Misperception of Obama in Indonesia

Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - A fictionalized film based on President Barack Obama's childhood years in Indonesia opened here Thursday following a red-carpet premiere on Wednesday night.

“Little Obama“ is the creation of Damien Dematra, an Indonesian writer and artist who has worked on the project since November, when he was struck with the idea of writing about the time a young Obama lived in Jakarta with his mother and stepfather in the late 1960s and early '70s.

The film is based on Mr. Dematra's novel, published in March, “Obama Anak Menteng,“ and focuses on the president's childhood friendships in Indonesia. The title translates as “Obama, Menteng kid,“ a nod to the district in Jakarta where the president resided. Mr.

Dematra also wrote the screenplay and co-directed the film, which was made on a budget of $1 million. He said he hopes the film will inspire Indonesian children with its story about a onetime resident of Jakarta who grew up to become “the most powerful man in the world.“

The novel and the film are fictionalized accounts of the president's time in Jakarta and are based on Mr. Dematra's interviews with people he describes as childhood friends and neighbors of Mr. Obama. “I went to his former house,“ he said. “I found people who knew him.“

Many Indonesians share a deep pride about a man who spent part of his formative years in the country and went on to become U.S. president. But some have questioned his commitment to his former home after he canceled scheduled trips to Indonesia twice this year in order to attend to health-care legislation and the Gulf oil spill.

Mr. Obama told Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last weekend that he still plans to visit Indonesia, without setting a new date. The film stars 14-year-old Hasan Faruq Ali, an American who has lived in Indonesia with his family for about 10 years. Like the president, he is the son of a white mother and a black father. It isn't clear if “Little Obama“ will get a U.S. release, but the film's producer, Raam Punjabi, said he is in talks with a U.S. distributor, which he declined to identify.

Mr. Dematra said the novel stems from interviews and from his imagination, and is generally fictional in its storytelling. Mr. Dematra explained he went to Mr. Obama's former school and sat in his classroom as a way to gain inspiration. “I needed to use my imagination to connect the dots.“

One scene in the novel that won't be seen in the movie shows young Barack Obama, or “Barry,“ as he was known, following his friends into a mosque where they were praying and begins to imitate them. Mr. Dematra said that passage stemmed from interviews with President Obama's childhood friends, who told him that Barry was just attempting to fit in with his peers -- like any typical child -- but that he didn't attend a mosque regularly or seriously.

Mr. Dematra said he was concerned that the scene would be taken out of context if it had been in the film because of accusations by some in the U.S. that Mr. Obama is a Muslim. He said there is a similar scene in his second novel about President Obama in which Barry prays at a Catholic church.

Michael Anderson, the minister counselor for public affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, said embassy officials were aware of the movie. “It is a fictional account of President Obama's childhood in Jakarta,“ he said in an emailed response to a written query.

Mr. Dematra recently cranked out a series of 30 paintings depicting President Obama in scenes from his childhood in Jakarta and gave one of them to the embassy. Mr. Anderson said the embassy had accepted the painting on behalf of the president and that it had been sent to the White House.

Mr. Dematra was enthusiastic Thursday after the film's premiere, which he said was attended by ambassadors, dignitaries and celebrities. One notable exception: Mr. Anderson said earlier this week that U.S. Ambassador Cameron R. Hume wouldn't be attending the premiere due to a previously scheduled event.

With work on “Little Obama“ now behind him, Mr. Dematra already is gearing up for another film on President Obama, based on his book “Obama Dari Asisi,“ or “Obama From Asisi.“ He says it will focus on Barry's school days in Jakarta. He will begin writing the screenplay this month and expects to release the film before the end of the year.

Source : kompas

Posted in: