Twenty years ago my wife and I visited the place were she was born (Papua) in Indonesia.
We stayed with one of her nieces and when I was there I heard their Pop music and also some
of their Folk music, that is Moluccan and Papuan music. I immediately fell in love with both types
although their Pop music sounds rather sweet and melancholy.
The big hit then was a song by a Moluccan singer called Yopie Latul who sang a a song called
Poco Poco, the dance became popular there and Indonesian soldiers used it as an exercise and
later when it was shown on national tv it spread all over Indonesia.
In 2011 it also reached neighbouring country Malasia were many people also enjoyed it.
However a rather conservative mufti soon declared a fatwa and wanted to outlaw the dance
there. He said that the movements of this dance (an innocent line dance) had christian influences
because the dancers moved in the four directions (meaning the cross). Fortunately sanity prevailed
(like in 2008 when the same guy tried to ban yoga and also Muslim youths from wearing the jerseys
of Manchester United because the club's emblem contains a symbol of the devil). Oher religeous
leaders found the health benefits more important and gave the green light.
Here a clip of hundreds of people dancing the Poco Poco in Jakarta and enjoying it eventhough
some people think it is a dangerous and muslim belief eroding dance. Even the only girl who wears a head scarf
(who can be seen after a minute of four) is enjoying it very much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Qi_55uvPo
