Ageng (1631–1695), also known as Tirtayasa and Abulfatah Agung,^[1] was the sultan of Banten (on Java in modern Indonesia) during the kingdom's golden age. He built a strong fleet on European models, which did considerable trade within the Indonesian archipelago, and, with help from the English, Danes, and Chinese, were able to trade with Persia, India, Siam, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and Japan in the Javanese tradition of long-distance traders. This trade gave considerable wealth to Banten.

The greatest period in Banten is arguably under Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa. In 1661 he extended Banten rule to Landak in western Borneo. In 1670s he also acquired Cirebon area following civil war in Mataram. Ageng established trade with Spanish Manila for silver and built canal for coconut palm and sugar plantations, among other developments.^[2]

Ageng was a strong opponent of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and inevitably came into conflict with their headquarters at Batavia (modern Jakarta), 75 km to the east. In this sentiment Ageng also came into conflict with his son, the crown prince and later sultan Haji. Haji held considerable power in Banten, and was in favor of gaining support from the VOC. The court split into two factions, supporting the father and the son, and the more militant Muslim elite supported the father.

In 1656, the fragile 1645 treaty between the Dutch and Banten broke, and war erupted, as Bantenese raided Batavian districts and VOC ships, and the VOC blockaded the Bantenese port. A peace settlement was reached in 1659, but the VOC sought a stronger settlement, and was able to take advantage of the internal division in Bantenese politics to achieve it.

Ageng withdrew to a residence outside Banten proper sometime before 1671, in order to forestall a palace coup he anticipated from his son. He supported Trunajaya's rebellion in the Mataram Sultanate, and was highly critical of Amangkurat II and his relationship with the VOC. He was able to gain control of Cirebon and the Priangan highlands when Mataram fell into disarray, thus surrounding Batavia with his troops. However, he did not declare war on the Dutch until 1680, on the pretext of some mistreatment of Bantenese merchants on the part of the VOC. The Dutch were now stronger after their victory at Kediri over the Mataram rebels. In May 1680, though, before hostilities began, Haji led a coup and confined Ageng to his residence. His supporters gained the upper hand in 1682, but when a VOC force came to support the compromises of Haji, they drove Ageng from his residence into the highlands, where he surrendered in March 1683. He was kept in Banten for a while, and later moved to Batavia, where he died in 1695.

References[link]

• M.C. Ricklefs. ‘’A History of Modern Indonesia Since c. 1300’’, 2nd ed. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994, pp. 78–79.

Citations[link]

Barry Prima
Born	Humbertus Knoch 1955 Bandung, West Java,  Indonesia
Years active	1978 - present

Barry Prima (born Humbertus "Bertus" Knoch in 1955) is an Indonesian actor and martial artist who was one of the biggest stars of Indonesian cinema during the 1980s. Of Indo ethnicity, he is the oldest of 4 siblings to a Dutch father and Indonesian mother.

Filmography[link]

• Realita, Cinta dan Rock'n Roll a.k.a. Reality, Love, and Rock'N Roll (2006)
• Janji Joni a.k.a. Joni's Promise (2005)
• The Warrior and the Ninja (1985)
• The Devil's Sword (1984)
• The Warrior Against Blind Swordsman (Si Buta Lawan Jaka Sembung) (1983)
• Ferocious Female Freedom Fighters (1982)
• Srigala (1981)
• The Warrior (Jaka Sembung) (1981)
• Primitif (1978)

External links[link]

• Barry Prima at the Internet Movie Database
• The Devil's Sword review at Internal Bleeding
• Ferocious Female Freedom Fighters review at Internal Bleeding

Iwan Fals (born Virgiawan Listanto; September 3, 1961 in Jakarta) is an Indonesian singer–songwriter. In 2002, Time magazine named him as a Great Asian Hero.

Early life[link]

Iwan was born Virgiawan Listanto in Jakarta, on September 3, 1961 to Harsoyo, a soldier,^[1] and Lies Suudijah. He studied at SMP 5 Bandung and SMAK BPK Bandung. He continued his studies at Sekolah Tinggi Publisistik and then Jakarta Arts Institute. At the age of thirteen, he performed as a street performer at wedding ceremonies and other social events.^[2]

Personal life[link]

On 1st January 1982, his first son, Galang Rambu Anarki was born. One of his best-known songs, Galang Rambu Anarki, was written for his birth and released on 1982's Opini (Opinion) album. Galang was a guitarist who became a folk musician in his own right, and he died on 25 April 1997 of a suspected morphine overdose. 'Galang Rambu Anarki' translates to "support the sign of anarchy" in English.^[3]

Three years later, his first daughter Anissa Cikal Rambu Basae was born.^[4] His third child is Rayya Rambu Robbani.^[5] He and Rosanna, his wife live in Cibubur, West Java.^[6]

Galan Rambu Anarki had started to follow in his father's footsteps, playing in a band from a young age, but died in 1997, aged 16, either of asthma, or from a drug overdose.^[7]

Career[link]

Aged 18, Iwan Fals, Toto Gunarto, Helmi and Bambang Bule formed a group named Amburadul. The group released the album 'Perjalanan' in 1979, which was not succesful, but was re-released with the added track '3 Bulan' as '3 Bulan' (1980) in 1980. The group disbanded and played no further role in Iwan Fals' career.

As part of his early career, Iwan Fals also recorded some comedy albums, after winning a comedy country singing contest. He sang of comic situations and themes, and his first release was on 'Canda Dalam Nada' (the A-side featured five songs by Iwan: Generasi Frustrasi, Dongeng Tidur, Imitasi, Kisah Sepeda Motorku (aka. Kopral), and Joni Kesiangan while the B-side consisted of songs by Tom Slepe and Pusaka Jaya). The songs Dongeng Tidur, Joni Kesiangan and Kisah Sepeda Motorku were released, with one new song, Ambulance Zig Zag, on the Iwan Fals mini-album Canda Dalam Nada, while Generasi Frustrasi and Imitasi were also included on the 'Yang Muda Yang Bercanda II' multiartist comedy compilation.

During this time, Iwan supported himself by busking.

1981 saw Iwan Fals' breakthrough, when he signed to Musica Studio to record his first solo album, Sarjana Muda. This album shows Iwan Fals' signature country music style, with the protest song "Guru Oemar Bakrie", which talks of how a teacher is poorly paid but still responsible for educating future well-paid and successful people. 'Guru Oemar Bakrie' became very well-known and popular in Indonesia, and helped established Iwan's name. The album also contains several ballads. It benefited from considerable investment by Musica Studio, who used high-quality musicians and producer for the album.

1982's Opini, also on Musica Studio, cemented Iwan's reputation as a protest singer, but also as a balladeer. 'Galang Rambu Anarki', for his newborn son, combined both elements, commenting on both the happy event of the birth of his first child, but also commenting on rising prices, saying that perhaps his child would be malnourished if they could not afford to buy milk.

1983 saw the release of Sumbang, while 1984's album releases were Barang Antik and Sugali.

In April 1984, Iwan was arrested and questioned for two weeks after performing the songs 'Demokrasi Nasi' and Mbak Tini, both songs never recorded on album, in Pekanbaru. The song Mbak Tini was about a prostitute with a road-side coffee shop, married to 'Soeharyo' (Suharto).^[8] The events were retold on the song '14-4-84' on 1986's Ethiopia.

Iwan Fals continued to release albums throughout the 1980s, while in 1989 he formed the group Swami, which released two albums Swami I in 1989, and Swami II in 1991. A similar grouping was Kantata Takwa, which contained several Swami personnel. The musical style was "rebana rock", a blend of Jimi Hendrix and Rick Wakeman, to a Betawi rebana.^[9] The album Kantata Takwa' was released in 1990, featuring songs such as "Bento" and "Bongkar" ("Rip It Down"), two of several songs which they sang during a demonstration by college students.^[6]

Up to the release Orang Gila in 1994, Iwan had released approximately two new albums per year for 15 years. Since 1994, he has greatly reduced his release schedule, releasing two singles only in 1995, and one in 1996, whle in 1998 Kantata Samsara, the second and final album by Kantata Takwa, was released.

To make up for the lack of new content, a number of Iwan Fals compilations were released in the 1990s and 2000s, including Best Of The Best, Akustik (3 volumes), and Salam Reformasi ("Greetings Reformation"), which sold more than 50,000 copies.^[10]

In 2002, Iwan Fals released his first new solo album since 1994, Suara Hati.^[11] In 2003 the album 'In Collaboration With' was released consisting of performances with other Indonesia artists. Manusia Setengah Dewa, in 2004, was a solo album.

In 2005, he released Iwan Fals In Love, essentially a compilation of existing Iwan Fals romantic reocrdings, but with the new song "Ijinkan Aku Menyayangimu" ("Let Me Love You") as the main single, and five re-recordings of old songs.^[5] Two songs, in collaboration with Indra Lesmana, Haruskah Pergi, and Selancar, were released as digital download in 2006.

In 2007, 50:50 was released by Musica Studios. The album's themes were romance and social criticism. One single of the album, "Pulanglah" ("Go Home"), tells about the death of Munir.^[12] Six singles were written by himself and other six singles were written by his fellow musicians.^[5] Two songs were released in 2009 as Untukmu Terkasih.

In 2010, he released Keseimbangan, and in 2011 he released new album titled "tergila-gila" with 4 new songs inside.

he has a large fans club which called OI (Orang Indonesia).

Lyrical themes[link]

Iwan Fals has been compared with Bob Dylan, who was one of his key influences, both on his early style, which made heavy use of the harmonica, and on his lyrics, which have frequently been in the protest song genre.

For instance, "Kamu Sudah Gila" ("You've Gone Crazy") and "Apa Kamu Sudah Jadi Tuhan?" ("Have You Ever Been as God?") criticized the New Order regime.

Other songs are more observational, but still could be seen as political. For instance, his song Galang Rambu Anarki, written for his newborn son, talks of being too poor to raise his son, while "Kembang Pete" ("Petai Flower") tells the story of the underestimated poor.^[1] "Aku Bosan" ("I'm Bored") is about a child protesting to his parents because they left him alone at home. While "Hura-Hura Huru-Hara" ("Fake Riot") compares moneylender to blood-sucking vampires.^[13]

The 1988 song (and album) '1910', which could be interpreted as referring to the year 1910, was actually a reference to the date 19th October, the date, in 1987, of the Bintaro train crash, a disaster the song documents in observational style. "Celoteh Camar Tolol dan Cemar", on 1983's Sumbang, documented the sinking of the Tampomas II in Masalembu.

Aside from his observational protest songs, Iwan Fals is known for his love songs, which include "Yang Terlupakan" ("The Forgotten"), "Mata Indah Bola Pingpong" ("Beautiful Eyes, Pingpong Ball"), "Antara Kau, Aku, dan Bekas Pacarmu" ("Among You, Me, and Your ex-Boyfriend"), and "Pesawat Tempurku".

Although a songwriter, Iwan Fals' status as one of Indonesia's leading rock/pop performers has led to his recording material from numerous other song writers. Some of his most notable hits written by others include Barang Antik ("Antique"), "Kemesraan" ("Intimacy"), "Kumenanti Seorang Kekasih" ("I'm Waiting for a Lover"), "Aku Bukan Pilihan" ("I'm Not an Option") and "Ijinkan Aku Menyayangimu".^[14]

Discography[link]

• Perjalanan (as part of Amburadul group) (1979)
• Canda Dalam Nada (1979) - comedy album, Iwan has the A-sde only
• Canda Dalam Ronda (1980) - comedy mini-album of four tracks, contains one new track 'Ambulance Zig Zag'
• 3 Bulan (consists of Perjalanan plus the new track 3 Bulan) (1980)
• Sarjana Muda (1981) - Musica debut
• Opini (1982)
• Sumbang (1983)
• Barang Antik (1984)
• Sugali (1984)
• Kelompok Penyanyi Jalanan (KPJ) - as part of KPJ, or Street Singers Group, Iwan Fals sings on 3 songs (1985)
• Sore Tugu Pancoran (1985)
• Aku Sayang Kamu (1986)
• Ethiopia (1986)
• Lancar (1987)
• Wakil Rakyat (1987)
• 1910 (1988)
• Kemesraan (1988) - single, with Betharia Sonata, Chrisye, Rafika Duri, Itang, Jamal Mirdad, Etrie, Nani]]
• Mata Dewa (1989)
• Swami I (as part of the group Swami) (1989)
• Kantata Takwa (as part of the group Kantata) (1990)
• Cikal (1991)
• Swami II (as part of the group Swami) (1991)
• Belum Ada Judul (1992)
• Hijau (1992)
• Dalbo (1993)
• Anak Wayang (1994)
• Orang Gila (1994)
• Kantata Samsara (as part of the group Kantata) (1998)
• Suara Hati (2002)
• In Collaboration with (2003)
• Manusia Setengah Dewa (2004)
• In Love (2005) (contains only one new song, and four re-recordings)
• 50:50 (2007)
• Untukmu Terkasih (2009) - Mini-album - two songs only
• Keseimbangan (2010)
• Tergila-gila (2011)

Awards[link]

In 2002, he was named as Great Asian Hero by Time magazine.^[11] In 2011, he received "Satyalancana", the highest government awards from Jero Wacik, Culture and Tourism Minister of Indonesia.^[15]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Aning S., Floriberta (2006). 100 Tokoh Yang Mengubah Indonesia (Revised ed.). Yogyakarta: Narasi. ISBN 9789797564759. http://books.google.com/books?id=XLrkTdG_9xEC. 
• Emmerson, Donald K. (1999). Indonesia Beyond Suharto: Polity, Economy, Society, Transition. Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 9781563248900. http://books.google.com/books?id=JQjzLRYXJZQC. 
• Ginting, Asrat; et al (2009). Musisiku. Jakarta: Republika. ISBN 9789791102520. http://books.google.com/books?id=ig3oH5TGv4oC. 
• Sen, Krishna; Hill, David T. (2000). Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia. South Melbourne, Vict.: Oxfor University Press. ISBN 9780195537031. http://books.google.com/books?id=xMhWm38KQcsC. 
• Ubaedy, A. N.; Ratrioso, Imam (2005). Refleksi Kehidupan: Kisah dan Kajian Hidup Orang-Orang Ternama. Jakarta: Elex Media Komputindo. ISBN 9789792077254. http://books.google.com/books?id=o85mshB9IK8C.