Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia’s Minister of Culture Fadli Zon on Monday opened the 2025 Kasundan International Silat Camp (KISC) at the RAA Adjiwidjaja Sports Complex in West Java. The event highlight the traditional martial art as both a vital part of national heritage and a tool for cultural diplomacy.
“KISC 2025 is a key initiative to strengthen preservation, promotion, and diplomacy through pencak silat, which UNESCO recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 12, 2019,” Fadli said in his opening remarks.
The UNESCO recognition reflects pencak silat’s unique blend of mental-spiritual discipline, performance art, sport, and philosophy rooted in Indonesian culture.
Now in its third edition, KISC carries the theme “Introducing Indonesian Art and Culture through Ulin, Ulik, and Usik” (meaning tourism, knowledge exchange, and performance) offering participants an immersive experience of Sundanese culture and pencak silat through local storytelling, martial arts techniques, and artistic showcases.
First launched in 2018, the event draws practitioners, preservationists, and enthusiasts from around the world. It serves not only as a training forum but also as a cultural exchange platform that builds international networks for pencak silat preservation.
Fadli underscored that events like KISC align with Indonesia’s constitutional mandate to promote national culture on the global stage. Quoting Article 32 of the 1945 Constitution, he said, “Through activities like KISC, we fulfill our constitutional duty to advance Indonesian culture within global civilization.”
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Recalling his time at the London School of Economics in 2003, Fadli spoke of witnessing an Indonesian delegation perform pencak silat in the UK. “I was proud to see pencak silat on the world stage. It’s a powerful form of cultural diplomacy,” he said.
The minister also noted pencak silat’s growing global profile through films and the success of Indonesian martial arts actors such as Iko Uwais. “This is a momentum we must seize,” he added.
Fadli pledged continued ministry support for KISC and similar initiatives, aiming to build a sustainable cultural ecosystem and strengthen Indonesia’s cultural strategy globally.
(Raidi/Agung)
