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Storytelling festival a hit with families
All ears: Families listen to a story told by puppeteers Winna and Winnie during the Jakarta Storytelling Festival at the Setu Babakan Betawi Cultural Village in South Jakarta on Saturday
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All ears: Families listen to a story told by puppeteers Winna and Winnie during the Jakarta Storytelling Festival at the Setu Babakan Betawi Cultural Village in South Jakarta on Saturday.(JP/Dewanti Wardhani) (JP/Dewanti Wardhani)
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span class="inline inline-center">All ears: Families listen to a story told by puppeteers Winna and Winnie during the Jakarta Storytelling Festival at the Setu Babakan Betawi Cultural Village in South Jakarta on Saturday.(JP/Dewanti Wardhani)
Dozens of families gathered at the Setu Babakan Betawi Cultural Village in South Jakarta on Saturday to join the Jakarta Storytelling Festival.
When the stories started, the children immediately became quiet and attentive, eyes wide and sitting on the edge of their seats, listening to the stories. They laughed and clapped along with the storytellers.
They were listening to a story by Dwi Cahyadi, known to his audience as Kak Dwi, about two children who planned to steal fruits from their father who owned a salak (snake fruit) garden and would always give his harvest to the needy.
Dwi skillfully told his story in a different tone and emphasis followed by comical gestures, to deliver the lesson to listeners: Don't be envious, don't steal and help the needy whenever you can.
Five-year-old Riko Fahri said that he enjoyed listening to the story. Riko had laughed and gasped at the story, pricking up his ears to every word Dwi said.
'It's fun and kak Dwi is really funny,' he said.
A 34-year-old mother, Nita Rahman, came with her six-year-old daughter to the festival all the way from Tangerang.
'I came here from my house in Tangerang. I really wanted to bring my daughter here,' Nita said.
She said that lately, she did not have time for storytelling as she became busier at work and her daughter played more and more with her friends.
'My daughter loves listening to stories; I used to tell her stories when she was younger, but stopped as she grew up,' Nita said on the sidelines of the event.
Nita said that storytelling was a form of 'healthy entertainment' for children, and 'refreshing in the technology generation'.
Jakarta Storytelling Festival director Muhammad Ariyo Zidni said that storytelling is an important part of a child's growth.
'Storytelling will not only bond parents and their children, but also provides great lessons for children,' Ariyo said on the sidelines of the one-day festival.
He pointed out that storytelling could help foster children's creativity and imagination.
Ariyo, who is also a storyteller and founder of the Ayo Dongeng Indonesia Community, said that the event was held to introduce both children and parents to stories and storytelling.
'Storytelling isn't just merely telling a story; it's about delivering a lesson through the story using voices and gestures,' he said.
Storytellers who participated in the festival include Eka Budianta, Yahya Andi Saputra and puppeteers Winna and Winnie, among many others.
Aside from storytelling, the festival also held many activities, such as a workshop for parents to learn and understand more about storytelling with their children.
The Jakarta Storytelling Festival marks the beginning of a series of events under the Indonesian International Storytelling Festival.
The Indonesian Storytelling Festival will be held next weekend in the National Museum in Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta. A number of storytellers from Malaysia, Singapore and India are set to participate in the festival.
The Depok campus of the University of Indonesia in West Java will also host a storytelling festival on Nov. 3-4. The festivities will continue in Bandung Storytelling Festival and the Bogor Kota Hujan Festival in West Java, on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, respectively, before concluding in Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Nov. 20-21.
