Edelman Indonesia releases a series of short films on the ‘change’ generations across Asia
Edelman Indonesia has released a series of seven short films that celebrate and explore the lives of 10 Indonesians who were born between 1977 and 1985, and were teenagers during the fall of Suharto and the transition to democracy. The films take the form of personal portraits of their lives – conducted via one-to-one interviews on themes ranging from love to dreams – where the past, present and future perspectives of interviewees are explored. These films provide a window into one generation in Indonesia and a unique insight into what makes them tick and how their attitudes are shaping society.
The series, which began in China with 28 people from China’s 70s generation, has expanded over the course of a year to document the personal stories and perspectives of 50 people from change generations in five countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and India.
Cornelia Kunze, vice chairman, Edelman Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, said, “We decided to use video as a medium for this project because there is no more effective and intimate way to let our participants be seen or heard. We wanted to go beyond facts, figures and statistics.
“We are making the entire Words of a Generation series available online so that anyone from any country can step into the personal words of people who feel deeply and strongly about what influences them, and how they can influence change themselves,” added Kunze.
The films deliberately omit the more quantitative aspects that consumer studies often take to get a real feel for the desires, fears and hopes that are driving normal Indonesians in their everyday lives. In Indonesia, the new democracy generation is highly politicized (and not just because 2014 will be a year of political change for Indonesia’s democracy). The new democracy generation has lived through the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, which saw Indonesia’s economy collapse and lead to the revolution that overthrew Suharto, leading to the end of the New Order regime.
The stories they tell are of the realities of life in this transformed Indonesia. Some were born into a poor Indonesia, with childhood stories of grinding poverty: a battle for survival, struggles to buy food and a childhood of no shoes and no electricity. They have lived and are living through Indonesia’s economic rise, where the country has moved from poverty to a country in 2013 classified as “middle income”. Today they live in a much stronger and prosperous Indonesia, but this is not always the way the new democracy generation feels.
This generation is not satisfied. In some cases, they pine for an earlier age where life was simpler and “better”. Most strikingly, the participants from this generation, which helped overthrow Suharto, for the most part have a strong sense of nostalgia for his period in power – with some even going as far to say “life was better under Suharto”.
Stephen Lock, CEO, Edelman Indonesia, said, “The films encapsulate a sense that to return to a time where a strong leader governed and dominated the nation will safeguard not only Indonesia’s society, but also its natural endowments and reputation. This has interesting implications for the upcoming Presidential elections, where our participants see aspects that appeal both of a strong-man presidency, such as a Prabowo figure, and a humble, gentle, empathetic presidency, that might for instance be offered by Jokowi. Both appeal to strong emotions that underpin the aspirations of young Indonesians.
“These are immensely beautiful and intensely moving films. They offer fleeting glimpses of surprising and deep insights into Indonesia like the refracted light off of a rippling pond.
“The stories told in Words of a Generation: Indonesia are of a promise unfulfilled. Democracy in Indonesia has disappointed some and, for most, is seen as still only early into its journey. The new democracy generation of Indonesia is skeptical that Indonesia’s political class is truly committed to the progress of all Indonesians, not just elites. This is a serious issue for the future of Indonesian democracy and these wonderful films should give all the presidential campaign teams much to think about.”