Solomon Linda (1909-1962), or Solomon Ntsele, may not be known by many. Solomon Lane may be remembered by some. The first Solomon was the initial writer of the song which later after changing hands was titled 'the lion sleeps tonight'; while the second Solomon was the antagonist actor of ex-British Intelligence SIS/M16 in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.
In the jungle, the mighty jungle, The lion sleeps tonight. In the jungle the quiet jungle, The lion sleeps tonight. Near the village, the peaceful village, The lion sleeps tonight. Near the village, the quiet village, The lion sleeps tonight
The second Solomon seemed prosperous, but the first Solomon was not prosperous--even though his works sold many copies and were enjoyed by many ears in the world. Living in the midst of apartheid made Linda's life difficult. Even though he had good works, his works were not appreciated to the maximum. He could only live in a slum complex and died in poverty. This afternoon when I heard 'the lion sleeps tonight' with my little child, I suddenly became interested in finding out the story of the song. We know that behind a touching song there is always a story of heartache.
After reading the article, it turns out that S. Linda is the owner of the original work, an African, who has a work but does not get adequate benefits for her work. Later, as additional information, her descendants did sue to get royalties from the song.
We have often heard stories about work and lack of prosperity. The point is; creating is not always directly proportional to prosperity.
People who protect the forest so that it is sustainable, certainly provide extraordinary benefits for the forest, but not all of them get prosperity from their work. In certain cases, they are chased, hated by people who pretend to destroy the forest. Traditional forest guard communities are often considered backward, uncivilized, even though they help protect the forest from being cut down carelessly.
When buying 'bear' brand milk, someone once said this; 'this milk belongs to the cow, but the bear gets the name.' There, he wanted to say that in certain cases, people who really work do not get the results they deserve; but certain people with certain privileges get things easily. Different people who work, different people who get different results.
In the world of writing, I also often hear stories like that. There are stories of great writers who in their old age do not get benefits or even attention from people who may have benefited from their work. It seems like there is a gap between 'enjoying the work' and 'appreciating the creator of the work', or more than that, namely 'empathizing with the creator of the work.'
Some time ago I also saw on Instagram the story of a national athlete who when he retired no longer received attention from his former institution. When he was young he made the name of the institution proud, but when he no longer had the energy, he was forgotten.
The story of a film actor is also like that. There are those who are worshipped when they are successful, but when they retire they no longer get that glory. Maybe life is like that, that people are often appreciated when they are and they are forgotten when they no longer give something to others.
Creating is the task of all of us; work and present something new or meaningful for others. While still healthy and able, use the time for it. The productive period is an important period for us to utilize in order to produce the best works for others.
Prosperous or not prosperous, apart from being caused by the social system or structure such as the case of Solomon Linda--during the apartheid era, 1948-1994--can also be due to the lack of ability to make energy an opportunity for prosperity. The important question for those who enjoy working is whether they have found the formula to become prosperous. Maybe that is what is worth looking for, reflecting on Solomon Linda's story.
YANUARDI SYUKUR is an Indonesian writer who is also a lecturer, editor, researcher and speaker at various conferences and expert resource person on several Indonesian television stations and ministries. He has participated in various international programs in Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, the United States, as well as Ukraine. He is an anthropologist at Khairun University who is interested in various global issues. He is currently also active as Vice Chairman of the Islamic and Middle East Research Center (IMERC) of the University of Indonesia and is active in the Commission on Foreign Relations and International Cooperation of the Indonesian Ulama Council. E-mail: yanuardisyukur@gmail.com.
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