Kampoeng Dolanan Nusantara, located in Sodongan Hamlet, Bumiharjo Village, Borobudur District, Magelang Regency, Central Java, is one of the traditional communities that has succeeded in collecting back the arts and traditions of the past which are now starting to be lost. This community is able to revive various arts, from traditional children’s games to Magelang folk dance and music.
However, even though folk art has been successfully revived, it is still only enjoyed by the local community. Therefore, to expand the reach of regional arts to the international community, Universitas Indonesia (UI) through the Makara Art Center (MAC) provided assistance to the Kampoeng Dolanan Nusantara traditional community. The series of mentoring activities will be held on 15–16 September 2023, in Kampoeng Dolanan Nusantara, Magelang Regency.
Head of MAC UI, Dr. Ngatawi Al-Zastrouw, who was the chief organizer of this activity, said that assistance efforts for traditional communities needed to be carried out because currently, regional arts and culture are still “rare objects”. In fact, according to him, if used properly, art can become a medium of education for the community, and even become a “commercial product” that can revive the community’s economy.
In the assistance provided, the MAC UI Team brought in several resource persons to provide training to the community on how to manage events so that local art can be known and enjoyed by the international community. Yusuf Muji Raharjo as an artist who was a resource person in this activity said that in order to be known by the international community, art must be branded appropriately.
“For example, the name Kampoeng Dolanan Nusantara is too broad and not easily recognized by people. We must understand what the world community knows about Indonesia. Foreign tourists know Bali and Borobudur better than Indonesia and Magelang. Therefore, the word Nusantara in naming this art community would be better if it was replaced with Borobudur because the world community can immediately understand the origin of this art,” said Yusuf.
He also appealed to the public to use social media to promote traditional games in Magelang. “Don’t just post photos of traditional games, we also have to show how to play them. By showing tutorial videos and testimonial videos, people will certainly be more interested in coming here to try the experience of playing traditional games,” added Yusuf.
Apart from providing an understanding of the importance of branding and promotion, one of the speakers who is also an artist, Reno Sarah, provided education about things that need to be considered when organizing an event. Not only providing theory, Sarah also gave direct experience to regional arts actors in holding arts and cultural performances in the Kampoeng Dolanan Nusantara courtyard.
In collaboration with various partners such as Channel Z Indonesia, Akar Insula, Ki Sodong Rumah Budaya, and BLK Arts Cokrokertopati Borobudur, MAC UI and Kampoeng Dolanan Nusantara held a folk festival, on Friday evening (15/9). This folk festival displayed various regional arts, including Kubro Siswo Tsani Siswo Folk Arts, Jaran Kepang Krida Budaya Arts, Gejul Bocah Sanggar Wonosari Arts, Gejog Lesung Nglasar Ati Arts, and Angklung Musical Arts.
Dr. Al-Zastrouw said that holding this festival aimed to invite the public to take part in preserving Indonesian culture. “Culture and art are the roots of the nation and society. Like a tree, if its roots are uprooted, the tree will surely fall when the flood of water comes. This is the same with our nation. If our arts and cultural traditions are lost, our national identity will also be eroded by incoming foreign culture. Therefore, let’s strengthen and strengthen our artistic roots, so that our children and grandchildren can still maintain our national identity,” said Dr. Al-Zastrouw.
Not only holding training and folk festivals, this mentoring program also carried out tree planting activities as an effort to build food security for the people of Magelang. The MAC UI Team also conveyed education about food security to the public through the Purwa Merti Bumi Nusantara Shadow Puppet Art Performance, on Saturday evening (16/9).
The founder of Kampoeng Dolanan Nusantara, Abbet Nugroho, assessed that the mentoring program carried out by UI was extraordinary and down to earth. This is the program we have been waiting for. Nowadays, it is the norm that we only care about our interests. Society, academics and government cannot run alone. It takes synergy from all parties to create a program whose benefits can be felt directly by the community. “Therefore, we would like to thank UI and all parties who have participated in this mentoring program,” said Abbet.
