The Jakarta Post
Gibran Nicholau Papadimitriou, 18, arrived at The Jakarta Post’s studio earlier this year, carrying some of his collection of wayang kulit (leather puppets) and wayang golek (three-dimensional wooden puppets). Dressed in dalang (puppeteer) attire, comprising loose lurik shirt, kain jarik (traditional Javanese cloth) and blangkon (traditional Javanese hat), Gibran then sat crossed-legged on the floor. When the camera rolled, Gibran moved his wayang and spoke a dialogue in Javanese. There was no stage lighting to dim nor a gamelan set, but his very brief performance brought life to the Post’s studio. Gibran, who is also known as Ki Kawipujo Permadi, is a young dalang. Last year he performed Nakula Sadewa Murca at the Wayang Museum in West Jakarta to celebrate National Wayang Day. The Gen-Z dalang seems to embrace Indonesian cultural heritage both on and off stage. O...