Siapa Jojo?

2

by SC Chin

Over the years our fellow Malaysians from East Malaysia have assimilated into living and working in the Peninsula or have moved out into more urban areas of Sabah and Sarawak to carve modern livelihoods for themselves, but if there is one time a year we see a steady migration of them returning to the longhouses, villages or their ancestral homes it would be for the annual Pesta Kaamatan and Gawai celebrations with their families.

Considered one of the most sacred celebrations, Pesta Kaamatan is closely connected to rice cultivation mark as a harvest festival celebrated annually in the state of Sabah. Gawai Dayak is one of the major festivals celebrated in Sarawak, commonly known as a celebration in honour of their traditionally agricultural societies and ancestors.

The spirit of the paddy plant is believed to represent the all powerful source of life and existence. Those celebrating the Harvest Festival believe that the paddy plant does not only provide them with their stable food, but is also a symbol of love and life.

The Harvest Festival, as it is more commonly referred to in English, is a day of giving thanks to the Gods for the blessings of a good harvest and humbly requesting for the blessings to continue so farmers can go on to enjoy bountiful harvests throughout.

As all Malaysian celebrations go, it is typically celebrated with abundant food and drink, as well as merry making and laughter. Traditional attire in bright colours and motives adorned with beads, tussles, mirrors and feathers which were painstakingly crafted by hand are worn by every generation.

Celebrations go on from dawn to dusk with music from age old instruments and drums filling the air, streets are filled with dancing and singing creating a truly carnival like feel throughout the long houses and villages. Each ornament that is adorned or instrument played carries a significant meaning of its own tracing back hundreds of years, and these significances are honoured by being a key part of the festival. Rituals are conducted throughout the day to ensure abundance of harvests follow and to keep away natural disasters like floods and draughts.

For those of us who haven’t had the privilege to be part of the Harvest Festival, one of the more interesting elements would be a traditional beauty contest, which owes its origins to a legend that unfortunately doesn’t get told as much as it should. There are many versions of the beautiful story but the general story line tells the tale of suffering during a prolonged draught and a lady by the name of Huminudon sacrifices herself so the people would have seeds to grow the food they needed to survive. It is believed that her head gave rise to coconut trees, her flesh became paddy, her blood became red rice (which East Malaysia is still very famous for), her fingers became ginger, her teeth became maize and her legs became yam – providing the basic necessary edibles to the people of her village. Every year ladies get dolled up in traditional attire and participate in a beauty contest to be crowned the Kaamatan Queen, in honour of the beautiful lady who was sacrificed for the love of her people.

Celebrating the true spirit of Kaamatan and Gawai, the PETRONAS Harvest Festival commercial honours the omnipotent paddy. Alongside that it highlights and reminds us of the hard work, effort and sacrifice that go into tirelessly tending these paddy fields to ensure we have a constant supply of rice.

Starting with a scene depicting what Malaysians do best, the ad begins with a typical long house meal taking place. The large family with members of all ages are seated on their longhouse floor, gathered around their plates of rice. Suddenly a group of kids leave abruptly to go swimming in the nearby river.

The group of kids are friends of Anang, who is back to celebrate the Harvest Festival with her family and brought her friends from the city with her for the true experience.

As these urban children run off to the river with their fancy swimming gear, Anang’s grandfather stops her and asks her to take the family buffalo over to the paddy fields first. He reminds her sternly, that Jojo the buffalo must be taken to the paddy fields before she is allowed to go swimming with her friends.

Anang and her friends try and try and try to get Jojo moving. They put on their thinking hats but after multiple attempts fail to get the family buffalo to budge.

Watching intensely from the window is Aki, or grandfather in Anang’s native language. Aki calls the kids in to take a break and have a drink, but when they get back into the long house all they see under the tudung saji are five plates of half eaten rice and vegetables.

Perplexed, Anang and her friends sit around the plates trying to figure out what is going on.

Once again, Aki’s gentle but stern voice is heard as he shares with the children how he and Jojo worked for months to plant, tend to and sow the paddy fields. He reminds them of the hard work and sacrifice that goes into ensuring they have rice on their plates every day. That the children are blessed with abundance and should not waste the blessings that are right in front of them. Guilt ridden and reminded of the true essence of why they’re celebrating the Harvest Festival, Anang and her friends quickly finish every single grain of rice left on their plates.

True to what it is known for, this PETRONAS advertisement tugs at the viewer’s emotional strings, especially the younger urban generation as it reminds us of the hardships that go on behind the scenes while we are lucky to be born into a more modern time which allows us to enjoy an easier way of life.

It teaches us, just like Aki taught Anang and her friends that respect, determination, togetherness and a sense of gratefulness are values to be carried throughout our lives, and that behind every blessing lie hard work and sacrifice.