MAIN TOPIC
WAYANG S h o u l d Tell a Story T
he history of wayang as a performing art has been so long. The Balitung inscription (907 AD) which contains the words Galigi Mawayang proves the existence of wayang performances at that time. Centuries later, the designation of wayang as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on November 7, 2003 confirmed
the existence of wayang as one of the pinnacles of cultural achievement, a masterpiece of the intangible oral cultural heritage of the Indonesian nation. To commemorate that moment, the government set November 7 as National Puppet Day referring to Presidential Decree Number 30 of 2018 concerning National Puppet Day. Further complementing its prestige, wayang was inscribed into UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage through a session in Istanbul, Turkey on November 4-9, 2008.
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6 INDONESIANA VOL. 13, 2022
