An Expert with Vision: Gianyar, Bali

Toni Tack, an expert in southeast Asian art and history, said she knows really very little about Indonesia.

“Every day, I learn new things about Indonesia and its people. It has been a never-ending intellectual and spiritual endeavor for me,” she said while sipping a cup of coffee one afternoon at her leafy home in Batu Bulan, Gianyar.

For more than 15 years, Toni has been giving tours and lectures on Indonesian culture, sociopolitical matters and the arts to widely varied audiences — world government and political leaders, university professors and students, to opulent tourists and visitors eager to get first-hand information from an expert.

“I called my tour programs and lectures the `Four Faces of God.'”
Indonesia is home to four major religions: Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

Despite the fact that almost 90 percent of its 245 million people are Muslim, believers in the other religions have their proper place in the archipelago, says Toni.

“Buddhism and Hinduism are the oldest religions, which came to Indonesia centuries ago. Their traditions and cultures have become inseparable parts of the country’s remarkable legacy — in religion, culture, social and political matters,” commented Toni.

Her intention was to show to her audience a clearer and a more balanced portrayal of Indonesia, known as the largest Muslim country in the word.

“The majority of people in Western countries have little or no information about Indonesia. Misperceptions and misunderstandings frequently occur when it comes to seeing Indonesia as a Muslim country.”

According to Western perspectives, the idea of a Muslim country is usually connected to the values adopted by most countries of the Middle East, which was different than those adopted by Indonesians.

“We are now standing on very fragile ground due to our lack of understanding of other religions and cultures. We have lost trust in each other and we do not have mutual respect.”

To understand more about Indonesia, Toni has traveled extensively across the country, talking to people from diverse backgrounds. She has many friends here.

“It takes a great deal of effort to try to convince the international community that Indonesia is a country where the majority of its people are moderate and tolerant.”

Raising awareness of Indonesia

Toni regularly delivers speeches and lectures to academics and networks of alumni from noted universities, including Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford and Oxford.

“Many times, I have also given lectures to travelers on luxury cruises or resorts to give them background information on the country they were going to visit.”

Through her lectures, Toni has become deeply involved in active discussion and discourse with her audience. “I believe in the power of sincere and honest words. I am so happy knowing that participants at my lectures were exposed to new ideas and obtained a better understanding of this country.”

Toni has taken many people on travels across the country including to conflicting areas.

The frequent news and coverage by international media of sectarian conflicts or other insurgencies in places such as Aceh in Sumatra, Poso (Sulawesi), Ambon (Maluku) and the two bombings on the tourist island of Bali have created a poor impression of Indonesia.

“There is no denying that radicalism and fundamentalism among young Muslims are emerging on the streets. This is, unluckily, the picture of Indonesia in many Western media and it can be misleading and dangerous.”

The extremists were a very small group of angry young people, Toni said.

Indonesia possesses a large number of moderate, open-minded Muslim scholars like “Gus Dur” (former president Abdurrahman Wahid), the late Nurcholis Madjid, Komaruddin Hidayat and many other bright talents who can counter Indonesia’s negative image in the international world.

“It is their obligation to speak to the world and to eloquently spread the idea of a tolerant and moderate Muslim society.”

With this concept, she said, Indonesia plays a very important role in bridging the fundamentalism of Middle East Muslims and moderate Muslims in Asia with the Western world.

In her twilight years, Toni could easily have opted to lead a comfortable life in Amsterdam, surrounded by her beloved daughter, son and grandchildren.

Instead, her adventurous nature has drawn her to many different places as she sees herself a member of the global community. “I usually spend my time in a host of different places all over the world in the space of one year.”

“I always spend a few months with my daughter and her children in Europe, then go back to Indonesia. I love this country and the warmth of its people and climate.”

A colonial perspective

Born to a Swedish mother and Scottish father, Toni was brought up and had a happy childhood in a small city near Liverpool, England.

She met her husband in Greece in the early 1960s. “It was my husband who first introduced me to Indonesia, a remote country I knew nothing about at that time.”

Her husband has mixed Dutch, Chinese and Indonesian blood. “My husband’s family has lived in Java for generations.”

The couple were married in Greece and moved to Rotterdam. The couple had three children. “My first son suffered from post-vaccinatiesyndrom after having a vaccination that made him totally handicapped,” recounted Toni with tears in her eyes. Her daughter was healthy, but the youngest child lost his life during infancy.

“Life was so difficult for a young couple like us at that time. It was too heavy to bear.”

During their difficult years, Toni’s husband, who worked for the Dutch Foreign Ministry, was stationed in Jakarta.

“I remember it vividly when we first arrived in Jakarta. I was so amazed to have landed in this now-crowded city, not so crowded at that time.”

During her five-years in Indonesia, Toni socialized with a band of diplomats, businessmen, expatriates and her Indies in-laws.

“I could say I was quite happy then. It was not just an escape from a harsh family reality. But, honestly, I first saw Indonesia and its people through the point of view of my expatriate friends and also my husband’s and my in-laws’ eyes — colonial eyes.”

In her spare time, Toni used to visit nearby villages and talk to people. She also met many interesting figures outside her close-knit group of friends.

“By the end of those days, I saw the hidden side of Indonesia, which was totally different to the view of my in-laws’ and my expatriate friends.”

Back to the Netherlands, the couple separated. Toni later pursued higher education majoring in southeast Asian arts, history and archaeology.

After the divorce, Toni faced a series of unfortunate experiences.

“I lost almost all of my savings because of bad investments. I was bankrupt, while at the same time I had to take care of two children.”

Toni found an inner and spiritual strength in her son and daughter. “I had abundant love for my children, especially my handicapped son, now in his 40s, and staying at a health institution. I had to live for them.”

Having a disabled child was not a burden but a gift from God as she said: “When you have a disabled child, you are really blessed by God because He knows that you are strong and full of love to receive such a precious gift, a disabled child, to be in your arms.”

Long in her childhood, Toni was also diagnosed with what was called a “congenital dislocation” of the left lemur, meaning that she would be handicapped for life, requiring her to wear an orthopedic boot with a raised heal.

“My parents were horrified.” They were lucky to meet a good surgeon in town. “I was fortunate because I was still young (18 months of age) and the bones were not yet hardened.”

After those treatments, my left leg was still noticeably shorter.” As she grew up she had to wear a special shoe.

“I think that due to my parents’ positive attitude I never felt sorry for myself. I have never felt handicapped. In fact, I was often top of the class in gymnastics and won many prizes.”

Therapy through art

In Indonesia — Bali in particular — Toni always feels happy. Toni pointed to one of her favorite plants taken from South Africa by her late mother. “I maintained it here and it’s so healthy. I also brought a rare plant from Mexico known as Mamey. The plant is about five meters tall and grows so well in my backyard.”

By showing all of these plants, Toni wants Indonesian people to realize the richness of the country. “You can plant almost anything and it will grow so well. Unfortunately, not everyone here understands their natural and cultural wealth.”

The Borobudur and Prambanan temples in Central Java are just two examples of World Heritage sites in Indonesia. “However, local people do not pay them their due respect and pride. They keep littering these precious sites.”

The active grandmother still has abundant energy to embark on another cultural project.

Toni’s latest project is called Good Vibrations, an attempt to introduce traditional Javanese gamelan orchestra to prisoners in the hope it might enhance their quality of life.

“Javanese have known gamelan for centuries. The sounds and vibrations of each instrument have therapeutic and healing powers for both players and listeners.”

Such power can help ease people’s minds, and this is very important in the rehabilitation process. “Some prisons in England have adopted gamelan music therapy for inmates, which worked so well in increasing their self-esteem and sense of peace and harmony.”

Supported by a trust fund from England and experts in gamelan therapy, Toni proposed her project to the Indonesian authorities.

She planned to hold gamelan workshops at a number of prisons in Indonesia including Kerobokan, Kuta (Bali), Cipinang (Jakarta) and Nusa Kambangan (Central Java).

“I have been knocking on the doors (of government officials) with no positive response.”