THE IRON GAMELAN AND THE LAST PUPPETEER: PERFORMING ARTS AND IDENTITY OF THE JAVANESE DIASPORA IN SURINAME

Abstract

The Surinamese-Javanese are a diasporic ethnic minority in Suriname which possess a unique cultural heritage. Their heritage in the present-day comprises of inherited traditions from Java, and the experiences of 3-4 generations living in multi-ethnic Suriname. This essay first unpacks the complexities and heterogeneity of Surinamese-Javanese cultural identity. It explores the various ways that their ‘Javanessness’ is strengthened or weakened, based on the varied experiences of the Surinamese-Javanese in the aspects of age, urban migration, and interethnic relations. These varied experiences therefore create a multidimensional ethnic identity. Secondly, this essay argues that the Surinamese-Javanese community uses traditional Javanese performing arts, specifically gamelan (Javanese percussion orchestra) and wayang (Javanese shadow puppetry), are sites to express, perform, and contest their Surinamese-Javanese identity. Examining Surinamese-Javanese arts reveals a common pattern of localisation, where differences from the Javan forms arise due to Surinamese experiences. Thirdly, Surinamese gamelan and wayang are sites where soft power is exercised in the form of cultural exchanges from Jakarta, which the Surinamese-Javanese exercise agency in benefitting from or resisting foreign influences. Given their agency in negotiating and manipulating their ethnocultural identities, the Surinamese-Javanese community are established to not be a powerless ethnic minority.