SANUR, BALI, April 22, 2004: Keeping the “make money” motto in front of every thing is destroying the world’s beautiful cultural heritages. International chain hotels in Bali are one of many examples of such wave. Gongers (traditional Gamelan musicians) are treated in their own country as worthless, underpaid and not much respected. They are being discriminated in their own country compared to modern pop musicians. Modern pop musicians are offered five-star treatment whereas Gongers are treated as low caste people. Small efforts by the government have not given traditional Gamelan musicians from Bali any better offer then what they are currently getting from these international chain hotels. Musicians are paid as low as US85 cents for two hours of non-stop music. Gamelan is a type of music which was played by rice farmers, lower class people and is played for Gods and, in the old days, the king. One Gonger who is also a pop singer relates how well he is treated and paid when he arrives at a hotel to sing pop, and how poorly at the same hotel when he comes as part of a Gamelan orchestra.
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