Arnold Clemens Ap (born July 1, 1946, in
Numfor Island,
Netherlands New Guinea
Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea ( nl, Nederlands-Nieuw-Guinea, id, Nugini Belanda) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdo ...
– died April 26, 1984, in
Jayapura
Jayapura (formerly Dutch: ''Hollandia'') is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Papua. It is situated on the northern coast of New Guinea island and covers an area of . The city borders the Pacific Ocean and Yos Sudarso ...
,
Irian Jaya,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
) was a West Papuan cultural leader,
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
and musician. Arnold was the leader of the group
Mambesak, and curator of the
Cenderawasih University Museum. He also broadcast Papuan culture on his weekly radio show.
He was educated at mission schools on
Biak
Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and c ...
Island, where his father was a school teacher. He studied geography at the Teacher Training School of Cenderawasih University in Abepura from 1967 to 1973.
As a student, he organized a demonstration against the
Act of Free Choice
The Act of Free Choice ( id, Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat, PEPERA, Determination of the People's Opinion) was a controversial plebiscite held between 14 July and 2 August 1969 in which 1,025 people selected by the Indonesian military in Western New ...
of 1969. He was sent to prison at Ifar Gunung. After his release, he began collecting traditional Papuan songs. After graduating, he became curator at the university's museum. In 1974, he was married to Corry Bukorpioper, a nurse.
In 1978, he formed the music group Mambesak. He performed in 1980 in
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
at the Cultural Festival with the Asmat Totem Pole Dance. He had a popular radio program ''Pelangi Budaya Irian Jaya'' (The Rainbow of Irian Jaya Culture) on
RRI Jayapura, with Papuan songs, stories, poems and interviews.
[Hubatka, Frank. 2012. ''Arnold Ap's Vision'' (no date, no place, self published).]
His prominent study and performance of Papuan culture and music was seen by many as a challenge to the efforts of the Indonesian government against Papuan nationalism and identity. At the time of Ap's death, strong attempts by the
New Order government were being made to unify Indonesian peoples under a more Javanese culture.
[Rutherford, Danilyn. 2002. ''Raiding the Land of the Foreigners: The Limits of the Nation on an Indonesian Frontier.'' Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.]
In November 1983, he was arrested by the Indonesian military special forces
Kopassus and imprisoned and tortured for suspected sympathies with the
Free Papua Movement, although no charges were laid. In April 1984, he was killed by a gunshot to his back. Official accounts claim he was trying to escape. Many supporters believe Ap was executed by
Kopassus.
[Vickers, Adrian. 2005. ''A History of Modern Indonesia.'' London: Cambridge University Press, p. 180; Rutherford, Danilyn. 2002. ''Raiding the Land of the Foreigners: The Limits of the Nation on an Indonesian Frontier.'' Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 212-3; cf.
Rayfiel, Alex 2004. "Singing for life," ''Inside Indonesia,'' Apr-Jun 2004. ] Another musician, Eddie Mofu, was also killed.
Arnold Ap and Mambesak are still popular in
West Papua region, and their works are seen as symbols of Papuan identity. Since the 1990s, however, the Indonesian government has cautiously allowed safe expressions of indigenous cultural forms. According to Danilyn Rutherford, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Chicago, as of 2002 access to limited cultural expressivity facilitates images of tolerance and "
unity in diversity," the
official national motto.
References
Sources
* Vlasblom, Dirk. 2004. 'Papoea. een Geschiedenis.' Amsterdam: pp 569–574, 623
* Hubatka, Frank (ed.). 2012. 'Arnold Ap's Vision.' (self published)
External links
'Singing for life'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ap, Arnold
1946 births
1984 deaths
People from Biak Numfor Regency
Indonesian Christians
Indonesian curators
Indonesian traditional musicians
Cenderawasih University alumni
Indonesian torture victims
Deaths by firearm in Indonesia