Five Indonesian Silat Athletes Perform at Qatar National Sport Day
- ANTARA
VIVA – Indonesia’s Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry sent five professional athletes of traditional martial art or Indonesian known as Pencak silat, commonly practiced in the Indonesian archipelago and Southeast Asia, for Qatar National Sport Day on February 14, 2023.
The performance of the five Indonesian professional pugilists who flew directly from Jakarta was facilitated by the Directorate General of Culture in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy, the Association of Indonesian Communities, Qatar Foundations, and the Qatar Museum.
"This aims to introduce the richness of Indonesian culture and traditional sport," Culture Director General at the Ministry, Hilmar Farid stated in a statement on Wednesday.
Hilmar said the series of events located at Multaqa Plaza, Qatar aimed to introduce the richness of Indonesian culture and traditional sports while celebrating the Qatar-Indonesia Years of Culture 2023.
The silat athletes not only showcased their talents in front of the world but also provided pencak silat training directly to the people of Qatar.
According to Farid, this is an honor for Indonesia because it can participate in the Qatar Indonesia Year of Culture 2023 series because pencak silat has all the elements that make up intangible cultural heritage.
Pencak silat tradition consists of performing arts, rituals and festivals, traditional crafts, social knowledge and practices, and local wisdom.
"Indonesian pencak silat is also one of the sports that has achieved many achievements at the international level," said Hilmar.
He explained that there is something pride in the pencak silat tradition, which has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2019.
The coronation was carried out at the 14th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Bogota, Colombia, on December 9-14, 2019.
Pencak silat is an original Indonesian culture which in some regions is also a sport that has been passed down by ancestors from generation to generation and has been recognized by the world.
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