Puppet show in Suriname

Puppet show in Suriname

Suriname, a small country formerly under Dutch rule, is part
of Latin America. Part of its citizens are of Javanese origin.

President Soeharto paid a visit to the country recently when
interesting things happened. One of them was about the Javanese
language which became obvious when the President held a speech
and held a discussion with these Javanese from Suriname.

However, what I really would like to bring to your attention
concerns Javanese art, especially the leather puppet show, which
is not only in bad shape there, it seems to be dying. We read
this piece of information in the Surabaya Post, which further
disclosed that there are three puppeteers left in Suriname. Two
of them stay in the Netherlands, leaving the last of them alone
in the capital.

Based on the above and being a Javanese boy, I would like to
suggest that the government appoints noted puppeteers as roving
ambassadors, or as teachers to revive the narrating art of
Javanese puppet show in its original form. The government might
like to establish a school for puppeteers to instruct potential
narrators of this art.

It would be a matter of ultimate pride to Indonesia if our
culture were to be revived on alien soil. The presence of
potential narrators in Suriname would be of great benefit to this
art.

Another reason for my suggestion to establish a school for
puppeteers is because narrators in Suriname still feature a style
that has long been declared "passe", as shown by one puppeteer
from Suriname during the puppeteers competition recently in
Surabaya. The difference between the local puppet show and theirs
is quite apparent, they seem to have little knowledge of gamelan
music and the acts were quite limited. Now, isn't that a pity?

SARONO

Yogyakarta