Culture is a milestone in national development. The government, through Law Number 5 Year 2017, seeks to promote culture which aims to strengthen national identity and preserve the nation’s cultural heritage. Cultural Advancement is an effort to increase cultural resilience and the contribution of Indonesian culture amidst world civilization through the Protection, Development, Utilization and Development of Culture.
As a form of developing traditional arts and assisting indigenous communities, the Makara Art Center (MAC) of Universitas Indonesia (UI) held the Kabuyutan Festival in Garut Regency, West Java. The festival, which lasted for three days, from 1st to 3rd of December 2023, was the result of collaboration between MAC UI and the Garut Regency Cultural Council (DKKG) and the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP).
The Kabuyutan Festival went smoothly and lively. A series of cultural activities were also held, including art performances, kabuyutan exhibitions, workshops, traditional fashion shows, and even an anjangsana to Kabuyutan Ciburuy, Garut Regency. A cultural dialogue was also held to explore local knowledge and wisdom contained in the texts and stories of the ancestors, who are called papuhu and karuhun in Sundanese.
Apart from developing arts and traditions, the Kabuyutan Festivalwas held as a means of internalizing and implementing Pancasila values. Dr. Ngatawi Al-Zastrouw, Head of Makara Art Center UI, said that Pancasila is a complete ideology and is in accordance with our nation’s culture. Through the Kabuyutan Festival, Dr. Ngatawi hopes that the noble ideology contained in Pancasila will continue to live and become a culture.
“All the roots of values that exist in the archipelago have been constructed in the current context to become Pancasila. All the best aspects and elements have been explored and formulated into Pancasila. This morning’s event is part of our efforts to continue to flow the cultural springs and open cultural blockages,” said Dr. Ngatawi. Therefore, it is hoped that Pancasila can always be implemented in every aspect of the life of the Indonesian nation.
Furthermore, the Director of Inter-Institutional Relations and Cooperation at BPIP, Toto Purbiyanto, also agreed that the Kabuyutan Festival was very important to hold because it was a realization of the implementation of Pancasila values. He believes that cooperation from all parties is needed to carry out activities like this. Toto said, “This is an event that must be managed together and requires participation from all parties.”
The traditional art innovations carried out by Garut artists at the Kabuyutan Festival can become an alternative educational model that touches on the affective dimension. Through this activity, history is not only introduced as knowledge that only touches cognitive aspects. On the contrary, history is understood as a way of life so that it touches affective aspects.
