NvB: Bored in Brno?: Merapi

Merapi

According to a fresh blog post at the BBC News site, Mt. Merapi in Java is erupting (again). An older BBC article gives an idea of the significance of the volcano for those who live nearby. Just yesterday the BBC posted a video that shows some of Merapi's recent activity. More dramatic photos are posted here. The Mount Merapi blog may also have more updates on the situation. CBS World claims that the volcano was quieting on Friday morning, and video clips of the activity the CBS story mentions were linked to by the ClipBlast blog and are viewable at Reuters. With the time differences it's hard to say what the current situation is and whether this is a new event or just more after effects of the activity early Friday morning. Nonetheless, this is a story that I've been following.

Just a few weeks ago a large earthquake killed over 6,000 people to the west of Yogyakarta (Jogja). The area is still dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake, and a major eruption could add more chaos.

What is the connection? Well, last summer I studied Javanese gamelan (a gong-drum ensemble) in Surakarta (Solo), just kilometers from Merapi. Jogja and Solo are historical court centers and have cultivated gamelan music for centuries. In part because of the forging process involved in creating the bronze instruments, gamelan ensembles are often linked conceptually to the mountains and volcanos that surround the cities.

Merapi threatened eruptions last summer, and you could seen the glow of the cone from my teacher's front porch. After the earthquake I did hear from several of my Javanese friends to say that they were unharmed &mdash my teacher said that his fence had been damaged and that he had a bruise from falling during the tremors. Hopefully the eruption will be small, as the scientists predict. My friends there are in my thoughts. When I find it, I will post my photo of Merapi as it looked last July &mdash the tell-tale plume of smoke drifting in the wind from the summit of the perfect cone top &mdash seen from the road between Solo and Jogja (you can see the location of both cities on the map at the BBC's 8 June video page).

Top photo by AP via BBC In Pictures.

More stuff, context, reminiscences: Well, after slogging about a bit on the Web, I thought I should add a couple more resources to this post. First, for some wonderful pictures, particularly this one of Jogja, from the JavaJive blog. And, ah, the food. Also, a wonderful satellite image of the volcano. Richard Lloyd Parry's (Times foreign correspondent) blog response. And, more info from the University of North Dakota.

Tags: Merapi, news, Java, photos

Posted 09 June 2006 at 18:14.

The Blog

What is "Bored in Brno"? a) the best Czech movie of 2003, b) a blog about Brno (the Czech Republic's second largest city) and my adventures in and observations of south and east Moravia. I usually post about music, arts, culture, and stuff in Brno; or, I talk about whatever; or, I may bore you.

There's a Czech saying about how you are a new person for every language you learn. Here's your chance to experience Czech vicariously and to become your new self, now conveniently available in English translation. (Or at least something reasonably close to English.)

If you have questions, suggestions, like what you see, or you're just plain bored, don't hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail me.

The Blogger

A graduate student in music and anthropology writing a dissertation about music in Moravia, the eastern third of the Czech Republic. At some point, the Czech Republic's "second city" (that would be Brno) captured my attention, and I've since been blogging about events, arts, music, and other stuff—basically whatever interests me in and around the cityscape. I'm not living in Brno now, but I keep up with the cultural pulse from afar as best I can.

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