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In the age of television, DVDs and the Internet, it’s hard to keep an ancient art form like wayang alive. But there are people who are doing all they can to make sure the curtain does not fall on the nation’s iconic art of puppetry.

“I remember I used to enjoy wayang on the radio with my father when I was a child,” said Radix Dwianto Hidayat, 28, an entrepreneur.

Dede Haris, 26, a marketing executive, also has fond childhood memories of the wayang. He said the art used to be his favorite form of entertainment. “I used to watch wayang shows on [government-owned television station] TVRI,” he said.

Interest in the art form, however, has waned. “Things have changed now. I don’t see wayang on TV anymore,” Dede said.

While wayang — literally translated as shadow — is largely associated with puppets, the art form actually has dozens of permutations, which make use of puppets or live actors.

In 2003, wayang was even named by Unesco as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

“With this achievement, wayang is no longer owned by the people of Indonesia, but also people of the world,” said Kumoratih Kushardjanto, a producer at Gelar, a company dedicated to promoting Indonesian arts and culture through performances ranging from traditional music to plays.

“It’s so sad to know that our young people love the cultures from other countries more than their own, including wayang,” Radix said.

He added ruefully that young people in Indonesia were flocking to festivals celebrating characters from Japanese manga comics.

“It’s very ironic to see how they are more proud of wearing those Japanese costumes than wayang costumes,” he said.

But the fight to keep wayang alive is far from over. Various groups have made it their mission to actively promote the art form. The Bentara Budaya cultural center in Palmerah,

West Jakarta, for example, recently concluded a week of wayang performances, along with a party to launch a wayang-themed book. The events were organized partly to raise awareness of the ancient tradition among young people.

“In small cities like Solo and Yogyakarta where wayang has deep roots, wayang is still the people’s favorite means of entertainment,” Kumoratih said.

The Bogor chapter of the Persatuan Dalang Indonesia (Indonesian Puppeteer Association) recently brought wayang to middle schools to raise awareness among the students.

Shahlan Rasyidi, the chairman of the association, said the Dalang Masuk Sekolah (Puppeteers Enter School) program was the first of its kind in the country.

Thirty-six schools in Bogor agreed to let 14 puppeteers hold workshops for their freshmen students on the art form.

“In the future, we’re expecting more schools to sign up,” Shahlan said in an interview posted on the Bogor district’s official site, www.kotabogor.go.id.

According to Kumoratih, wayang still plays an important role at cultural and religious ceremonies in places like Java and Bali.

She added, however, that it is alarming how most wayang enthusiasts are adults who have rediscovered the art form only after growing up.

“In big cities like Jakarta, the condition is so much worse,” she said.

“Nobody really talks about wayang anymore. From a general perspective, I would say wayang has not yet vanished, but people are forgetting.”

She said that if nothing was done, it was very possible that young Indonesians would have to learn about wayang through old photographs, or worse, from other countries.

Kumoratih said it was a national shame that wayang is now largely unnoticed in its birthplace. “We should actually be proud of wayang because even the world has recognized its value,” she said.

According to Kumoratih, wayang predates the Hindu Majapahit Kingdom, which existed from 1293 to about 1500, based on archeologists’ findings.

This form of theater is believed to have sprung as the result of a cultural collision between Indian traders and local residents.

Among the popular forms still practiced today, wayang kulit is regarded as the most sacred and iconic.

A wayang kulit puppet is flat, made of buffalo leather and mounted on a wooden stick. The puppet is manipulated behind a white screen lit from behind, casting a shadow for the audience.

Another popular type of wayang is wayang golek , widely practiced in West Java. Unlike wayang kulit, wayang golek are wooden puppets operated by rods connected to the hands, body and head of the puppet.

A wayang puppet show is performed by a master of the craft known as the dalang . Performances can last for hours.

“The show usually runs from 8 p.m until four in the morning,” Kumoratih said.

During the height of its popularity, wayang was the dominant form of entertainment and the means by which lessons on life and morality were imparted, Kumoritah said.

The dalang drew on the Indian epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana as their main inspiration and the stories were usually adapted to the situations people faced every day, creating new local folk tales.

“Wayang stories teach you many good things like tolerance and respecting others,” Dede said.

He acknowledged, however, that he no longer watched performances of the art, but said: “If more people watch or read wayang stories, I believe that there won’t be as many clashes between groups like we have at the moment.”

“By watching wayang, you can also learn about our history and cultural identity,” Radix added.

Well aware of the medium’s importance, kings used wayang to politically influence their subjects, Kumoratih said.

The nine revered Islamic saints, known as the wali songo , also used wayang to spread Islam throughout Indonesia. “Wayang was considered as the perfect PR tool at the time,” she said.

According to Kumoratih, President Suharto, also used wayang as a communications tool to spread the importance of family planning.

“It was a very successful campaign,” she said.

Kumoratih and other wayang enthusiasts believe that now is the time to restore the art form to its previous glory.

With that end in mind, the Sekretariat Nasional Pewayangan Indonesia (Indonesian National Secretariat of Wayang), a group of wayang experts, in collaboration with Gelar, is preparing for the eighth Indonesian Wayang Week in October 2011.

The first Wayang Week was held in 1970 and it’s been 10 years since the last one. Organizers said that they were committed to using the opportunity to strengthen Indonesia’s position as the world capital of puppet theater.

The event will feature numerous styles of wayang and will also invite young Indonesians to show their creative ideas on the ancient art form.

“To attract the young people’s attention, wayang has to be fully repackaged,” Dede said.

Kumoritah said that today’s dalang must find ways to keep the theater relevant while staying true to its core traditions.

“We should let the young people play with their creativity and imagination to develop wayang,” she said.

“They can use wayang characters in stories with modern settings, for example. In today’s world, the context is no longer important.”

Without taking out its soul, “You need to put wayang on any modern media, be it the Internet, comic books or even T-shirts,” Kumoratih said.