Tiger Tales

MY HOMETOWN

Ras Mohammad

After living in New York for over a decade, Indonesian reggae musician Ras Muhamad has returned home to Jakarta

WHAT’S JAKARTA REALLY LIKE?
It has a constant growing urban culture, from fashion trends, to a growth of the indie music scene such as indie pop, contemporary jazz and also the progressive hiphop and reggae culture.

DESCRIBE JAKARTA FOR A TOURIST.
When any tourist passes through the main artery of Jakarta, or Jalan Sudirman (Sudirman Main road), they will come across countless exhibits, monuments and historical landmarks. For example, Tugu Selamat Datang meaning the ‘Welcome monument’, is a sculpture that signified Indonesia celebrating as a host for the 4th Asian Games in 1962. A famous landmark in Jalan Sudirman would be Gelora Bung Karno (Stadium President Sukarno), a sports stadium that can house nearly 100,000 people and was built in the late 1950’s. It meant and still means a lot to the Indonesians, because at that time, Gelora Bung Karno was the third biggest sports stadium in the world. Jakarta is also the center of all businesses and entertainment – it’s impossible not to notice! Jalan Sudirman connects to Jalan Thamrin (central Jakarta), the area that the Tugu Monas (or National Monument) stands. It is also where Istana Merdeka (Independent Palace) is located, the building where the Indonesian President serves and takes office.

FIRST MEMORY OF BEING BACK IN JAKARTA?
It was somewhat of a culture shock. I was in New York for about 12 years so I was quite surprised by the traffic and how dense the city of Jakarta is. Anyone planning to visit Indonesia’s capital city, get ready to have your mind blown away. They say New York City is a city that never sleeps, but I think Jakarta is the city that never sleeps.

MOST MEMORABLE JAKARTA MEAL?
It would be nasi uduk (coconut rice). It’s usually accompanied with tofu, vegetables and minced fried eggs. Most Indonesians prefer to have this for breakfast because it’s very simple.

MOST MEMORABLE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE IN INDONESIA?
Jakarta offers many places to shop because we have a long list of malls. Within an 8-kilometre radius of Jalan Sudirman itself, there are five larger than life malls. Although I personally choose to shop in Jogjakarta. The only reason why is because I’m quite a batik-addict. I am always in search for collared and buttoned batik shirts with a contemporary edge in Jogja. There many designs like this there, but it is also rare because every batik design is different. I’m beginning to have quite the keen eye for finding batik designs with an urban touch. Besides batik, Jogjakarta offers countless handicraft, traditional artworks and music.

FUN FACT ABOUT TRAVELLING TO INDONESIA?
Our country offers endless sightseeing — in Sumatra, Java, Bali and Irian Jaya.

Ras Muhamad is performing at the Singapore Mosaic Music Festival in March. www..mosaicmusicfestival.com