The Indonesian Embassy in London held the first Pencak Silat Festival in London on Saturday 15th September 2018, involving Indonesian and UK Silat schools. The Festival was a collaborative effort between the Indonesian Embassy and the Pencak Silat Federation of the United Kingdom (PSF UK), which has been actively developing Pencak Silat in the UK since 1994.
Five UK Silat schools took part under the guidance of PSF UK: Gerak Ilham, Kuntao Matjan, Silek Harimau Minangkabau, Panglipur, and Persaudaraan Setia Hati Terate.
The Indonesian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, HE Ambassador Dr Rizal Sukma, officially opened the event, expressing gratitude to the PSF UK under the leadership of President Mr Aidinal Alrashid. He stated: "As an ancestral cultural heritage of the Indonesian people, Pencak Silat is an Indonesian cultural asset that needs to be preserved and can be used to strengthen relations between Britain and Indonesia through people-to-people contact."
Special Guest — Kang Cecep Arif Rahman
The 2018 Pencak Silat Festival featured a special guest — Kang Cecep Arif Rahman of Silat Panglipur, who has starred in world-class films including The Raid 2 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Kang Cecep was interviewed about his life and experiences within Pencak Silat by Mr Aidinal Alrashid, with the interview filmed by Silat Fan TV.
Kang Cecep, Trisna Irawan, and Dian Kinara from Panglipur Indonesia delivered performances, followed by demonstrations from each of the UK schools. More than 300 people applauded the artistic, sports, and self-defence aspects of the different Silat styles.
Instructors from all five schools then conducted workshops in their own Silat styles, with 85 people taking part, keen to learn skills from each school.
The PSF UK extends its thanks to the Indonesian Embassy in London and to HE Ambassador Dr Rizal Sukma for making the first Pencak Silat Festival such a great success.