Six thousand people are dead, six hundred thousand people are homeless and they need help. That was the message a group of University students, led by senior Arya Surowidjojo, presented to peers during a two-day event to raise money for the victims of the earthquake that hit the Indonesian island of Java on May 27.
A vigil sponsored by the International Student Association kicked off the event Thursday night as Surowidjojo and other students set up a donation table and information center in the EMU Amphitheater. A sign reading “You can make a difference” greeted passersby as they walked through the amphitheater, which was lined with unlit candles to commemorate the victims of the Java earthquake.
Surowidjojo, who was born in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and came to the United States in 2002 to attend college, said that although his family survived the quake, the need for help is – and will continue to be – massive.
“This is a long-term crisis,” Surowidjojo said. “What’s important is that we make people aware. We’ve got to do something.”
The earthquake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, shook the southern part of central Java, the most populated island in the Indonesian archipelago. Yogyakarta, which has a population of more than three million, was the urban area hit hardest on the island. The quake was the second-worst natural disaster to hit the area, second only to the 2004 tsunami.
With little food, water or medical treatment available, the death toll is expected to climb steadily in the next few months, Surowidjojo said. Through Mercy Corps, Surowidjojo and many others are making concerted efforts to aid those in need.
During the vigil, about a dozen student organizers and passersby held hands in a circle in the middle of the amphitheater to pay respect to those affected by the quake. There was also an impromptu performance by
University graduate student John Marshal, who sang a “spontaneous musical prayer” for the people of Java.
“I was very complacent about the whole thing,” Marshal said, “but Arya came to an event I was at, and then I made the connection: That’s my friend, that’s his country. I had to do something.”
Although not as many people came to the vigil as Surowidjojo had hoped, the second part of the event, a concert called the Java Jam held in the EMU Amphitheater on Friday afternoon, garnered more attention.
Surowidjojo and friends sang the Indonesian national anthem, accompanied by guitar and drums. The crowd, which started out small, grew steadily as the group continued to sing traditional and pop music from Indonesia.
After Surowidjojo’s group finished, the student band “Good For America” took the stage.
“Normally, we are ‘Good For America,’” said lead singer and University undergraduate Mike Johnson, “but today, we are ‘Good For Indonesia.’”
The group sang a medley of previously written songs and a song entitled “Solid Ground,” which the band wrote specifically for the benefit. After they finished, University senior Aaron Martin, one of the members of the hip-hop group “The Phormula,” capped off the concert with a solo performance.
Although the exact amount of money raised is as yet unknown, the students responsible for the event considered it a great success.
“I am very impressed with what Arya did in such a short amount of time,” said University sophomore and event helper Elizabeth White. “I hope we attract a lot of attention.”
Surowidjojo said he hoped that the event helped people to understand how each and every University student can be a part of the solution if they are well-informed about international issues.
“The extent to which people can help is limited by the amount of media coverage,” Surowidjojo said. “Imagine what could be done in terms of relief if there wasn’t so much of a media monopoly on Western issues. Now, at least people know.”