The Shy, Scary, Sacred Riana
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OCTOBER 2019• $6.50 Genii THE CONJURORS’ MAGAZINE The Sacred Riana The Shy, Scary Sacred Riana Riana was a normal Indonesian girl, once. But when her family moved into a new house in Jakarta, she discovered Riani, a strange, neglected doll that had been waiting, it seemed, for someone to take an interest. The pair became inseparable, but Riana had yet to under- stand the consequences of their growing bond. Eventually, Riana realized that Riani was no mere toy. When she kept the doll with her, all seemed well. But left to her own devices, Riani unleashed her magic upon the world. 18 GENII by Chloe OlewitzOCTOBER 2019 19 Riana soon discovered that Riani’s powers were rub- bing off on her, and that in order to mitigate the doll’s dark influence she would have to faithfully carry on their connection. Riana was shy anyway, and she knew she could do with a friend, even an inanimate one. With Riani’s magic flowing through her, Riana learned to read minds, summon demons, capture ghostly spirits, and communicate with the beyond. 20 GENII 2019 10 OCT Ed.indd 20 9/3/19 7:38 PM Or at least, that’s the legend The Sacred particularly appropriate when framed against Riana’s many creators concocted. The woman the backdrop of the popular understanding of who portrays Riana is enigmatic, to say the magic in Indonesia—a specter that has followed least. Between her debilitating shyness (a trait Graharani since her “sacred” career first began. she and her character share) and the walls her While both Graharani and her father make team has built up around her, the only way it clear that they deal in magic tricks and to interact with the magician is through her stage illusions for the purposes of entertain- character. And that’s saying something, con- ment, Indonesia’s take on magic is mired in sidering that even in character—especially in a history of belief. Many self-proclaimed war- character—Marie Antoinette Riana Graharani locks assume the title of dukun, or shaman. rarely speaks. And while some dukun are simply con artists Graharani became interested in magic when scamming commoners out of cash, it seems she was nine years old by watching her father, many practitioners actually believe they possess an Indonesian gospel magician well-known for magical powers downloaded as ancestral and his satanic character. The anti-gospel trope is cultural inheritance. OCTOBER 2019 21 2019 10 OCT Ed.indd 21 9/3/19 7:38 PM “We created the character of Riana to smarten our nation ...” Deddy Corbuzier Regardless of whether or not the dukun are this day, and it seems to be largely unwinnable. true believers, blind and fearful faith is extremely Since 2009, a diplomatic cycle has taken root; common among Indonesian laypeople. In 2012, most Indonesian officials proclaim the dangers a Pew Research Center survey found that 69 of permitting the perpetuation of occult prac- percent of the Muslim population in Indonesia tices, but every few years, when government believed in witchcraft. In 2014, Indonesian organizations move to ban witchcraft officially, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono broke they are effectively beaten back by cultural and with decades of political tradition to declare historical institutions (and the warlocks they publicly that he believes in sorcery. protect), who argue that sorcery is a relic of local This kind of widespread indoctrination heritage worthy of preservation and respect. belies darker forces and illuminates the increas- The stark reality that sorcerer killings con- ing commonality of bloodshed justified by tinue to this day, albeit with less frequency humanity’s willingness to die in the name of the than in decades past, is what led to the supernatural. Mass killings of self-proclaimed only official public appearance Graharani has sorcerers swept through East Java in the mid- made out of character. In February 2014, the 1960s and again in the 1980s, and struck then 22-year-old magician was interviewed North Sumatra later that decade. In the 1990s, by Deddy Corbuzier, another well-known sorcerers were accused of killing dozens of Indonesian illusionist, on Hitam Putih, a popu- prominent Muslim religious leaders (Islam is lar Indonesian talk show. She didn’t wear The the predominant religion in Indonesia). Sacred Riana’s signature costume and makeup, Often, the killings were compounded: “nin- but like her character, Graharani also exhibits jas” in black costumes and masks were sus- a tendency to hide behind her side-swept hair. pected of murdering sorcerers, then villagers “We created the character of Riana to smarten who supported and sought to protect the our nation,” Corbuzier said on Hitam Putih, “that practice of witchcraft slaughtered the “ninjas.” the supernatural things you see can be performed In 1998, 100 self-styled sorcerers were killed if you know the trick. Let us not be deceived by in Banyuwangi, the eastern-most city in Java. mystical things that waste our money.” The following year, 150 sorcerers were killed Having Graharani appear on national televi- in West Java. sion was a calculated move; a gamble designed The sorcery debate continues in Indonesia to to protect her from the mortal danger that still stalks sorcerers in her home country. Outing her as a magician, as a stage performer who has studied and practiced to present illusions as entertainment, was intended as a cure for the many Indonesians likely to believe that The Sacred Riana was truly powered. During the interview, Corbuzier shared cred- it for creating The Sacred Riana’s character with Sisca Hormansyah, producer of Indonesian television show, The Next Mentalist, and Bow Vernon with his team at Trilogy Magic Factory. From the audience, Hormansyah discussed how she had been searching for a female con- testant to round out the cast of the first season of The Next Mentalist. Instead of seeking out a woman who could take on the same “gothic” style that was popular in Indonesia at the time, Hormansyah wanted to jolt viewers with some- thing new and unexpected. By that time, Graharani had already started working with Trilogy Magic Factory. Her father Continued on page 26 22 GENII 2019 10 OCT Ed.indd 22 9/3/19 7:38 PM OCTOBER 2019 23 2019 10 OCT Ed.indd 23 9/3/19 7:38 PM Because neither The Sacred Riana nor the magician that portrays her are prone to granting interviews, Genii’s Editor Richard Kaufman was permitted an audience with her doll, Riani, instead. Here’s what Riani had to say, from the comfort of The Sacred Riana’s lap. Happy Halloween. 24 GENII 2019 10 OCT Ed.indd 24 9/3/19 7:38 PM GENII: Are you excited to be on the cover of Genii: After Asia’s Got Talent, how did Riana Genii, Riana? feel to have people scared of her? Riana mumbles something affirmative ... RIANI: She felt happy. RIANI: This is her excited. Genii: She likes it when people are scared of Genii: How did you first become interested in her? magic? RIANI: Yes, because that means her character RIANI: Her father was a gospel magician with is working well. a satanic character. When she was nine years Genii: Does she like the power? old, she watched his performances on TV. RIANI: Yes, it makes her feel more confident. Genii: How old were you when you first per- Genii: Is The Sacred Riana alive? Or is she formed? dead? RIANI: She was 17, but she wasn’t The Sacred RIANI: The Sacred Riana is alive, even though Riana yet. a lot of people think she’s a ghost. Genii: Riani, I get the impression that Riana is Genii: Riana’s character reminds me of the clas- really shy. sic J-horror film, Ringu. Have you seen it? RIANI: Even when she’s not in character, Riana RIANI: We watch a lot of horror movies. Riana is a very shy person. loves them. Genii: Does performing as a character make Genii: Does Riana maintain her character at all her less shy on stage? times? RIANI: It helps her feel more confident RIANI: Yes, on the stage and off the stage. because she feels like she has special powers. Genii: If she goes to the supermarket, does she Genii: Does she feel like she’s wearing a mask? act as The Sacred Riana buying groceries? RIANI: It doesn’t feel like a mask, it feels like RIANI: No, she ties her hair back and wears a different personality. The character is a mul- glasses. She’s like Supergirl; when she takes tiplier, so she’s already shy, but by the time she her glasses off she becomes The Sacred becomes The Sacred Riana, her own personal- Riana, but when she is wearing them no one ity is multiplied by 1,000. knows her. Genii: How did you and Riana meet? Genii: I wouldn’t recognize her. RIANI: We met when Riana moved to Jakarta; RIANI: When we were filming Asia’s Got Talent, I was already living in her new house. Riana she would be wearing her glasses when we played with me and started to wear a dress just arrived and the production team would ask, like mine. She realized that when she leaves “Where’s Riana?” She was standing right next to me, bad things happen, but if we are together, me, but no one recognized her. nothing bad happens. Genii: Does Riana get tired of staying in char- Genii: Was Riana a normal girl before she met acter all the time? you? RIANI: No. RIANI: Yes. Genii: She likes being in character? Genii: What’s your relationship like? RIANI: Yeah.