But besides that, his songs gave me a connection to the land I am from. ![]() My last name, Kusumaningtyas (Catholic Javanese names are conventionally baptismal names followed by given last names), follows Didi Kempot’s song “Kusumaning Ati”-both my name and the song means “flower in heart.” Every time “Kusumaning Ati” plays on the TV, my parents would call me and say “Ini namamu loh dek” (“This is your name”).ĭidi Kempot and his work resonate with my direct identity-my name. I hold this belief that I was named based on a Didi Kempot song. Every Javanese person must have a story or a memory related to a Didi Kempot song. ![]() Didi Kempot’s songs are such a staple in Javanese communities you can hear them in malls, radios, inter-province buses, and even in the middle of nowhere between mountainous areas of Central Java. He was an important figure not only because of the time he spent working in music but also on the cultural and personal impact he had on Indonesians, particularly on Javanese people. This week, we lost Didi Kempot, an important figure in Indonesian music.
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