Hundreds of Silat Athletes Enliven Traditional Silat Festival, Fadli Zon Encourages Strengthening Cultural Agenda

JAKARTA — The Greater Jakarta and Banten Traditional Pencak Silat Festival was officially closed by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon at the Satria Mandala Museum on Sunday, November 16, 2025. Hundreds of martial artists from 48 schools have been competing since November 15th for the Minister of Culture Cup.

In closing, Fadli emphasized his commitment to expanding the scale of next year's festival. He mentioned that communities can access the Indonesiana Fund to support a larger event and involve sponsors and CSR.

"We can create a bigger and more festive festival if we plan early in the year. Tradition must be maintained, but new innovations are still important as long as they are rooted in the rules," Fadli said in a statement received by the editors on Monday, November 17th.

The festival, initiated by the Pesilat Tradisi Indonesia Raya (PETIRA), showcases various traditional silat styles from Greater Jakarta and Banten. This event serves as a community gathering space and strengthens the prestige of Pencak Silat, which has been listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The committee chairman, Refli Cahyadi, stated that traditional silat enthusiasts felt they were receiving more attention through this festival. "We are proud that traditional silat can be presented and broadcast more widely," he said.

The festival's closing ceremony was also attended by the Director of Cultural Heritage, I Made Dharma Suteja; the Deputy Head of the Indonesian National Armed Forces History Center, Colonel Sus Geraldus Maliti; the Chairman of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Student Association (KPSTI), Mahfu Abdulrahman; the Head of the Satria Mandala Museum, Lieutenant Colonel Adm. Saparudin Barus; and the festival's advisor, Syarif Hidayatullah.

This festival inspires the younger generation and demonstrates the public's strong interest in traditional silat. In addition to being a competitive platform, this event revives the values ​​of wiraga, wirasa, and wirama, while strengthening the network of cultural communities in the Greater Jakarta and Banten regions.