Hoo Eng Djie

Hoo Eng Djie ( 1906–1960, ), known popularly as Baba Tjoi, was a Peranakan Chinese writer, singer, songwriter and recording artist from the Dutch East Indies. He was a multilingual artist; in addition to Malay, he could speak Makassarese fluently. He composed thousands of songs from the 1920s to the 1950s, notably in the popular Kroncong style and local Makassar styles, and was given official recognition by President Sukarno in 1953.

His life has been portrayed in works of art at various times, including a 1950 biography by Njoo Cheong Seng as well as a 2019 film .

Biography Hoo Eng Djie was born in 1906 or 1907 in Kassi Kebo, the Chinese quarter of Maros, Celebes and Dependencies Residency, Dutch East Indies (today located in South Sulawesi, Indonesia). His mother Liem Tien Nio was a Peranakan said to have been descended from Liem Tjien Liong, a historical Kapitan Cina in Makassar. Hoo's grandfather Hoo Tjay had emigrated from Fujian, China to Maros, whereas his father Hoo Kie Seng was a glass dealer there. He enrolled for a few years in a Malay school in Makassar, where he was instructed in the Malay, Bugis and Makassar languages (but not Chinese). In 1947 he met the writer and film director Njoo Cheong Seng, who was very impressed with him and gave him bit parts in some of his films. They discussed politics, Chinese Indonesian integration and poems and songs from Sulawesi, followed by a recital of some of his compositions. There was also a 2019 biopic about him, directed by Shaifuddin Bahrum, titled .