Vicky’s Reflection on Exploring Sumba

The art of acting for Sumba,

a gorgeous land

In exploring Sumba program, I got a chance from Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta to visit Sumba island, Nusa Tenggara Timur province. I stayed there for about one month to explore and to learn various potencies, including natural potency, youth and cultures. Sumba is an area in a developing phase to pursue economic progress as in Java, Bali and Kupang. In order to pursue the economic progress, Stube-HEMAT Sumba presents to equip and to enrich the capacity of youth, especially students to face the challenges.

As one of participants of exploring Sumba, I prepared a program namely theater training for youth and students, also including small discussions. Why theater? For me, theater is a medium to make space for youths in their process of capacity development. All hidden data in their memory and imagination can be lived up and expressed through theater.

Besides assisting to develop youth’s capacity, theater also plays important role in fostering youth’s awareness to know their environment  in where they live with the actual problems. Theater itself covers various aspects of life, beginning from feeling management, psychology, gesture, natural harmony, until problem of life.  When theater is understood as unity of life, it brings positive impact in growing one’s potency.

In art of acting, one aspect that cannot be abandoned is understanding life condition. It means that theater invites youth to sharpen and to do social analysis. The result of social analysis in data can be transformed to be an article and arranged to be a play script. Through theater public issues can be voiced to public and through theater students will find new references what other people experienced. So, theater may be used as a media for community advocacy.

Sumba is a gorgeous land. Natural beauty, natural resource potencies and culture in Sumba should be preserved. One of ways to preserve and protect it is theater. Youth and students can take part and develop their capacity  as a response towards change and challenges.

The enthusiasm of youth in Sumba was wonderful. They eagerly followed indoor and outdoor theater training sessions. They also practiced to make a drama script which is understood by others. Unfortunately, the theater performance can not be implemented because of the time cancellation. However, I believe that when the time comes, their potency can be performed as well as their preparation for the script to commemorate International Women's Day, on March 8, 2017. Keep your spirit to sharpen your ability and express ideas to public through theater. (VTS).