by Mark Ulyseas
Bali is inundated with Yayasans (charities) ranging from free eye operations, education, recycling to animal shelters. A number of these Yayasans are doing good work and have made a positive impact on island life. One such organisation is Onedollarformusic, the brainchild of Raoul Thomas Augustine Maria Wijffels a Dutch national residing in Bali.
When I first came across this organisation I assumed it was another scheme to make money off unsuspecting bleeding hearts with a conscience that continually beseeches them to ‘contribute’ to ’causes’. However, after meeting Raoul (who has over 20 years experience in music, arts, education and management including working as a teacher and music pedagogue at the Conservatories of Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam) and the Indonesian chairman Rudolf Dethu, it became apparent that this is an organisation that has the potential of becoming a major force in the creative and economic development of young potential musicians across the Indonesian archipelago.
Read the interview about ODFM with Adib Hidayat, Raoul Wijffles and myself here