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Mamanda shares common ground with other traditional dramas
Sri Wahyuni: (JP/Dicky Christanto)Mamanda is among the oldest forms of traditional theaters in Kutai culture, dated back to the Kutai Martadipura kingdom, the oldest Hindu kingdom in Nusantara (the old name of Indonesia)
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Sri Wahyuni: (JP/Dicky Christanto) (JP/Dicky Christanto)
Sri Wahyuni: (JP/Dicky Christanto)
Mamanda is among the oldest forms of traditional theaters in Kutai culture, dated back to the Kutai Martadipura kingdom, the oldest Hindu kingdom in Nusantara (the old name of Indonesia). The kingdom then converted to Islam in the 17th century and after, all kings were addressed as sultans.
In the old days, Mamanda became the royal's favorite show. Kutai Kartanegara's culture and tourism agency head Sri Wahyuni recalled that some thirty years ago, people would depart from Samarinda and other cities to Tenggarong just to watch Mamanda along with the royal families.
The actors usually tell stories of royal conflict or other everyday drama. They would also voice out social problems or current rumors to the show. In the old days, Mamanda could last for the whole night without losing the attention of its devoted viewers.
There are few aspects in common between Mamanda and other traditional drama theaters like Lenong in Jakarta or Ludruk in East Java. The first that get easily noticed is the usage of rhyming words or in local language known as Tarsul.
The rhyming words are usually used during the introduction session, which lasts for 10 to 15 minutes.
The second thing is interactivity that Mamanda actors use to communicate with their audience while performing. In many occasions, the dialogues draw laughter from the audience.
Like many other traditional dramas, Mamanda also recognizes only spontaneous dialogues. The actors use no scripts in their performances.
But there is one thing that differentiates Mamanda with other traditional dramas, in Mamanda, the actors greet one another with rather formality like calling each other with 'first brother', 'second brother', 'third brother' and so forth.
They also require one another to mention full titles just before they speak to one another. The actors also repeat some of the dialogues throughout the show.
