Puppeteer Tizar a one-man show for Betawi arts

Emiria Wijayanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

On most days of the week, apart from now and then stopovers by tourists, Jl. Surabaya in Menteng, Central Jakarta, seems quiet and deserted. It's a pity, for it is home to some of the best -- or at least, intriguing -- examples of Indonesian art forms.

Inside stall number 109, sitting atop an ordinary plastic stool amid various masks, wayang (puppets) and statues stacked on the shelves and decked on the walls, Tizar Purbaya tells the tale of his life as a dalang (puppet master) and of his newest venture, The Wayang Golek Lenong Betawi.

Born in Banten to a Betawi (native Jakartan) father and a Banten mother, he was brought to Jakarta when he was just 40 days old.

"Since I was young, I loved to watch art shows, especially wayang golek (Sundanese puppets). I would sit in the box to help the dalang retrieve the wayang," said Tizar, 54.

After joining Teater Kecil repertory group under the late Arifin C. Noer in 1969, where he studied acting and picked up his own stock of philosophical stories, Tizar met a Swiss woman, who would later become his wife. Her encouragement helped Tizar realize his childhood dreams of becoming a dalang.

"On her birthday, I gave her a wayang golek as a present, then she asked me, 'why don't you become a dalang?' It reminded me of my childhood and how I was very fond of wayang, even putting on shows with my friends as the audience. It was then when I thought why don't I become a dalang?"

In 1972, Tizar started studying to become a dalang and put on his first show two years later at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM).

"I was a young dalang and also a member of the theater, and the way I did my shows was considered a bit controversial. There was satire, and social and political criticism were featured in my shows. I was named one of the dalang that had to be closely monitored."

In his book Wayang, Tizar's efforts are best described by the stories he played in his wayang shows. His many stories have a certain political flavor to them, something Tizar stands proudly by.

"I believe that my stories were quite good and, more importantly they were needed, because there was no point in narrating historical stories that were irrelevant to the time. I wanted to tell a story that was in line with the conditions and needs of the people at that time."

His gifts as a dalang have brought him to various countries.

"I've been to Japan more than 10 times and I will leave for Japan again on September 13."

His involvement in the art of the wayang grew deeper when he opened a store in Pasar Seni Ancol in North Jakarta.

"Pasar Seni was a great place back then," he said. "It was a home for artists, and I would spend more time there then I did at home. At the time, the wayang business went extremely well and we continued to improve. Nowadays, I have a store here in Jl. Surabaya, too, because the prominence of Pasar Seni seems to have dwindled ever since it was transferred to the hands of the city government."

He speaks wistfully of the art market's heyday in the past tense, comparing it with Jl. Surabaya.

"Jalan Surabaya, with its autodidactic management, still speaks as a tourist destination in Jakarta. We've had president Clinton pass by here when he was in Jakarta, and more recently former president Jimmy Carter."

The ups and downs of the wayang business did not diminish Tizar's enthusiasm to further development of new types of wayang.

He started to develop a new technique of creating wayang orang -- human-like puppets, compared to the wayang kulit (shadow puppets) -- based on photographs of people.

"I had an employee named Pak Encang and we'd work together to shape the faces of our wayang orang based on photos."

Although Pak Encang's advancing age brought to an end his wayang-making days, Yakub, another member of Tizar's staff, continues his work.

"We were requested to make wayang of George Bush and his wife. Usually, we make wayang of company members who are leaving. We usually dress our wayang in traditional Javanese clothing, complete with a blangkon (Javanese cap)."

Soon, political change in the country would also spur a new artistic direction.

"The May 1998 (riots) resulted in many foreigners leaving the country. They would leave no message, having already ordered a wayang to be made from their portraits. I thought to myself, 'what I am going to do with all these puppets?' That was when I came upon the idea that I would make a new type of wayang called Wayang Golek Betawi," he said.

"I wanted to create an original Betawi art form, so I adopted the lenong (traditional Betawi comedy theater) as a theme, only this time the lenong would be visualized by the puppets."

Governor Sutiyoso attended the first performance in 2001

"It elicited a positive response, I went on to perform in many locations, including the Wayang Museum and TIM. One establishment that is well known for its interest in the wayang culture is (Muslim organization) Muhammadiyah and I performed for them to tremendous appreciation."

Tizar has performed such famous Betawi folk tales as Si Pitung and Si Jampang. He attributes the success of his new art form to its ageless representation of what it means to be a Jakartan.

"It's very communicative with the Betawi lifestyle. There might be the Wayang Kulit Betawi, but often times that features Javanese wayang, Sundanese gamelan and songs, and the story would is about the Ramayana or Mahabarata -- it's only the language that is Betawi," he said.

"Whereas the features of Wayang Golek Lenong Betawi hail strictly from Betawi (culture). It's created in Betawi, the story is from Betawi, the gamelan comes from Gambang Kromong Betawi with Betawi language."

On Aug. 28, he will perform at the National Archives building in West Jakarta, and on Sept. 4, the stage of TIM will be transformed into the bridges of Ancol, as Tizar will perform a rendition of Si Manis Jembatan Ancol.

Of course, there is always the lurking fear about who will take over his reins one day.

"My worry for the Wayang Golek Lenong Betawi is its continuation, I do not want it to start and end with me. I'd like to see the city government become more involved, maybe making a course for Betawi youngsters on the art of puppetry," he said, noting that courses should also be put on for other cultural forms, such as dance.

"We have a building very far away in Situbabakan, whereas the Sundanese have Gedung Mis Tjitjih, the Javanese have Wayang Orang Bharata building (in Jakarta). The Betawi people have nothing, even though this is Jakarta ..."

Native Jakartan culture seems to have been passed over, the dances, puppets and tradition of story-telling forgotten among all the grander, headline-grabbing schemes and the soft pitter- patter of deer hooves in the National Monument (Monas) park.

Tizar fears time is running out to save the arts.

"Efforts should be more intensive because many aspects of the Betawi culture have either been lost or pushed to the periphery."

Tizar Purbaya can be contacted at 0811883755.