Indonesian daredevil defies gravity and stereotypes
14:28 JST, June 29, 2022
JAKARTA (AFP-Jiji) — Karmila Purba revs her motorbike under the lights of an Indonesian night carnival and rides up horizontally inside a wooden cylinder called Satan’s Barrel, drawing gasps from spectators looking down into the drum.
With a smile on her face, Purba delights onlookers as she fearlessly pings around the bowl in Bogor, West Java, spreading her arms to collect tips waved by those above.
The gravity-defying daredevil is among a handful of women that perform the stunt in Indonesia, zipping around a structure more commonly known as the “Wall of Death.”
Women becoming “Wall of Death” riders is “extremely rare,” the 23-year-old told AFP before the show.
“When I started there was no one else … so I wanted to be something different, doing something that no one else was doing.”
For decades, the Satan’s Barrel — or “Tong Setan” — has been the main attraction at travelling funfairs in Indonesia, particularly in rural areas where there are few options for affordable entertainment.
Using centrifugal force, riders sling their bikes around the motordrome at high speeds without protective gear as the smell of rubber fills the air.
Purba came from humble beginnings, earning a meagre living as a street busker on the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia before switching jobs eight years ago for a better income of around 6 million rupiah ($410) a month.
She can also earn up to 400,000 rupiah ($27) in tips on a good day.
But at the beginning of her daredevil journey, she faced questions about her career choice.
“People were saying to me, ‘You are a woman, why do you do something like that? It’s not for females,’” she said.
“There was a lot of criticism.”
Fans eventually began to praise Purba, giving her the nickname “the Princess of the Wall of Death.”
Now she is one of the star acts of the carnival.
“[A] female wall of death rider is very interesting and has become the main attraction in this night market because people are curious,” spectator Sumarno told AFP while watching the show.
“They didn’t believe a woman could do something extreme like that.”
"World" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
-
UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’
-
Search Continues for Missing People After 72-Hour Window Ends in Quake-Hit Taiwan; Weather Complicating Rescue Efforts
-
Former U.S. Pacific Command Head Touts Alliance; Harris Sees China, World Through ‘Dark Lens’
-
N. Korea Fires Ballistic Missile into Sea of Japan
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- Whaling Mother Ship Built in Japan for 1st Time in 73 Years