I've read somewhere - someone realizing it - that the older we get, the more we appreciate our culture and heritage and I find this to be truer everyday. The same goes for cherishing the legends, who have made a mark in not only their community, but have had a widespread reach and inspiration.
One such a legend that is no more in our midst, but definitely in our hearts is Didi Kempot, who was born as Dhidhik Prasetyå in Surakarta (Solo) - Indonesia - in December 1966. Lord Didi was known for his soulful voice and his melancholic songs; when listening to him, you could almost feel his heart in his voice, which is why he's also remembered as the Godfather of Broken-Hearted. Didi Kempot wasn't just famous in Indonesia or amongst the Javanese population in Suriname or the Netherlands, he transcended those cultural barriers and inspired numerous Surinamese artists. Even non Javanese know his songs. They may not understand the words, but definitely the meaning behind those lyrics and the feelings Didi is trying to convey to us all.
Didi had such a strong bond with Suriname - he toured ten to eleven times to Suriname - that he even wrote a part of his most famous song Layang Kangen in Sranan Tongo (Suriname's lingua franca). Couldn't find a good recording of this part though, so you'll have to do with the full Javanese song. In Layang Kangen he sung about how he longed to see his lover and what he would do to see her; if only his hands could transform into wings, so he could be with her instantly and he asks her to be strong and wait for him.
In Hello Sayang Lord Didi asks his sweet darling if she still remembers his voice, because he still remembers even her birthday even though they haven't seen each other in a while and that he'll remember her until his deathbed.
And here's my favorite song by Didi Kempot: Piring Pecah. It wasn't so much the meaning behind this song that I enjoyed singing - or rather humming 😅- this song (despite me being multi lingual, my Javanese vocabulary is small), but because I knew the meaning of the two words in the title and knew it was an analogy for broken relationships: Piring pecah (broken plate/porcelain). Here he sang about his heart being broken and that marriages/relationships aren't perfect, but that everyone deserves warmth and affection despite of that.
Here's a bonus video of a cover of Layang Kangen by Surinamese musicians/singers. As you can see, he did not only touch the hearts of the Javanese community, but also those from other ethnicities. This cover was in remembrance of Mas Didi. Fly high Mas Didi 🕊.
