The Universitas Trunojoyo Madura (UTM) has received an invitation from Singapore to attend a cross-cultural discussion on pencak silat at the Pendekar Temasek Academy, on June 8, 2024.
A delegation from UTM was warmly welcomed by Uncle Iskandar Muda and his students at the Pendekar Temasek Academy.
In this visit, they mutually engage in learning, particularly concerning the history of pencak silat, various styles of pencak silat, and the significance of each technique in pencak silat.
In its history, Pencak Silat is a traditional martial art originating from Indonesia.
Until now, the existence of martial arts from Indonesia has also been recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. This designation was made during the 14th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Bogota, Colombia, from December 9th to 14th, 2019.
In its development, this martial art is widely known in Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand.
It is worth noting that fundamentally, the naming of martial arts techniques in Indonesia (especially in Java) and Singaporean silat are nearly identical.
Surokim, S.Sos., M.Si., Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Cooperation of UTM, elucidated that this activity is an effort to strengthen the Malay ethnic identity in Indonesia.
"In essence, the martial art of pencak silat in Indonesia (Java) and Singapore share similar names for their techniques. However, what distinguishes them is the style of the techniques. For instance, in Pendekar Temasek, they employ the style of tiger techniques, whereas in Indonesia, there are streams that utilize styles such as monkey techniques and others," said Surokim.
As a Malay ethnic group with a majority of Muslims, the meaning contained in each move is almost the same, namely the teachings of Islam. Surokim explained about the movements and poses that actually contain Islamic values and propagation within them.
"In one of the hand and arm positions resembling the word 'Muhammad,' it signifies that a martial artist must always remember and adhere to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, even in times of adversity," he expressed.
At the conclusion of the discussion session, the delegation from UTM was given four copies of the book "Pendekar Silat Temasek" by Uncle Iskandar Muda.
Not only did they attend the Pendekar Temasek Academy, but previously, the delegation from UTM also had the opportunity to participate in the Festival Reog Barong Antar Bangsa 2024 organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, held at the Keraton Mbah Anang, Muar Johor.
Surokim also appreciated the cultural harmony activity. According to him, we should have taken pride in the cultural richness we possessed and continually strived to ensure the vitality of our culture.
"We aim for our culture to thrive and continually evolve within society, and to be able to perform well in countries beyond," he concluded.