The Harmonious Music of "Ambon Manise"

Kompas/Fransiskus Pati Herin

A monument, which reads "Ambon, City of Music," at Hative Besar village, Ambon City, Maluku, as photographed on Saturday (1/7), was built by the Ambon city administration to show that the area is rich in musical talents and singers. Art is also a medium to sooth people who used to be involved in religious and social conflicts.

The Ambon City of Music monument in Hative Besar village, Ambon, Maluku province, seems to reaffirm the city’s identity as a breeding ground for great musical talents. More than just an entertaining art form, the city’s harmonious melodies have broken down barriers of conflicts and soothed the hearts of locals — making them as calm as the tranquil waters of Ambon bay right in front of the monument.

The message of harmony through collaborative music and singing between Muslim and Christian singers are touching the hearts of residents. At the terraces of the World Peace Gong in Ambon one night in May, a group of students from various cultural backgrounds from Ambon’s Darussalam University sang an Ambonese song titled “Hasa-Hasa.”