The #LathiChallenge Controversies: Between Culture, Religion And Art

The song 'Lathi' was the first single released by music group EDM in 2020, after Weird Genius collaborated with Indonesian rapper Sara Fajira.

Weird Genius itself is made up of two YouTubers and one DJ: Eka Gustiwana, Reza 'Arap' Oktovian, and Gerard Liu.

The song was said to have been written in just under 10 minutes, and has been made available on online platforms since February 28, and on YouTube on March 26.

What made the song unique is that, it combined traditional music instrument gamelan (an orchestra of mainly percussive instruments) and the Javanese language. The lyrics that tell the story of a toxic relationship and ego are then put together into a powerful beat to make it more dynamic and modern.

Javanese culture runs very thick throughout the song, with features that bridge modern pumping beat entry with Javanese lyrics that was sung with the style of sinden by Sara.

This song was popularized when it became a challenge on social media networks.

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It started when the social media sphere was caught by surprise when a beauty vlogger Jharna Bhagwani made a video of herself using make up and Javanese traditional clothing, with the electronic Lathi song playing in the background.

The 17-year-old influencer then uploaded the video with the #LathiChallenge hashtag.

The challenge then saw many users applying make up with clever transitions to the song. The make up goes on step by step, with then the creators dance to the music often in traditional Javanese clothing, in a dark room to show off their silhouette. Their videos then take a darker turn, with users changing their make up from beautiful to a much scarier look.

This echoes the lyrics about relationships which take a darker turn.

"Lathi speaks of a love relationship full of lies and egos that claims to love but only hurts a relationship. Despite emphasizing the dark side of the relationship, the lyrics bring the implied meaning of courage and a strong stand in the face of ‘a toxic relationship’,” Weird Genius said.

With the video, and the challenge went viral, the group's single quickly peaked on every major streaming platform in Indonesia including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Joox, beating out mainstays such as Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

The song’s massive popularity has been a shock to the trio.

"We never expected it, firstly because we’re an EDM group – which is a very niche genre, at least here in Indonesia," said the group’s producer, Gerald Liu. "But it’s encouraging, and reinforces our belief that every song has an opportunity to gain recognition, as long as we create music from the heart."

Reza Oktovian who is one of the members at Weird Genius tweeted:

Things however, just like the lyrics, turn darker afterwards.

An Islamic preacher from Malaysia, Wan Dazrin Wan Din, said that Lathi Challenge is misleading, and hoped that people would stop doing this challenge.

“Hentikan #LathiChallenge sekarang juga. Sesungguhnya tarian2 yg kalian lakukan itu sgt merbahaya utk dijadikan hiburan."

"Ketahuilah kalian tarian itu wujud dari sesetengah budaya Jawa yg syirik & khurafat. Seperti memanggil kuntilanak serta Roh Kuda Kepang. Tolong hentikannya!"

Reza Oktovian replied by saying that:

"Prove me. If you right that the track could call out whatever ghosts. I'll delete the track on all platforms plus the Music Video. But if you wrong, make an apologize video that you just spreading hoax bout our song, do the make up challenge video, post it."

Shortly after Reza's tweet and debates among netizens of both sides, Wan Dazrin removed his tweet from his timeline, replacing it with an apology.

"Permohonan Maaf Terbuka Kpd Orang2 Jawa. Saya sebenarnya bertujuan menasihati umat Islam di Malaysia untuk berhati2 dengan ‘Sesetengah’ kepercayaan ritual drpd perbuatan Lathi Challenge & tidak pernah berhasrat menuduh budaya Jawa secara keseluruhan. Saya minta maaf ya."
"Dgn ini, saya akn memadam nasihat itu. Bertujuan menarik balik perkataan ‘Jawa’ yg mungkin menyebabkan kemarahan & sensitiviti org2 Jawa yg dikasihi. Maafkan sy atas kekhilafan penggunaan perkataan dlm nasihat yg disampaikan. Org2 Islam di Jawa, moga terus maju jaya"

Javanese is an ethnic group native to the Indonesian island of Java.

Among the cultures and traditions, Javanese is also known for their kejawèn or kebatinan, which is religious tradition, consisting of an amalgam of animistic, Buddhist, and Hindu aspects. It is rooted in Javanese history and religiosity, syncretizing aspects of different religions.

With it, the culture has been tied closely with a variety of mystical practices, where followers practice in their own way to seek spiritual and emotional relief.

These practices are not performed in places of worships, like in mosques, but at home or in caves or on mountain perches. The practices involve the search for inner self wisdom and to gain physical strength. This tradition is passed down from generation to generation.

Kebatinan has spread to neighboring regions, including parts of Malaysia, where some people have combined it with Islamic concepts. This has led to the Malaysian Islamic authorities declaring elements of kebatinan to be "syirik" (shirk) and un-Islamic.