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Solo. While his friends fool around with video games and other electronic gadgets, Rafael Wicaksono Hadi is studying the ancient art of puppetry under the watchful eye of local puppet master Ki Mudjiono.

“My favorite character is Bagong. He is very funny,” Rafa said, referring to Ki Lurah Bagong, the youngest son of the character Semar in a puppet play that was originally developed in Central and East Java.

According to his mother Purnamasari, Rafa, who is just five years old, has been studying the art of puppetry for more than two years.

“Rafa has been fascinated with puppetry since he was three,” Purnamasari said. “He was really keen to tell his own story when we first gave him a leather puppet. Now, Rafa studies puppetry with Ki Mudjiono.”

The proud mother added that her son’s self-confidence had grown since he began performing in public.

Rafa studies puppetry in Mudjiono’s workshop every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon.

“He studies for two hours each session. My son likes it a lot,” said Harry Hadi, Rafa’s father. “He can speak with the strong voice of Bima, the delicate voice of Kresna and the old but strong voice of Semar or the beautiful Srikandi.”

Sometimes, Hadi said, Rafa creates his own narratives for puppet shows.

Mudjiono, who owns the Seni Sarotama workshop in Gunungsari, Central Java, said children had been playing with leather puppets for generations.

“If someone wants to study puppetry, they need to use a real leather puppet,” said Mudjiono, who also teaches traditional Javanese songs and orchestral music.

Mudjiono said that puppet stories usually had a strong moral message and should be taught to elementary school students as early as possible.

“There are a lot of characters,” he said. “The children can learn much from these characters and understand the relationship between the body and the gestures, and can also master hundreds of kinds of voices for the characters.”

Sugeng Santoso, a child education expert, said that puppetry was a spiritual and cultural treasure that should be introduced to more children.

“Moreover, there is a great lesson in every story,” Sugeng said. “Children can also learn from the process of creating the story.”