Utami Diah Kusumawati, Contributor, Jakarta | People | Fri, May 23 2014, 1:36 PM
Most shadow or leather puppeteers in Indonesia portray characters based on the classic Mahabarata and Ramayana epics.
However, there are some puppeteers in Tegal, Central Java, who use wooden golek cepak to explore diverse local characters.
“Each village in Tegal has its own fascinating tale,” Sri Waluyo, a Tegal-born dalang, or puppeteer, said at the Jakarta Arts Building (GKJ) last month.
The 36-year-old often manipulates his golek cepak puppets to tell tales of Tegal that were originally compiled by his great-grandfather, Pahing, a dalang from Balamoa, Tegal.
Recently, however, golek cepak performances can only be seen in two villages in Tegal, Balamoa and Pagiyanten.
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