'Pulang Basamoi' How Diaspora Minang Introduces Culture To The Younger Generation

Webinar diaspora padusi minang (Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Indonesia is rich in tribes and customs. One of them is minangkabau tribe. This tribe from West Sumatra has a strong culture. His customs were also always held firm, although life required them to travel outside of his area.

Minang tribe also has uniqueness compared to other tribes. If generally the lineage is taken from the father, but in Minang the lineage used is the lineage of the mother or matrilineal. Ironically, behind the rich culture that this tribe has, its young people are not interested in learning the culture of their ancestors.

The rapid development of the times, makes young people less fond of culture. Seeing this condition, Minang figures began to think of finding ways to increase young people's love for their parents' homeland.

Minang Diaspora Network Global (MDN-G) coach Fasli Jalal said that together with other Minang figures, Astri Ashabi created a direct dialogue program with young people. The purpose of this program is to increase the pride of Minang culture in young people.

"One of my heartwarming is the efforts of Mrs. Astri with her friends to bring young children, their children who every holiday their mother wants to go home to West Sumatra, her son wants to go to Bali, Singapore. (They refused) for what they were asking for, but there is no pride in them for this," he said in a virtual discussion Saturday, April 10.

Fasli said the direct dialogue program is followed by young people ranging from grade III junior high school (SMP) to college. In the dialogue, young people are welcome to ask whatever the brand wants to know about Minangkabau.

"We make with them, what they want to know about Minang, the books we give, we make dialogue with them. Eventually they created the program 'Pulang Basamo' their way. We're just there," he said.

During the program 'Pulang Basamo' or go home together, said Fasli, the children of Minang descent were reunited with young men and young women in West Sumatra, met with local officials to visit the palace and all its history.

"Two weeks they did that, I was present on the last night of the show. Crying I heard them say how proud they are to be Minang people," she explained.

Fasli said the program that lasted for two weeks proved able to foster a sense of love and pride of children of Minang descent towards the culture of their ancestors.

"With a program that is only two weeks (able to change their point of view), which used to be a lousy mother (difficult) to bring home the village, do not want, it's a mamah event, mamah just nostalgic, we do not want to. We're going to Singapore," he said.

Furthermore, Fasli hopes that such a program can be followed by Minang families who travel both island and country.

"Hopefully this is followed by other families. There are families from Australi, Malaysia, who are thinking of creating a similar program," he said.