Gereja Ayam / Chicken Church

In Bukit Rhema Dusun Gombong, Village of Kembanglimus, Borobudur, District Magelang,
stands proudly a shaped statue of a bird with simillar represantation of a chicken.
People around call the statue “The Chicken Church”,Piegon Church or The Manuk-manukan Church.

History been told that Daniel Alamsjah built in the early 1990s with the aim of making a quiet place to pray, and to provide assylum for people who are discrimated by society as some are children with disabilities, drug abuser, drug addict, phsycological mental unstable and trauma young adult that occurs from being the victims of violence.

However, as time goes by he run out of funds, unfortunately Daniel did not have time to complete the noble ideals and dreams.

This afternoon, Hey You Hand Made monsters visited the “ Chicken Church”. Hidden among teak trees and shrubs, the routes are so steep that they only way to traveled on foot for around15 minutes.

As we reach the top, we met with several elderly gentlemen from homes for the elderly people, who are not far from the Chicken Church located at.

We manage to indulge and experience the noble purpose of building this chicken, and felt I knew how the simplicity of the residents of a nursing home and the people there. There are so deep sorrow we feel seeing the grandeur of an ideal and dream of a person (Daniel) failed through out time and how this place could bring so much hope today to many people.

In the afternoon, we went home with a fullfiled heart, full of gratitude for what we have today, and our souls said,

"Happy Valentine's Day to all the world, let's share the love to the needy are so widely spread around us."

STOP “MASKED” DANCING MONKEY

     “Masked” Dancing monkey is a small street performance can often found in various parts of Indonesia. It has ever existed since i was little girl and until now. It is is exisiting.

Begining of few year, “Masked Monkey” or Topeng Monyet began to appear as beggars monkeys in highway and intersection in Yogyakarta and also some move around in the small village,
where also i happen to be living. The monkeys are dressed up with a shirt, cap and mask as costumes, and then told to dance and play with a variety of toys such as small bikes and toy horses for performace in the name of busking, the monkey were trained to ask for money to people passing by or bystander watching the performance.

     Behind the humorous performance and entertainment , there is an incredible cruelty that these monkey had to go through each day.
The monkeys were trained to performe by using a torturous method.

For months, the trainer would forced the monkey to stand upright with neck tied to a chain shackled so that later the monkey can stand upright like a human being in the “performance”

After that they will train them in various tricks in ranging from walking to tumble (roll forward or back) from early morning until late at night. They were beaten countlessly or intimidated an object in order to comply.
The monkey are fed, most of the time its not according to their natural dietry or at time they are not fed at all. Many monkey has or will die in this training session.
And a lot of Indonesian people who do not know these atrocities. That they know just how funny the show monkey they witnessed. 

     This time Hey You with the Volunteer Animal Friends Jogja (AFJ) staged to raise public awareness of cruelty in Masked Monkey Performance and also towards other attractions that uses animal for circus like shows as overall similar, it has cruelty. 

Wild animals was supposed to run free in the wild, not dancing at the crossroads.
Let Yogyakarta always peacefully without cruelty to animals.

*The monkey is suffering for your amusement and laughter*

Thankyou Hafiz'Zan Shah for translating :D