Sad death in Indonesia

This video is of a popular pop singer in Indonesia. This young woman earned only about $26 US per show. She had 3 children to feed and she did the best she could for them. As the video below shows this is very reminiscent of the traveling vaudeville minstrel shows that used to blanket the US in the days leading up to the coming of movie houses. The woman's name was Irma Bule.

She made the news last week when she was killed on stage. Her killer was a cobra snake she used in her act. She had acquired the snake a few weeks earlier. She thought it had been de-fanged. It hadn't. This video is NOT her final performance, you can find that on Youtube if you want.

There are many street performers who sing for their food in that part of the planet. In the days my parents were young, it was that way here too. Simon & Garfunkel used to sing in Grenwich Village bars. So did Barbara Streisand. Today's wannabees in America sing or perform in raunchy bars and clubs. But I have seen street shows like the videos in parks and block parties too. It is all vaudeville. You do your show, then you pass a bag and if the audience likes you, they put some money in it. It is of course a much more honorable way of earning a living than some other paths (and you don't want to slit your wrists the next morning either).

Competition is tough as many sing and dance. Many are young and good looking too. A gimmick is needed. Maybe two or three. Be a little raunchy. Wear short dresses and move suggestively. Sing ribald lyrics. Irma's big gimmick was carry a snake. As she told a friend, if nothing else, the snakes keep the men from trying to touch her when she went through the crowd to collect money.

During her last performance with the cobra that bit her Irma accidentally stepped on the snake and as any animal would when that happens, it reacted. It bit her over the femoral artery in the thigh. Irma, no realizing the snake had not been de-fanged declined going to the hospital and in the best tradition of vaudeville decided the show must go on. She continued singing and dancing for another 40 minutes or so before collapsing and convulsing. She was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital. I never heard of Irma until she died. she stands tall in my eyes as proof no matter where you are, people are people and there are no real differences from one place to another.




PS, please note that although this is in Indonesia, although there are clearly women in the crowd, there just aren't that many women being forced to wear a Hijab there.