Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine April 2018 | Page 106

Travel | Pacitan
104
There are several spots to surf in
Pacitan bay suitable for beginner
and intermediate surfers.
I was fortunate to be in Donorojo that afternoon to see how
the young and old generations interact and collaborate
to keep wayang beber alive.
where stories are told using images on large
scrolls. Historian Marcel Bonneff has explained
that wayang beber is a sequential art form that is
part of the history of comic art in Indonesia.
In order to gain a more complete understanding
of wayang beber, I met Tri Ganjar Wicaksono,
a young man who is a performer of contemporary
wayang beber. Along with several other youths,
he founded the group Wayang Beber Sakbendino
(Wayang Beber Every Day), and in 2017
performed every night, joining up with various
Pacitan communities. “We wanted to make
wayang beber into an everyday event and raise
awareness among the people of Pacitan that they
have a valuable cultural heritage,” said Ganjar,
who has performed wayang beber in various
countries. This year they will perform in Japan,
in collaboration with an orchestra there.
The next day, Ganjar and two other youths
who are active in wayang beber took me to
Donorojo village. There we met Supani, who
continues to perform wayang beber regularly
in a traditional and sacred style. Through our
conversation, Supani told me many things, one
of which was about the history of traditional
wayang beber performers, who pass the art down
along kinship lines through families. As the
latest generation, Supani’s family will pass
down original wayang beber artefacts in aged
condition that are more than 800 years old.
I was fortunate to be in Donorojo that
afternoon to see how the young and old
generations interact and collaborate to keep
wayang beber alive. One hope arises within me,
that this art form still has a future in
the hands of the young.
5 Senses – Touch
WAVE HUNTING
Pacitan has a coastline with
waves that are tempting to surfers.
You can visit Pancer and Watukarung
beaches, which have already becom