Dayu is my cousin, the son of my aunt Niniek. I took this photograph for the exhibition Stories Left Untold in iCan Gallery, Yogyakarta, in 2015. That day, I went to my aunt Niniek’s house in Jakarta to interview her about our family’s life after grandfather was gone. I have met Dayu previously on a separate occasion, and he was willing to be photographed for the work that I would prepared for the show.
After the interview with Bu Niniek, I went with Dayu to a junior high school in East Jakarta. Dayu is a trainer for their soccer team. After the photo session, we talked about grandfather. I told him about grandfather’s history since the beginning of his career as a teacher in Tamansiswa, the period of war for the independence, his activity in BTI, Scouting and his job as an agrarian counsellor. Besides telling the story I also asked what he knows about grandfather. Like my other cousins, Dayu knew that grandfather was missing in 1965 but he did not know what really happened.
It was the first time we spoke about grandfather. Dayu said, “He is my pride forever, and not to be hidden and ignored.”
Rangga Purbaya
#1965setiaphari #living 1965
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