A Thousand Singing Voices: the Power of Javanese Macapat

Asita Majdi is not someone who usually sings macapat, but when a contest was launched by the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, asking anyone to write and sing a macapat verse to help ease the stress of the coronavirus, she and her friends and many others from all walks of life were keen to take part. The contest was about more than doing something to help with the COVID-19 situation—it showed an appreciation of traditional Javanese culture and a desire to work together using this form to provide hope for the resolution of the pandemic. Every participant received a letter of appreciation from the Sultan of Yogyakarta. I asked Asita to tell me about her experience participating in the macapat contest. Here is her story (translated from the original Indonesian).