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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Lifestyle
Aisyah Llewellyn

Weathering the storm at the MotoGP: Indonesia’s rain shamans

Mbak Rara's rituals at the Mandalika Circuit drew worldwide attention [Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP]

Medan, Indonesia – Damai Santoso, who also uses the name Amaq Daud, lives 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) away from the Mandalika International Street Circuit which hosted the MotoGP Grand Prix earlier this month on the Indonesian island of Lombok.

The MotoGP, the first time Indonesia had hosted the race since 1997, went viral thanks to an unexpected interlude by 39-year-old Rara Istiati Wulandari, who took to the circuit barefoot and armed only with a singing bowl and incense, as a thunderstorm battered the track.

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