SEAToday.com, Jakarta-North Korean leader Kim Jong-un released a song that praised himself as a "friendly father". His action reaped various reactions from all over the world.
Apparently, state leaders releasing songs and showing their skills in singing is nothing new. Indonesian first president Soekarno had done it before, as he popularized one specific song.
Soekarno's mission to promote national culture was never easy. He wrapped this desire with a high sense of opposition to the western culture, including in music.
Everyone who played western music was deemed as not nationalist. This decision reaped pros and cons. Bung Karno didn't care and continued his mission of promoting national culture.
Bung Karno the state leader morphed himself into a cultural agent. He chose to perform the Lenso dance from Ambon, Maluku, when welcoming state guests.
He prepared his performance well, he had a band to play for him while he stepped on the dance floor. He occasionally asked female guests to join him.
"Bung Karno was delighted to perform the Lenso dance. He took every chance offered and asked the present officials to follow him," said Bung Karno's aide Bambang Widjarnako in the book "Sewindu Bersama Bung Karno" (2010).
Slowly but surely, Lenso dance became a part of soft power diplomacy.
Bung Karno took the time to introduce Lenso to the countries he visited, and this pleased the state leaders. Journalists also recorded his actions on the dance floor.
Bung Karno performing the Lenso dance with a beautiful woman often headlined the newspapers. He was surprised to find out that Philippine President in 1963 Diosdado Macapagal prepared his own Lenso dance that he learned beforehand.
Bung Karno responded by dancing along with the beautiful ladies, not caring about how the local journalists perceived him. All he could care about was to popularize the Lenso dance.
"Two young women performing in the ensemble asked me to dance along. I couldn't say no, and when I stepped on the dance floor, it was like lights! Flash! The headline would be: Look at Soekarno the great lover back at it again," explained Bung Karno in his autobiography written by Cindy Adams titled "Bung Karno: Penyambung Lidah Rakyat Indonesia" (2010).
Lenso Music Album
Bung Karno's mission to popularize Lenso continued, and he invited famous musicians like Bing Slamet and Jack Lesmana to tag along.
They started crafting a Lenso music album. Bung Karno wrote a song in the project, widely known as "Bersuka Ria". It was then sung by Rita Zahareah, Nien Lesmana, Titiek Puspa, and Bing Slamet.
Jack Lesmana's Orkes Irama provided the instrumentals for the song. Bung Karno tried to incorporate politics and funny phrases into a happy song, encouraging the listeners to enjoy life while listening to the song.
Living a meaningful life doesn't mean you have to be serious all the time, as depicted in the fun lyrics: Pagar kawat pagar berduri/Cat basah jatuh di kabel/Kalau niat mencari istri/Saya pilih yang pinter nyambel, which showed Bung Karno playfully joking about how one could be chosen as his wife by being a great cook, specifically in making chili sauce.
The song "Bersuka Ria" was included in the album, titled "Mari Bersuka Ria dengan Irama Lenso", with seven other songs, including "Gendjer-Gendjer", "Euis", "Gelang Sipaku Gelang", and "Burung Kakatua". The album was released in 1965 by The Indonesian Music Company Irama.
"Bersuka Ria" Makes Waves
"Bersuka Ria", reportedly the only song Bung Karno has ever written, became popular and Indonesians were familiar with its lyrics. Bung Karno asked the public to sing along at one event.
The event was National Technical Meeting (Munastek) at the Istora Senayan on September 30, 1965. Bung Karno performed "Bersuka Ria" and invited the attendees to sing along.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm already excited. Let's all rejoice. Everyone can sing "Bersuka Ria", right? Everyone? Over there? Over here? Right, volunteers, got it?" asked Bung Karno, cited by Bonny Triyana and Budi Setiyono in the book "Revolusi Belum Usai" (2014).
The singing crowd energized Bung Karno. It proved "Bersuka Ria" that Bung Karno wrote and performed received a warm welcome from Indonesians.
We can still listen to the song nowadays, although years have passed. This is the some of the lyrics to "Bersuka Ria":
Mari kita bergembira sukaria bersama
Hilangkan sedih dan duka mari nyanyi bersama
Lenyapkan duka lara bergembira semua
Lalalaalaa laaaa la mari bersuka ria
Siapa bilang bapak dari blitar
Bapak kita dari prambanan
Siapa bilang rakyat kita lapar
Indonesia banyak makanan.
