A few years after his graduation, the electrical engineer went for eight months with his partner Lucie to tour Southeast Asia. Diligently before leaving, the couple studied the Bahasa Indonesian language for six months and their main destination was slated for Indonesia where Fennema discovered his passion for Indonesian pop music and a love for the native culture. `The Indonesians are very proud of their country and culture. The way in which I express myself when singing Indonesian pop songs is rather unique. I touch people with my music,' he says.
Much later in 2006, the Groningen-born musician returned to Enschede from a trip to Sulawesi. Next to his daytime job as a research engineer for the Telematica Instituut in Enschede, he started to experiment with ways to bring his music to a wider audience by creating a website. `I started a simple website with recordings of two Indonesian songs, only Mp3 and no video. I looked for an Indonesian mailing list and came across PPI Enschede (Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia, Indonesian Student Association) where I met a number of students face-to-face. Many PPI members are friends on Friendster and more recently on Facebook. '
Since those days, he meets regularly with the local Indonesian community to collaborate on music projects like the tribute video `Telah Pergi Sahabat Tercinta,' created in memory of the legendary Indonesian pop star Chrisye who passed away in 2007. It was a blissful fortuity when Femmena came across the original version of the song while browsing through the internet. One year after the singer's death, when Fennema released the tribute video on YouTube, it was discovered by Chrisye's daughter, Risty, who began to contact him frequently by email. He remembers this moment, `The tribute song was never publicly released. It was a miraculous coincidence that I had discovered this song on the internet. I was very happy to get in touch with the family to directly show them my respect and appreciation for Chrisye. In October 2008, I met Chrisye's family in Jakarta at their home. We visited Chrisye's grave and shared precious moments together that I will never forget.'
In less than three years, he has become a bit of a household name among the dwellers of the vast archipelago. His debut started in Singapore where he was asked to be on a radio program to discuss his love for Indonesian music with Rane and Wayan on Warna 94.2 Mediacorp.
While traveling in Jakata, another Radio station Delta 99.1 FM invited him to their program Chill Out Friday. Speaking during the interview in Bahasa Indonesia, he chatted with listeners on the telephone and sang live.
Towards the end of his stay, he was unexpectedly contacted by a television producer, Nuansa Pagi, who asked him to be interviewed in the studio. Pagi's show is broadcasted by RCTI, one of the largest television channels in Indonesia.
`For me it is a pleasure,' says Fennema, `to have a large Indonesian community nearby in Enschede. I like being involved with them and enjoyed the opportunity to meet up with them at the Borneo Identity event. The audience was great. The way they sing along and applaud is heart warming.'
To listen to his music, visit the website: www.nlpeter.nl
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| Dutch singer Peter Fennema on stage performing a selection of Indonesian pop music. Photos: Gijs van Ouwerkerk |
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| Students film for the live streaming broadcast on justin.tv (left to right): Mulyadi Tan, Putu Ayu Anggraini and Ferry Haris `The live streaming was great for my father. He works as an engineer for Boeing airlines in Seattle, Washington,' said Haris. |
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| PPI Enschede members wore the seal of the Dayak warrior, symbolizing the ethnicity of Borneo Island (left to right): Purry Hidayaticka, Adisti Rindayu, Irmasari Hafidz and Syarif Budhiman. |
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| Main organizer Ferry Harris explained the cultural aspects of Borneo in a slide presentation to more than 90 people at Borneo Identity on Saturday. |
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| Diah, Dewi, Eka and Ari watch performances in front of a photograph exhibition in the Bastille Atruim. |
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| Embassy representatives and students walk on tin cans, pausing to dance when the music stops. The traditional Indonesian game is known as `Egrang.' |
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Representatives of the Indonesian Embassy in The Haag (left to right): Ramon Mohandas, the Attache of Education and Firdaus Dahlan, the Minister Counselor of Information and Socio-cultural Affairs. |
