Nano Riantarno's,"Opera Kecoa" banned in Indonesia
- Artist/Author/Producer: Nano Riatiarno
- Confronting Bodies: Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security
- Dates of action: 1991
- Location: Indonesia, Jakarta
- Description of the Art Work
- Nano Riatarno's play, "Opera Keoca," "charts the fortunes of a band of
transvestites scrabbling for a living in the midst of urban wealth."
- Description of incident
- "'Opera Keoca' was banned before the play was to open, the acting police
colonel in the case shut it down, claiming it was vulgar.
"The ban on 'Keoca' outraged Riantarno's fellow artists, even though
many of them had little good to say about the play itself. A group of
artists and cultural perforners took up the case with the parilament and
met with Sudomo, the Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
Security."
- Results of incident
- "In an about face that took many by surprise, Sudomo accepted the blame
for the closing of 'Kecoa' and said the play could be staged after all.
He also promised that in the future, performances could only be banned in
written form with the reasons clearly stipulated.
"But despite Sudomo's assurances, Riantiano's troubles were not over.
He has been trying to take 'Kecoa' to Japan for a festival next month,
but has been shunted from one ministry to another in his quest for exit
permits. Eventually, the festival performance had to be postponed
indefinitely."
Source: Adam Schwartz, "Opening Gambits," Far Eastern Economic Review, January
24, 1991, pg 30-31