'Kondom' shows us how fragile we are<\/p>\n
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
A puppeteer strummed a guitar and danced around on the stage.<\/p>\n
Why not?<\/p>\n
On Friday night, puppeteer Slamet Gundono did just that. Even
\nmore startling, for traditionalists, the notoriously contemporary
\npuppeteer did not dress like a normal dalang, or puppet master,
\nin traditional Javanese clothes. That night, barefooted, Slamet
\nsported a red T-shirt and cream-colored shorts.<\/p>\n
A striped sarong hung loosely around his neck and a guitar
\nbelt encircled his rather large waist.<\/p>\n
It was not like an ordinary shadow play. There was no line of
\nsinden, or female singers, around the gamelan players.<\/p>\n
Slamet was accompanied by Frenchwoman Elizabeth D. Inandiak.
\nShe did not sing like Javanese female singers do; rather she
\nrecited suluk-suluk, or ancient Javanese lyrics.<\/p>\n
Only a few puppets were used instead of the hundreds at
\nordinary shadow plays.<\/p>\n
That was the scene at the 90-minute Wayang Kondom, or condom
\nshadow play, a collaboration between Slamet and Inandiak. That
\nnight at the Yogyakarta Bentara Budaya hall they took episodes
\nfrom the old manuscripts Serat Centhini (Centhini's Letters) and
\nMinggatnya Cebolang (Cebolang Left)<\/p>\n
Slamet said he was using condoms in his show to demonstrate
\nhis concern over the cluttering of morality in the country.<\/p>\n
\"As humans, we all have limits, but most of the time we just
\nstep over them. We forget that only God is limitless,\" said
\nSlamet.<\/p>\n
\"Our age has limits, wealth has limits, but the only thing
\nthat we can easily understand the limits of is a condom,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"I find the limitations in Cebolang's character. I picked
\ncondoms not for the sake of some bombastic cause, but because
\ncondoms are the only thing that people today understand the
\nlimits of,\" the stout puppeteer said.<\/p>\n
Minggatnya Cebolang tells the story of a handsome man, named
\nCebolang, who leaves his house to find his identity. Cebolang is
\na dancer and is portrayed as a bit feminine.<\/p>\n
Every time Cebolang dances, both women and men are charmed by
\nhis movements and his dancing eyes.<\/p>\n
Cebolang is the only child of Syekh Akhadiyat, a solemn
\nspiritual leader.<\/p>\n
In his adventures, Cebolang loses all understanding of
\ncommitment, morals and virtues. What matters to him is the
\npleasure of sex, so much so that he rapes the wife of a local
\nofficial whom he lusts after. He also savors a sexual adventure
\nwith an adipati (a regent in modern times).<\/p>\n
But Cebolang is only human, so there comes a point where he
\nmust end his adventure. This point, which he cannot resist, is
\nwhen he comes across the source of holy water, which purifies his
\nmind and heart.<\/p>\n
\"The Minggatnya Cebolang shows us how humans have limitations
\nand have to have principles in life, and not try to act as rivals
\nwith our Creator,\" Slamet said.<\/p>\n
For the show, the puppets were covered with condoms. Dozens of
\ncondoms were blown up like balloons and placed randomly around
\nthe stage.<\/p>\n
Inandiak, who initiated the translation of Serat Centhini into
\nFrench said she saw some resemblance in the themes of ancient
\nJavanese stories with ancient stories from other cultures.<\/p>\n
Slamet and Inandiak met at a cultural event in Surakarta last
\nmonth. During that first meeting Inandiak, told Slamet about her
\nrecent work translating the Javanese manuscript into French.<\/p>\n
They then agreed to collaborate to stage one of the episodes
\nfrom the manuscript.<\/p>\n
\"I want my years of work to be seen, in any form. It happened
\nthat I met Slamet and following a lengthy discussion we agreed to
\nthis shadow play medium,\" Inandiak said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kondom-shows-us-how-fragile-we-are-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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