By Jonathan Bailey
“When we share space together, we promote a mutual sense of belonging. This is one reason why communities have historically made sure to build intentionally shared spaces into their towns and cities.” The research and articulation of Vivek Murthy, the 19th Surgeon General of the United States, in his 2020 book Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, underscores how important is human connection to our survival. Each of us, I believe, feels the need to belong but also to live and express ourselves authentically.
In March this year in Bali, the Narwastu gamelan ensemble performed two works for our Bali community. The first was an original composition by the sole living Balinese Christian gamelan composer, Wayan Rajeg. titled “Prabawa Santha.” The song accompanies dance in the traditional Balinese style but tells a story of the angel Gabriel descending from heaven to carry the message to Mary of the coming birth of Jesus, the Son of God.
The second piece was a traditional Balinese Hindu mask dance called “Arsa Wijaya” whose character symbolizes a king that brings hope and victory to his people. The dancer was, again, Wayan Rajeg.
Rajeg, born and raised Hindu, converted to Christianity 22 years ago along with his wife and two children. The church in Bali to which he belonged was none too pleased when he decided to continue his vocation as gamelan composer, teacher and traditional dancer, the field in which he was trained. Early missionaries generally taught that only Western, rather Asian, cultural forms were appropriate for the worship of God. So, out went the gamelan ensemble and storytelling through movement for which Bali is famous.
The notion that a new convert should renounce participation in their cultural heritage became embedded in the theology of the church. One obvious result was that the church would be seen as alien by the larger Balinese community because its practices were from a foreign culture. To make matters worse, the foreign culture was that of the European power that had colonized and subjugated the region over a period of four hundred years.
While the church in Bali encountered the love of God in Christ and offered a sense of belonging to its members, it struggled to reconcile the problem of authenticity: allowing someone like Wayan Rajeg to pursue his vocation as a performing artist and do so in the language of his heart. We all know that if the price of belonging is to try to take on the behavior of foreign culture, loneliness within and alienation from ourselves may haunt us despite being in the midst of a community.
The arts ministry I lead, called Narwastu, strives to provide a place of belonging and authenticity for folk like Rajeg. The performance last month is a testament to Rajeg’s courage and determination to stay true to his commitment to Christ and to do so through the language of the arts that he knows best.