Indonesia has not hosted a MotoGP motorcycle race in 25 years. The reason is because in this sweltering tropical country, rain is a constant threat to outdoor events. But there is a way to control the weather, and that is with the help of rain shamans.
In fact, hiring a rain worshiper (pawang hujan) – whose job it is to delay or redirect rain, or make it rain, if that is required – at large outdoor events is quite common practice in Indonesia. . So, the organizers of the MotoGP Pertamina Grand Prix 2022 event decided to summon Rara Istiani Wulandari, one of the country’s best rain shamans, to pray for a sunny day.
Rain shaman Rara Istiani Wulandari works in heavy rain ahead of the MotoGP Grand Prix in Indonesia.
Rara is a 38 year old woman from Bali. She has an impressive resume and is said to have proven her abilities at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, as well as at a soccer match in the 2018 AFC U-19 Cup.
Her work is mainly done behind the scenes, from a tent just outside the event venue, away from the audience’s eyes. But because it was pouring rain on the big day, the rain shaman had to be summoned to the racecourse. The image of a woman soaking wet in the rain, praying for better weather caused many people present at the event, as well as netizens to discuss, cheer, be amazed, or even mock and shame.
Rara’s image of chasing rain caused a lot of controversy.
It rained on the Mandalika track on Friday and Saturday during the preliminary races for the Grand Prix. “But only in the morning, so that the afternoons are just overcast and the riders feel at ease.”said Rara, explaining that some rain is needed to cool down the temperature of the racecourse.
The goal, she said, is to strike a balance between wet and dry, so that the cars don’t skid on the road but the drivers don’t get scorched by the sun either. But at around 3pm on Sunday, the time the main race was supposed to start, a downpour hit the Mandalika track. And that’s when Rara appeared.
Wearing a construction helmet, Rara walks barefoot on the track, holding incense sticks and a bronze bowl in her left hand and a mallet in her right hand. She walked on the track with her arms outstretched, her mouth constantly chanting towards the sky. She twirled the mallet around the rim of the bowl and then banged it, but its reverberation could not be heard by the din of the impatient crowd and the pouring rain.
Rara performs the ritual “casting the rain and calling for the sun”.
The ceremony lasted for more than an hour until the rain stopped. The track was still wet and risky, but the race started at 4pm. Driver Miguel Oliveira of Portugal finished first.
“It worked”, The official MotoGP account tweeted, with a praying hand emoji, in response to a previously posted video of Rara performing her ritual with the caption: “Master…”
Meanwhile, BT Sport’s MotoGP Twitter account tweeted: “Go home Shaman, we don’t pay you for this.”
Fabio Quartararo, who finished second, also joined the poke. One video shows the racer imitating Rara by banging around the rim of a paper bowl with a plastic spoon and laughing. This upsets some people. Many Twitter users have urged the parties to respect the local culture in Indonesia.
The runner-up had mocked Rara in a satirical fashion.
Some of Rara’s compatriots have praised her on social media, saying they are “proud” of her, a “contemporary national hero” of the country . Others lamented that she was “become a laughing stock”.
Indonesian Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno also spoke: “This is a culture that has its own charm.”
And Rara denied the criticism. “I have no problem with that because, like I said at the beginning, I’m doing this for Indonesia,” she shared with reporters after the race.
And on top of that, it looks like the MotoGP contract is proving to be a good step in her career. Another motorcycle race representative, Isle of Man TT Races, asked Rara on Twitter: “Can we book an appointment from May 29 to June 10?”
Refer Vice