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Uncertain future hangs over Jakarta’s ‘ondel-ondel’ buskers
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Ondel-ondel puppets are set to be banned from street performances as part of a move to elevate Betawi culture.
PHOTO: AFP
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JAKARTA – Since losing his janitorial job in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Nuriman Firmansyah has been spending his nights donning ondel-ondel and performing on the streets of Jakarta to make a living.
But the 23-year-old is on the verge of losing his livelihood again, as the Jakarta administration is soon to issue a regulation that would ban the use of the giant effigies in street performances.
