A teacher at an orphanage in the Indonesian city of Tangerang, Hendrawan dons a colourful clown costume, replete with white and pink face makeup and a red nose, to teach reading. The self-dubbed "sharia clown" focuses on Islamic studies during the fasting month of Ramadan.
"When we ask children to recite the Koran, it is a bit difficult. But if there are clowns, they feel they go to the classroom with some purpose," Hendrawan said. The 38-year-old rides to the orphanage every day during Ramadan with his five-year-old son, Mirza, dressed as a baby clown with outsized glasses and a wig with a shock of yellow and orange hair.
The father and son usually spend about an hour applying makeup before meeting the children, including those from a community reading group.Yahya Edward Hendrawan, a 38-year-old Indonesian teacher, puts on makeup as he prepares to dress up as a clown before teaching at a boarding school, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at his library in Tangerang, Banten province, Indonesia, April 21, 2021. Picture taken April 21, 2021.
Hendrawan now takes on part-time entertainment jobs and insists on including religious values and literacy programmes in his performances."He helps children build an interest in reading, which will reduce the time they spend playing with phones or gadgets, and have a tremendous impact on their development," said Junaedi, the parent of a child who attends Hendrawan's reading classes, who like many Indonesians, goes by one name.
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