we continue to grow our online presence.