Under the glittering spotlight of the Jakarta Arts Building stage (31/7), a ketoprak performance was played nicely. No one would have guessed that the actors on stage were some of the top bankers in Indonesia. They transformed into characters who played a play titled "Pangeran Samber Nyowo" Financial Ketoprak. 

The famous bankers seemed to be animating their roles as Javanese noblemen complete with Javanese dialogue. They blended in with the real theater performers and stage artists who acted as extras in the performance. 

Wearing a black beskap complete with a blangkon and kris on his waist, Bank BCA Director Antonius Widodo Mulyono was willing to leave his busy routine to voice the noble values of culture through a captivating theatrical performance. 

He was cast to play Raden Mas Said, KGPAA Mangkunegara I or known as Prince Sambernyawa. The prince courageously led the resistance against the Dutch colonization.

Apart from Antonius Widodo, several officials from the financial world and state institutions also enlivened the stage of this ketoprak performance. Among them were Suwandi Wiratno (Chairman of APPI), Aviliani (President Commissioner of Allo Bank), and Fathan Subchi (Member of BPK RI). 

Directors from the banking and insurance sectors such as Vera Eve Lim (Director of BCA), Achmad K. Permana (President Commissioner of Allianz Syariah), and Tribuana Tunggadewi (Director of BSI). 

They appear confident showing their acting skills on stage. 

The performance, directed by Aries Mukadi, was executive produced by Eko B. Supriyanto, Chairman of Infobank Media Group. 

Love history 

Met on the sidelines of the training session, Antonius Widodo said this story was his favorite story as a child because he loves history. 

''Ketoprak is reflected in my childhood, where I watched ketoprak when I was at school, coincidentally in Central Java at that time it was very popular and there were many performances," Antoni told SUAR. 

This ketoprak play, he said, tells the story of the turbulent history of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom. Starting from the glory in Kota Gede, Mataram power moved to Pleret, Kartasura, and finally to Surakarta. 

During the reign of Amangkurat IV, tensions peaked when the influence of the Dutch VOC began to take hold in the affairs of the palace.

The three main figures of Amangkurat IV's descendants-Pakubuwono II, Pangeran Mangkubumi, and Pangeran Arya Mangkunegara (Raden Mas Said's father)-were divided. 

Raden Mas Said, known as Pangeran Sambernyawa, together with Mangkubumi, led the resistance against the VOC and the court that had submitted to foreign influence.

The resistance led to the Giyanti Agreement (1755), which split Mataram into two: Surakarta Sunanate and Yogyakarta Sultanate. However, Raden Mas Said continued to fight until the Treaty of Salatiga (1757) was reached, which gave him the territory of Mangkunegaran with the title Mangkunegara I.

"This play is not just entertainment, but a reminder of the struggle of the Javanese nobility against colonialism, the intrigues of power, and the efforts to maintain sovereignty in the shadow of colonization," said Antoni.

This performance is the second year for the BCA director, who mentioned that this is a collaboration between the financial sector and journalists through traditional arts. 

Bringing Stakeholders Together 

Infobank's Editor-in-Chief, Eko B Supriyanto, explained that Ketoprak Finansial is a platform to bring together stakeholders from the financial sector to perform art with a social purpose. 

''We gather them together, so that they can support each other if there is a problem. Because this industry really competes healthily, they can help each other, but this is actually an extra activity from the banks,'' said Eko. 

This art performance was established in 2004 and consists of two, namely the Journalistic Ketoprak and the Financial Ketoprak. This performance is always played by various famous figures from the field, ranging from the Governor of BI to the editor-in-chief of national media. 

According to Eko, a busy schedule is a challenge to bring these officials together. "They can be temporarily replaced by other people, so that the training process continues as usual," he said. 

Chairman of the Indonesian Finance Company Association (APPI) Suwandi Wiratno hopes that through this performance the audience can get entertainment through the play performed together with other players.

In Pangeran Samber Nyowo, he plays the role of a Dutch general who has long been a friend to the natives. 

"We hope that whoever watches this performance will get some entertainment, can laugh, relax stress. But on the other hand, oh, this is Indonesian culture. Oh, these are stories about Indonesian history because we are showing them this time," Suwandi said. 

The sound of Javanese gamelan and sinden accompanied the audience in the performance hall to their seats. At exactly 8 p.m., the lights began to dim and eventually went dark, signaling that the show was about to begin. 

Fundraising

In his speech, Eko also criticized the freezing of bank accounts, which drew laughter from the audience.

"I am confused by the government here. Passive accounts taken by the state, idle land taken by the state, wife idle for two months taken by the state?"

The performance was also attended by Mangkunegara X who is a direct descendant of Pangeran Sambernyawa.

In addition to the ketoprak play, this event is also part of the fundraising for education costs for underprivileged children at the college level. For this year, Eko said, Ketoprak Finansial managed to raise Rp100 million from all ticket sales. 

If you want to donate while preserving culture, Ketoprak Financial can be a recommendation for a spectacle that educates and entertains. 

Through this event, the audience can get to know the culture that is starting to be forgotten by many people, due to the erosion of modernization.

Several important figures took part in this event, including Rita Mirasari who serves as Director of Bank Danamon, Yuanita Rohali as President of CFO Club Indonesia, Fransisca Nelwan Mok from Bank ICBC Indonesia, Juanita Luthan from NobuBank, and Lisawati who holds the position of Commissioner at Bank Ganesha. In addition, Rudiantara as President Commissioner of DANA and Evi Afiatin from Sucofindo were also present.

Other figures involved include Dumasi MM Samosir from Sinar Mas Insurance, Anggar B Nuraini as Deputy Commissioner of OJK, President Director of Bank Kalbar Rokidi, UGM academic M Edhie Purnawan, and Susy Meilina from MNC Sekuritas.

Other names mentioned were Kusumaningtuti from SMBC Indonesia, Nicolaus Prawiro from Asuransi Cakrawala Proteksi, Jemmy Atmadja from Asuransi Maximus, and Daniel Hartono from FIF Group.

From the media, several senior journalists were present, including Tomi Aryanto from Tempo, Eko B. Supriyanto and Karnoto Mohamad from Infobank, and Maria Y. Benyamin from Bisnis Indonesia.