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Mahita Valluri: In this bonus episode, you are about to listen to a snippet of a 19th century Javanese manuscript being recited in the style of old performances held in the royal court of Yogyakarta. This recital is organised by the Komunitas Jangkah Nusantra. The Jangkah are a youth-led group of philologists, who play a key role in digitising and preserving manuscripts and the performance traditions that are associated with them.
The text within Javanese manuscripts is considered to be potent, and it was not typically meant to be read by everyone. The majority of the Javanese accessed the knowledge and stories within manuscripts through other visual and oral mediums of performance—such as Wayang (shadow theatre) or recitals. These recitals organised by the Jangkah activate the oral function of manuscripts that have been disconnected in the non-digital landscape for far too long.
This snippet is an extract from the Serat Menak, which is written by Kiai Muhammad Kiramu in the early 19th Century. It was found in Gunung kidul, Yogyakarta and it is a narrative on the heroics of Amir Hamzah, the paternal uncle of Prophet Muhammad.
This performance was organised by Komunitas Jangkah Nusantra on 30th September 2023, and you can listen to the full recital on their youtube channel, or watch it below: