Saturday, 28 August 2010
Australian-Born Puppeteer Falls for Adopted Indonesia, Its Culture
 There are many ways to love Indonesia, says Gaura Mancacaritadipura, a well known
shadow puppeteer and cultural expert. Gaura, a former Australian citizen, fell
in love with Indonesia when he first visited the country as a senior high school
student in 1968. “I traveled all over Java and I was very attracted to Indonesia
because of the culture,” Gaura told the Jakarta Globe, prompting a second visit
just two years later. “It was the first time I saw Bali and I told myself that
‘this is home,’” Gaura said.
Born in Melbourne 57 years ago, Gaura left Australia to take up permanent residence
in Indonesia in 1978. Working as a freelance writer and consultants for various
publications and organizations, his love for art spurred him to study many aspects
of Indonesian culture, including traditional musical instruments. Javanese leather
puppets, or wayang, however, proved his greatest interest.
“I started studying wayang in 1997. It was so intriguing for me because wayang
is very noble and very beautiful,” Gaura said. It took him seven years to fully
master the art, which also required him to learn Javanese and master the stories
of Ramayana and Mahabharata. “It’s not easy to learn wayang, especially in the
beginning. The music, the language, it is definitely a challenge,” he said.
In 2003, news about the foreign dalang (puppet master) reached Sri Sunan Pakubuwono
XII, the head of the Surakarta Palace in Solo, Central Java, who invited Gaura
for a private performance.
“The king gave me a noble title of Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung, which makes me a
member of the palace,” he said, adding that Pakubuwono also bestowed him with
the name Gaura Mancacaritadipura. It is the name Gaura listed when he was granted
citizenship by the government in 2004.
“I love the country so much and the people, the culture. If I could choose, I
would ask to have been born in Indonesia,” he said. The dalang is also involved
in writing nomination files for UNESCO for wayang, kris ceremonial daggers and
batik be included on the list of intangible cultural heritage.
“My current project is to have angklung [traditional musical instruments] and
nine traditional dances from Bali included on the UNESCO list as well,” he said.
Gaura extended his best wishes and hopes for the country’s 65 anniversary of independence
on August 17. “As Indonesia tries to shift to modernization, traditional art and
culture are becoming neglected. I feel culture should be safeguarded and maintained.
Happy anniversary my beloved Indonesia. Merdeka! (Freedom!)”
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