There is a quite a scandal brewing in Southeast Asia this week surrounding Lady Gaga's concert tour. It seems religious hardliners in Indonesia object to her material and her presence and see it as a corrupting influence. Before the concert was cancelled today, 52,000 people bought tickets to the sold-out event. Lady Gaga was not the first western pop star scheduled to perform in Jakarta. The Pussy Cat Dolls and Beyonce have performed there in the past as well. In both cases, the artists agreed to wear slightly toned done attire as to not offend the local culture. Earlier this week, Indonesian Police refused to issue a permit for the concert after Islamic-extremist groups demonstrated against the event. Groups like the Islamic Defenders Front called Lady Gaga a spokesperson for the devil and declared her presence in the country a sacrilege. It appeared a deal had been worked out but then the same group claimed to have purchased 150 tickets to the concert and promised to disrupt it if the show went on as planned. Today, the producers of the show announced the concert was cancelled but promised a full refund to all 52,000 ticket holders.
School girls competing for free tickets to the Lady Gaga
concert in Jakarta
Pro-Gaga flash mobs broke out in Jakarta today expressing support for the artist and rebelling against the Islamic extremists who objected to the concert. The situation really highlights the conflict between the globalized, progressive, and liberal segment and more traditionally and religiously conservative elements in the world's most populous Muslim country. There is plenty to object to in Lady Gaga's performance including skimpy outfits, simulated sex acts, and lengthy monologues between songs about a variety of topics including homosexuality. In fact, this week Catholic hardliners in the Philippines are also objecting to Lady Gaga's scheduled concerts in that country.
Indonesia is most definitely a progressive country, however, this situation clearly highlights a conflict between religious conservatism and individual liberty (including the freedom of speech and expression). Do the 52,000 ticket holders and Lady Gaga have the right to expect protection from the local authorities in a country run by a sectarian government? Do the protestors below have the right to object to her performance or even her existence? It seems to me that the line was crossed (from an individual freedom point of view) when the anti-Gaga protestors threatened violence by claiming they held 150 tickets and would disrupt the concert. In the end, that was all it took to get the show cancelled. Should the Indonesian authorities have reassured the 52,000 concert goers they would be safe?
Indonesia is most definitely a progressive country, however, this situation clearly highlights a conflict between religious conservatism and individual liberty (including the freedom of speech and expression). Do the 52,000 ticket holders and Lady Gaga have the right to expect protection from the local authorities in a country run by a sectarian government? Do the protestors below have the right to object to her performance or even her existence? It seems to me that the line was crossed (from an individual freedom point of view) when the anti-Gaga protestors threatened violence by claiming they held 150 tickets and would disrupt the concert. In the end, that was all it took to get the show cancelled. Should the Indonesian authorities have reassured the 52,000 concert goers they would be safe?
AFP report on protest against Lady Gaga concert in Jakarta
For a better sense of the conflict and what the sides look like, watch both videos on imbedded in the blog. The juxtaposition is really interesting. What do you think?
Interesting Op-Ed from today's Jakarta Post:
Read the Op-Ed
Interesting Op-Ed from today's Jakarta Post:
Read the Op-Ed
To call Lady Gaga the devil and to state it would be a sacrilege to go see her is too much for me. Now, I understand and respect people's different viewpoints but no one should be allowed to threaten another with violence in an attempt to discourage/prevent an event from occuring. It is obvious that Lady Gaga is popular in this country n the girls from the video have evidently heard and seen her videos. In this global world where the internet is readily available, these religious extremists are not only making Lady Gaga more famous but they are creating a greater gap between the majority and themselves, thereby hurting their main point/cause. --pancrecia
ReplyDeleteNot a Lady Gaga fan, but the convervatives did not do themselves a favor by threating violence. And I agree with the above commentator; the extremist only made Lady Gaga more famous and hurt their own cause.
ReplyDeleteWhile Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, it is far from the most orthodox when it comes to actual religious observation (particularly compared to Islamic observance in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for freedom of expression, but I can appreciate that you can't just go from 0 - 100. Gaga pushes the envelope of artistic expression, even considering U.S. standards and the First Amendment is a uniquely U.S. construct.
Here in the U.S., we went from the likes of the Everly Brothers, to the Beatles and Elvis before moving to the likes of the Beastie Boys, Marilyn Manson, Madonna and Lady Gaga.
Many countries are playing catch-up to the U.S. economically and industrially, including countries in Africa and Southeast Asia. We can't expect these countries to go from a primarily agricultural society to our consumer-driven, microwave/drive-thru standard overnight. The same goes for social evolution, particularly when the state-sponsored religion stresses conservatism and tradition.
Let's not try to drag them kicking and screaming into what we consider to be our 'enlightened' society. Let them have their Beatles and Beastie Boys before expecting them to embrace the Gage . . .
errrr . . . Gaga, not Gage
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments everyone. A couple of additional thoughts. The widespread public debate in Indonesia and around the world is healthy and a good sign that civil society is developing in Indonesia. The problem is that terrorism (acts designed to instill fear in others towards the accomplishment of a particular ideal) should not have been part of the equation. Lady Gaga obviously cherishes her self-expression, however, apparently isn't willing to force the issue when the safety of screaming teenage fans is involved. It would have been nice if the Indonesian authorities could have provided some reliable reassurances that everything would have been OK.
ReplyDeleteTo address the last point, I think Lady Gaga, the Pussy Cat Dolls, and Beyonce all recognized the society in Indonesia is more conservative and all expressed a willingness to tone down their performances.