Floating on water

Felicia Katz-Harris. 2010. Inside the Puppet Box: A Performance Collection of Wayang Kulit at the Museum of International Folk Art. New Mexico/Seattle and London: Museum of International Folk Art in association with University of Washington Press. 200 p, fully illustrated, ISBN: 9780295990743

Indonesia is an interesting country. On the one hand, it tries to maintain its traditional folk culture and arts and is keen on having its cultural assets acknowledged by the international community. It does so by entering proposals to a variety of UNESCO programs and by accepting international funds from donor agencies to preserve its cultural heritage. Its heritage is also an object of keen discussions, especially if Indonesia is convinced that Malaysia is appropriating part of what Indonesia sees as its own national cultural heritage, and not that of Malaysia, despite the large numbers of ethnic Indonesians who have lived in Malaysia for generations.

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