Songs are a wonderful way to learn language–they are easy to remember and build understanding of the cultural context of the language. In Summer 2018, University of Washington Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) fellows studied seventeen languages in eighteen different countries on four continents. This is the fourth in a five-part series of posts with songs contributed by FLAS fellows and which capture summer moments from across the world. Click on the purple flags in the map for individual songs. This post features Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.
Angela Cruz (Masters in Marine Affairs, FLAS: Southeast Asia, Indonesian) learned ‘Jogja Istimewa (Special Jogja)’ at a movie night at SEASSI (Southeast Asia Studies Summer Institute) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The song, by Jogja Hip Hop Foundation, was written during a time when Jogjakarta’s special status as an autonomous region was in question. The song includes the sound of gamelan, a traditional Javanese instrument.
Shannon Bush, Managing Director of the Southeast Asia Center, also writes about the context of this song:
Yogyakarta in Central Java was afforded status as a special autonomous region (Daerah Istimewa) in Indonesia’s constitution of 1945 due both to its importance in pre-colonial history as the royal seat of the Mataram Sultanate and the pivotal role Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX played in the war for independence. This grant permitted the Sultan and his descendants to govern the province without electoral challenge. In 2010, then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), in a move widely seen as an attempt to sideline any national ambitions that the popular Sultan Hamengkubuwono X might hold, declared this arrangement “undemocratic.” Yogyans did not agree and took to the streets demanding a referendum, voting with their feet to retain special status. In the song, the artists Jogja Hip Hop Foundation riff on how special Yogya’s people themselves are, from whatever walk of life or ethnic group.
Adrian Alarilla (MA Southeast Asia Studies, 2018, FLAS: Southeast Asia, Indonesian) received FLAS fellowships to support his study of Indonesian and Southeast Asia at UW from 2016-18. He now writes from the University of Hawai’i Manoa, where he is pursuing a PhD in History:
I learned a song during my trip to Indonesia this summer. I went to Yogyakarta to meet up with friends from the UW Southeast Asia Studies program, and “Cerita Anak Jalanan” was played frequently on the radio. The song is about what happens to a girl who is the product of a broken family: she ends up becoming a child of the streets (anak jalanan). It really is quite moralistic but I found it quite catchy and I had learned the chorus after the first time I heard it.
He continues:
From the Philippines, one of my favorite songs of all time is “Dumaan Ako”. It was fairly recently covered by Ben & Ben. The song is based on a poem by Maningning Miclat. An English translation does not do it justice, but you can feel the deep, beautiful sadness just by listening to the song.
Polly Woodbury at Angkor Wat
Polly Woodbury (Masters in Social Work and Public Health, FLAS: Southeast Asia, Khmer) spent the summer in Phnom Penh, where she studied Khmer with the Advanced Study of Khmer program of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She writes:
Often the popular music in Cambodia is heavily influenced by Thai or Chinese cultures, however there’s a new movement in Cambodia to reconnect to its Khmer roots. The Small World Small Band is a musical group that is spearheading this effort by writing their own music which is inspired by traditional Khmer music and famous artists that have long passed during the Khmer Rouge period. Small World Small Band is a very popular group, especially among the young people of Cambodia—which is saying something as nearly 65% of the population is under 30 years old.
One of their most famous songs is the “Khmer Flag Song,” which reaffirms the Khmer culture and takes pride in the long legacy of Khmer heritage. I love this music video because it shows everyday Khmer people of all walks of life—from street vendors to highly revered Apsara dancers.
Aaron Lillie
Aaron Lillie (PhD History, FLAS: Southeast Asia, Vietnamese) spent the summer in Ho Chi Minh City, where he studied Vietnamese at the Vietnam National University. He writes that “Chị Ong Nâu Và Em Bé (Brown Sister Bumblebee and the Baby)” is a very popular traditional song for kids in Vietnam. Aaron’s translation of the song lyrics is below.
Chị Ong Nâu Và Em Bé /Brown Sister Bumblebee and the Baby
Chị ong nâu nâu nâu nâu/ Brown sister bumblebee
Chị bay đi đâu đi đâu/ Where are you flying?
Chú gà trống mới gáy/ The rooster has just begun crowing
Ông mặt trời mới dậy/ The sun has awoken
Mà trên những cành hoa / Upon the flower petals
Em đã thấy chị bay/ I have seen it flying
Bé ngoan của chị ơi/ My well-behaved child
Hôm nay trời nắng tươi/ Today the sun is shining beautifully
Chị bay đi tìm nhuỵ/ She flies to look for the flowers pistil
Làm mật ong nuôi đời/ To make honey for sustenance
Chị vâng theo bố mẹ/ She obeys her parents
Chăm làm không nên lười/ She is hardworking and not lazy
Trời xanh xanh xanh xanh/ The sky is blue blue blue
Chị ong bay nhanh bay nhanh/ She flies fast fast
Hoa nở những cánh thắm/ Flowers blooming with beautiful petals
Đi tìm mật trĩu nặng/ Looking for honey
Chị ong uốn mình qua/ She flies over
Nghiêng đôi cánh chào hoa/ The bumblebee shows its wings to welcome the flower
Bé ngoan của chị ơi/ My well-behaved child
Hôm nay trời nắng tươi/ Today the sun is shining beautifully
Chị bay đi tìm nhuỵ/ She flies to look for the flowers pistil
Làm mật ong nuôi đời/ To make honey for sustenance
Chị vâng theo bố mẹ/ She obeys her parents
Chăm làm không nên lười/ She is hardworking and not lazy
Chris Mena learning the traditional Burmese oboe (hne).
Chris Mena (PhD, Music Education, FLAS: Southeast Asia, Burmese) received a FLAS fellowship to support his study of Burmese and Southeast Asia at UW in 2017-18. He subsequently spent Summer 2018 working at the Gitameit Music School in Yangon, a school which has had a partnership with the UW School of Music for the past three years. (Read more about the partnership here). He writes from Yangon:
It has been pretty amazing this summer actually knowing how to read and speak more Burmese. All of my music friends were actually impressed. As the liaison for the UW-Gitameit project, I teach music, help with applications (e.g. grants, Fulbright) and provide guidance for the music teachers. I am also learning the traditional Burmese oboe (hne).
FLAS Fellowships are funded by the International and Foreign Language Education Office of the U.S. Department of Education. FLAS fellowships support undergraduate, graduate and professional students in acquiring modern foreign languages and area or international studies competencies. Students from all UW departments and professional schools are encouraged to apply. Find out more about the FLAS Fellowship here.
