Janger Dance
Increasing People’s Awareness and Participation in Preventing Rabies through Culture and Arts in Bali
“By 2016, 167 people infected with rabies in Bali have died since the first case of rabies was found in 2008. An estimated amount of 394 billion rupiahs have been spent on rabies eradication effort in Bali.”
The increased number of rabies cases in 2015 put Bali in the status of a rabies outbreak or Kejadian Luar Biasa (KLB). The status was considered powerful enough to affect the image and quality of the Bali tourism industry, as it could potentially decrease the number of tourist visits to Bali. In response to the issue, the Provincial Government of Bali created several initiatives to reduce the number of rabies cases. A dog vaccination program is among one of the most effective measures. However, vaccination alone is not enough as it focuses only on the animals as the vectors of the virus.
Humans, with their potential impact to the environment and animal population, also need to be educated. In fact, rabies is not only about animal behavior, but also human behavior and awareness in taking good care of their pets, protecting their health, and taking prompt response when facing a dog bite case.
Health education efforts nowadays are still limited to conventional community education conducted by cadres at local health centers. It is often ineffective when health information is delivered through lectures only, particularly when the speakers use difficult sentences. As a result, the main messages, including what to do to prevent and manage rabies cases, are often not understood.
To answer the problem, INDOHUN One Health Collaboration Center (OHCC) at Udayana University designed a creative and engaging health promotion media to deliver health messages on rabies in a way easily understood by the general public. The medium chosen was the traditional performing arts known as the Janger Dance.
Rabies Eradication and Culture Preservation
Janger Dance was chosen because it is a traditional dance from Bali that is often performed in various occasions, including events held at the banjar (local residency) level to international events. The dance performance is also unique in the way that the performers do not only dance, but also sing traditional songs that tell particular stories, mostly folklores. The overall Janger Dance consists of:
- Pepeson, the opening part in which the performers usually sing the traditional song Jangi Janger.
- Mejangeran, in which the performers dance and sing to each other in a happy atmosphere. The songs performed may vary, based on the theme raised throughout the performance. Here, the dance is also combined with Kecak movements, accompanied by the sounds of Mekecakan.
- Lakon, the part in which the performers tell folklores or stories to the audience through a theatrical play. The stories presented should have moral values that are relevant to the theme raised throughout the performance.
- Pakaad, the final part of Janger Dance that is accompanied by Gending Mulih or the closing songs.
Janger Dance is very popular among Balinese, both in villages and towns, from children to adults, hence the dance can be a potentially effective health promotion medium for rabies prevention and can reach a wide spectrum of audiences. It could also reach both the cognitive and affective aspects of human mind through the theatrical play, songs, and music, and is expected to bring positive behavior changes.
That is why INDOHUN OHCC at Udayana University creatively used Janger Dance (now also a short for ‘Jangan Rabies!’ or ‘Stay Rabies Free!’) as a medium to increase people’s awareness on the danger of rabies. The OHCC Janger Dance performance did not change the original structure of the traditional Janger Dance. The purposeful messages about rabies are delivered in the second part (Mejangeran) and the third part (Lakon) of the performance. Songs in the Mejangeran part were modified with lyrics about rabies but are still using the original rhythm of Mejangeran that is familiar to the community. Similarly, the theatrical performance in the third part, Lakon, is preserved but modified with stories of rabies cases that occurred in the community. This is the part where the audience can see it for themselves, how first aids should be taken for dog bite cases, and things dog owners should do to prevent their dogs and themselves from rabies.
Reaching a Wider Audience
The OHCC Janger Dance is delivered in three languages: Balinese, Bahasa Indonesia, and English to reach both local residents and international tourists. By far, the performance has been conducted in several public events and has been documented in a video format, soon will be available online. INDOHUN OHCC at Udayana University will further improve the project by developing tutorials to perform the dance and share it via internet and provide open access to everyone. That way, the dance can be performed by anyone, anywhere.
Through this innovation in health education and promotion, INDOHUN OHCC at Udayana University showcased their creativity in reaching the community and communicate the risk of rabies while preserving the rich culture of the island and at the same time, giving an added educational value to it.
About the Author
Kadek Ridoi Rahayu is a Community Development Manager at the Udayana One Health Collaborating Center. She also works as a Junior Lecturer at the School of Public Health, Udayana University, Indonesia. The Udayana One Health Collaborating Center was created by the Indonesia One Health University Network (INDOHUN), a network supported by the USAID One Health Workforce project.
