“I never imagined this would happen to Yani
I never imagined he would ever leave his Mami
I pray to God
From day to day. Mami waits for you
Whenever I remember my cherished son.”

THESE words were sung by a diminutive 73yearold woman wearing glasses and headscarf. They were sung to the melody of the song Tenda Biru—a song popularized by Desy Ratnasari in the 1980s. Tuti Koto sings the song every time she remembers Yani Afri, her son.

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