Talib (in blue) pose with the officials, organisers and participants of the exhibition.
One of the combative routines displayed on Saturday.
Musicians play traditional musical instruments to accompany the pencak routines.
KUCHING: Organisers of last Saturday’s pencak silat exhibition in Bintulu have a mission.
The event, held in conjunction this year’s Borneo International Kite Festival, was aimed at promoting communal awareness of the need to preserve the traditional art of combat.
A spokesman for the organisers contacted The Borneo Post yesterday to express their gratitude for public support for the event.
“If it is not us, the people of Nusantara, who else would want to preserve the pencak silat tradition? We should be the first to take all the necessary measures to preserve pencak silat,” he said.
Bintulu Development Authority and the Jemaah Pemikir Jepak in collaboration with the Gabungan Seni Silat Asli Kampung Jepak Hulu Bawaris and Rumpun Silat Sarawak Wilayah Bintulu were all involved in organising the event.
A total of 100 pencak silat activists gave demonstrations during the exhibition.
“Our target audience are mainly youths. As organisers, we are hoping to get the youths to be interested in participating in the art of pencak silat,” the spokesman added.
He also revealed that they intended to organise more such exhibitions in the near future.
Present during last weekend’s exhibition was Assistant Tourism Minister Datuk Talib Zulpilip.