Is it curtains for Samarinda's shadow puppets?

Is it curtains for Samarinda's shadow puppets?

By Sutoro T.

Wayang Banjar, the traditional shadow puppet art of Samarinda in East Kalimantan, is dying out, unable to compete with more sophisticated folk arts brought in by migrants.

Younger Banjar natives have not taken up the fight to save their homegrown cultural treasure. They are indifferent to the tradition and attracted to the influx of new arts.

Chief of East Kalimantan's arts development office Hasan Basri acknowledged wayang Banjar was close to disappearing.

He said the reason was the loss of popularity.

It has been eclipsed by more sophisticated Javanese folk arts like the Javanese shadow puppet, ketoprak (theater with a historical background) and wayang orang, which are theatrical performances based on the Mahabarata and Ramayana epics. These Javanese arts enjoy huge popularity, evident from the many people who turn out for performances.

Wayang Banjar is in fact only one of East Kalimantan's native arts teetering on the brink of extinction due to loss of public interest. In the past, the arts were performed at various community and family events.

Wayang Banjar was introduced by artists from Banjarmasin, now the capital city of South Kalimantan, who migrated to East Kalimantan. Once one of the most popular performing arts in the area, today's performances attract only a handful of spectators.

Before the Javanese migrants' dominated the art scene in Samarinda, wayang Banjar was the main attraction in every family festivity, like circumcisions, weddings and thanksgiving parties as well as celebrations of national holidays.

The provincial government claims to have tried everything to save the wayang but the efforts appear to have been in vain. The younger people show no interest in the art form.

Several cultural centers have initiated training programs aimed at reintroducing the art to the younger generation. They reported that participants drop out one by one until eventually none are left.

It has amazed cultural observers because unlike the Javanese shadow puppet, wayang Banjar uses simpler equipment and musical instruments.

There is only one living dalang (puppet master) of the wayang Banjar and he is very old. When he dies, the tradition appears set to die with him.

-- Antara