Amorphohpallus titanum. Titan Arum. Bunga Bangkai (Bahasa Indonesia).

Sumatera. Well known world-wide for its bizarre gigantic 'flower', this plant is now becoming rare partly due to harvesting from the wild. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney is collaborating with the Indonesian Botanic Gardens with the initial aim of demonstrating that this plant can be successfully multiplied using locally applicable vegative propogation techniques.

A successful venture such as this with Indonesia is great news. Other cross pollination of ideas, arts and entertainment would be very welcome. It could help minimise any troubling notions that arise between our two countries.


A stylized puppet from Indonesia.
Wayang kulit are shadow puppets 0f carved leather.
This example could be based on the wayang kulit or on the wayang klitik which, I believe, are the flat wooden puppets of East Java.
A puppet performance may be based on the Hindu epics: the Ramayana and the Mahabharata or on any social or political topic as I understand it.