In April the Moluccas lost two icons in the field of Moluccan heritage. On 8 April the R&B artist and songwriter Glenn Fredly Latuihamallo (1975) died suddenly of meningitis in Jakarta. Barely 10 days later, on 19 April, the ethnomusicologist Chris Tamaela (1957) died in Ambon; he suffered from diabetes and had lung problems. In the Netherlands we were able to follow the funerals of Glenn Fredly and Chris Tamaela almost live through social media. Glenn Fredly and Chris Tamaela represented different generations and musical styles, and yet they also resembled one another.
Glenn Fredly was a versatile artist at home in various musical styles from R&B to jazz; he was a producer and actor and won a number of awards. Born in Jakarta, he was nonetheless intensely involved with the Moluccas. His prize-winning film 'Cahaya dari Timur, Beta Maluku' (Light from the East, I am Moluccan) from 2014 was the greatest proof of that. It is set against the background of the conflict between Muslims and Christians at the beginning of this century and shows how differences can be overcome by putting together a football team from both faith communities. With this production he also showed himself an ambassador for the Moluccas, because he cast mostly young Moluccan actors and had them speak their dialogue in 'Moluccan Malay'. Not an unimportant choice when you consider that 'Moluccan Malay' is regarded in Indonesia as 'not proper'.
With this production he also showed himself an ambassador for the Moluccas
Chris Tamaela was of a different generation, in his early sixties. Chris was more concerned with the traditional, or rather the original, music of the Moluccas. He was not only an ethnomusicologist, he was also a minister and taught at UKIM (Universitas Kristen Maluku, Christian University of the Moluccas). According to poet and journalist Rudy Fofid he was also much loved by and inspiring to students at Pattimura University. On 9 June 2015 he was awarded his doctorate at the Vrije Universiteit as part of a programme in which three Moluccan ministers from the Netherlands and three from the Moluccas wrote a dissertation. In his thesis Chris Tamaela connected his ethnomusicological background with his ministry. He analysed the music used in the Moluccan church and concluded that it had become entirely Western. He therefore argued for bringing the original Moluccan instruments and music back into the church. He called that Supu-isation. A fine term that inspired me at the time to write a column about his doctorate.
Music as a means of communication
Sadly I never had the chance to meet Glenn Fredly myself; Chris Tamaela I did. Several times, in fact, the last time in Ambon last November. One of the first occasions after his doctorate was during a workshop he gave at the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden. He is one of the few people who could get me to play an instrument in public. How? By talking about music as communication and about how people greet one another and make themselves known through musical codes. Then he would point his finger and you had no choice.
Some people speak several languages fluently and can switch easily from one to another, but have one base language. Chris Tamaela's base language was music. At a seminar for my inaugural lecture he was to present a paper. I remember him putting a talk together on his laptop at the last minute. But when he had to present, it only really took off once he had an instrument in his hands and could communicate with us through music. He did the same again at the Konferensi Budaya Maluku (Conference on Moluccan culture) in Dobo in November 2018. It is a remarkable gift to be able to communicate through music like that and to take people with you.
Glenn Fredly, an ambassador for the Moluccas
Glenn Fredly was an interpreter of the Moluccan contribution to R&B, jazz and film. Chris Tamaela was an important narrator of the original Moluccan musical culture. But he also argued for looking everywhere in nature for instruments, as clips on YouTube show. Both were deeply connected to the Moluccas and were ambassadors for the Moluccas. But they were also bridge builders between the Moluccas, Indonesia and the Netherlands. The responses to the deaths of both in the Netherlands were striking. Glenn Fredly had performed here several times. The photograph on his Wikipedia page is from a performance in the Netherlands. Countless recordings were made of Chris Tamaela during his stays in the Netherlands. He gave numerous workshops, such as at the Tropenmuseum and at the Moluccan church Gunung Batu in Amsterdam.
With Glenn Fredly and Chris Tamaela, it is not only the Moluccas that lose icons: Moluccans all over the world lose two creative and enthusiastic bridge builders who kept heritage alive and helped it grow.
