Master puppeteer Tejo shares his skills

Mehru Jaffer, Contributor, Jakarta

History shows that the rise of any new cultural form may produce a conflict within the domain of the culture itself, particularly with religion.

But 39-year-old Sujiwo Tejo, a dalang (master puppeteer), does not fear that the resurgence of Islam in this country will not put off the audience from enjoying the Javanese celebrated wayang (shadow puppet) theater.

He feels that the new awakening cannot wipe away all that is embedded in the sacred recess of the soul of this country from a thousand years ago. He is prepared for the clash that is expected between what is, and what would be.

As far as he is concerned, there is the birth, after any battle, of something fresh, which is always more interesting and dynamic than what has been, Tejo explains.

In a bid to produce a better appreciation of the Javanese shadow puppet play by foreign youngsters at the Jakarta International School (JIS), Tejo will meet over 200 students 15 years to 18 years old at several workshops from Jan. 8 to Jan. 11 at the school complex in South Jakarta.

The night-long puppet performances tell centuries-old tales, primarily based on the Mahabharata and Ramayana, the famous epic of Hindu origin.

The Mahabharata first tickled the imagination of the Javanese even before it was rendered into their language way back in the 10th century. According to archeological records the date of the first recitation here is reported to be in 996.

Since then both heroes and hermits, along with their adventures from the prehistoric epic, have taken on a most local color and pervade every sphere of Indonesian life.

The mythology is woven into suluk (Javanese mystical poems) that proceed to ponder in a most effective way all the riddles of life that puzzle human beings, combined with powerful performances that are rich in rite and ritual.

"For all those who care to listen there is great wisdom in the way the stories are told," says Tejo, who was introduced to wayang while he still played at the lap of Soetejo, his father and a traditional puppeteer from the East Java town of Jember.

Out of Soetejo's six children, Tejo is the only one to have followed in the footsteps of his father. However, when Soetejo eventually saw a wayang performance by his son, he was horrified.

Unlike his father, Tejo grew up to specialize in wayang acappella where he does away with the paraphernalia of the traditional gamelan to make music with a live orchestra of about 15 vocalists, including himself.

Before Soetejo died in 1996, he was to see Tejo perform again. Although the elderly puppetmaster was never full of praise, Tejo recalls that later he was not as critical either.

MTV obviously rates Tejo differently, and honored him with the best performance and best new artist award of 1998. This was for his composition and singing in the musical album Pada Suatu Ketika (Once in a while). The prestigious MTV award also introduced him to a larger audience, beyond the borders of Java.

What Tejo is trying to do with his art is to keep the traditional spirit of wayang alive. But he insists on being allowed to use his creativity to make sure that his performances do not just entertain but are relevant to the dreams and aspirations of the younger generation.

Tejo, who spends much of his time flirting with the color gray, thought that confusion would emanate in the minds of children if they were forced to believe that black was wholly bad and white good.

His courage to introduce something new to the ancient art is to show that life is always full of options.

At some stage Catherine Jones, an English teacher at the JIS discovered Tejo's passion for sharing the wisdom of his ancestors, especially with young people.

Catherine is of course aware that, with a population of more than 200 million, Indonesia remains the largest Muslim country in the world. The predawn voice of the muezzin (call to prayer) from the neighborhood mosque often acts as her wake-up call. And she is most accustomed by now to seeing women with the traditional jilbab or head covering.

But she also keeps bumping into an array of characters and customs that seem distinctly un-Islamic but are yet treated here as if sacrosanct.

She thought it would be a real pity if she left Indonesia without knowing why so many women here refer to their sweethearts as Arjuna, former president Abdurrahman Wahid was constantly compared to Semar, or Hutomo Mandala Putra, "Tommy" Suharto, was often called Wisanggeni. All the characters are from the Mahabharata.

She discussed these characters and thoughts with her high school students who admitted that they too were not aware of many aspects of what the people of their host country were most proud of.

They were excited at the suggestion that Tejo could visit the JIS campus to bridge the gap between their own view of the world and that of people here.

Besides, it is part of the JIS philosophy to help students to attain an international perspective, with a commitment to world citizenship and a sensitivity toward and appreciation of Indonesian and world cultures.