TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Puppeteers strive to attract youth
Heritage show: A wayang golek puppeteer performs with his puppets during the Indonesian Wayang Festival at Fatahillah Square in West Jakarta on Saturday
Change Size
Heritage show: A wayang golek puppeteer performs with his puppets during the Indonesian Wayang Festival at Fatahillah Square in West Jakarta on Saturday. The event runs until Sunday.(JP/Seto Wardhana) (JP/Seto Wardhana)
H
span class="inline inline-center">Heritage show: A wayang golek puppeteer performs with his puppets during the Indonesian Wayang Festival at Fatahillah Square in West Jakarta on Saturday. The event runs until Sunday.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
Thousands of visitors packed Fatahillah Square in West Jakarta, under the scorching sun on Saturday afternoon. Their eyes were fixed on a large stage that showcased wayang kulit Malang by Ki Ardhi Purbo Antono, as the opening performance of the 2015 Indonesia Wayang Festival (FWI).
This year the wayang (shadow puppet) festival presents both traditional and contemporary shows that combine Javanese wayang kulit (leather puppets) and Sundanese wayang golek (wooden puppets).
It carries the theme of Wisanggeni, or a knight that represents the power of youths in the Mahabarata epic, in line with the organizers' goal of promoting wayang to the young.
'Most younger generations don't know about wayang. Through this event, we want to bring them closer to this traditional heritage,' Agus Djamhoer, member of the organizing committee told reporters at a press conference prior to the opening ceremony.
The annual festival, which was first launched in 2011, is organized by French-based oil and gas company Total E&P Indonesia, which collaborated with the Indonesian Puppeteers Association (Pepadi), the Indonesia Puppetry Society (Sena Wangi) and the Wayang Museum.
The two-day festival features workshops and seminars, as well as performances of wayang golek Pakuan, wayang gamblang nusantara, wayang golek Sunda, wayang Cina-Jawa (Chinese-Javanese wayang or wacinwa) and golek Cina-Sunda (Chinese-Sundanese golek or gocinda).
On Sunday, there will be an introduction to wayang and performances by dalang cilik (child puppeteers) and wayang golek cepak Indramayu before the performance of wayang orang Bharata in the closing ceremony at night.
Wayang is the oldest-known form of storytelling in the country that aims to teach religious, moral and ethical values.
This once-dying art started to thrive again after the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized it in 2010 as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
However, according to Sena Wangi general chairman Suparmin Sanjoyo, Indonesian youths still lacked interest in wayang, which encouraged puppeteers to make wayang more appealing to them.
'We've done some approaches. In language, for example, we try to perform it in bahasa [Indonesian] because it usually uses traditional languages, such as Javanese and Sundanese, so that the youths can understand the stories,' Suparmin said.
'We also try to present modern-themed stories that tell about recent events using modern music instruments,' he added. 'We've been trying to be up-to-date.'
The puppeteers participating in the festival, he said, were only the young ones less than 40 years old.
Wahyudunung, 27, a puppeteer from Surakarta under Sina Wangi, said that the youth had developed more interest in wayang. 'But it should be more,' he said, adding that people in other countries showed more enthusiasm and interest in wayang performances.
'When we performed in Slovakia, I saw that the audiences were really amazed with the show. The same thing happened in our performances in the Philippines,' Wahyudunung said.
Apep Hudaya, a 36-year-old puppeteer who showcases Sundanese wayang golek, said that the youth played important roles in preserving wayang.
'I hope the festival will be held more often because the future of wayang lies in the hands of the young generations. They can develop it through creativity,' Apep said.
Among the visitors on that afternoon was 29-year-old Lia and her three friends from Karawang, West Java. They came to the Old Town to spend the weekend without knowing anything about the wayang festival, but they stayed to see the performance.
'In Karawang, wayang still exists and can be found in luxurious wedding receptions, but I'm impressed that Jakarta, a very modern city, can hold a big wayang event,' she said.
Willy, 16, another visitor, said that he and two school friends intentionally came to the venue to watch the wayang shows because their school, SMA 19 senior high school in West Jakarta, had introduced the students to wayang several times by inviting a representative from the Wayang Museum.
'Wayang is unique. Not all teenagers like wayang, so it's anti-mainstream,' said the boy, who had been a regular to the festival in the last three years.
Art Museum management unit head Dyah Damayanti said that she was struggling to include wayang art and culture in school curricula.
'We've visited several state schools in the capital to promote wayang and have discussions with the principals,' Dyah said.
According to her, the interest in wayang from children and teenagers had increased. 'So, I'm sure that in the future, wayang can be popular again,' she said. (foy)
_______________________________
To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News.
For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com
