Wellington, New Zealand - Scores of young New Zealanders were entering the Wellington Town Hall as the sound of a Javanese gamelan filled the air.
Clare Tattersal, 23, a law student at Victoria University in Wellington, sang a Javanese song in a duet with Budi S. Putra, 38, an Indonesian artist living in the city.
The Indonesian Gamelan Orchestra became more and more energetic as more Wellingtonians arrived on Saturday evening to watch a concert titled Music into Medicine. The event was organized to raise money to eradicate malaria in the Mentawai Islands in Sumatra.
"While we live here in many advantages, many people in other parts of the world live in disadvantages. So, we gather here to make a difference and try to help the disadvantaged in Mentawai. They are now suffering from malaria," organizing committee head Dion Howard, 35, said in his opening speech.
He thanked all the bands and musicians for performing free of charge, and committee members for their hard work to make the event a success.
While Wellingtonians enjoyed listening to the gamelan group, more applause was given to Megan Collin, a lecturer in musicology at Victoria University, when she played a rebab Minang (traditional instrument from West Sumatra) and sang a traditional Minang song.
After more than 30 minutes of playing, the gamelan and rebab gave way to several popular New Zealand bands such as The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, Join The Recloose Live Band, The Scribes of Ra, Good Laika, Jess Chambers with Age Pryor, Hikoikoi, Thought Creature and The Constituents.
They played for hundreds of people who paid NZ$28 each to get in.
Proceeds from the concert will go to SurfAid International, a non-governmental organization established by Dr. Dave Jenkins to help people in Mentawai and Nias islands.
SurfAid is perhaps most well known for its role in assisting islanders after the Indian Ocean tsunami, but to surfers, and others, it‘s known for its effective public health programs that are assisting the Mentawai people.
The Wellingtonians stayed up past midnight enjoying the bands, aware they were doing something good for the people of the Mentawai islands.
"We have heard about Mentawai, and we are glad to be able to contribute. It feels great to be able to help. By the way, I would like to go Bali and other places, probably Mentawai, in Indonesia," Ben Keegan, 28, an employee at an architecture firm in Wellington, told The Jakarta Post while watching the show.
After midnight, the crowd dispersed and Budi, the Indonesian musician, could not help think what would happen if young Indonesians had the same willingness to help their countrymen.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (13 November 2007)
