INDONESIA PROMOTES TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA|印尼推廣傳統武術 攻擊.防衛.學習自律

Indonesia is trying to revive traditional martial arts by promoting them on social media and offering lessons at schools and cultural centers. The government is concerned that the influx of foreign martial arts may cause the demise of local disciplines. These students in Jakarta practice their martial art skills in an after-schools program provided by the Red Beksi Foundation, which has been teaching the traditional martial art "Beksi" since 2010. == BASHIR BUSTOMI, martial art teacher, Red Beksi Foundation== I want to teach young people from the Betawi ethnic group and others to appreciate Indonesian culture, especially the Betawi martial art. Beksi is fast and its strategy is to be on the attack and defensive at the same time. The name "Beksi" comes from a Chinese term meaning "defense from four directions." Beksi was devised by an Indonesian Chinese martial art teacher, Lie Cheng Oek in the early 19th century. Its popularity soon spread to the capital and it was then adopted by the indigenous Betawi. ==YAHYA ANDI SAPUTRA, Betawi expert == Martial arts, especially Beksi martial art, represent the qualities of the Betawi ethnic group. Many traditional Betawi ceremonies, including weddings, often feature martial art performances. It was once so popular that early followers would secretly practice to avoid the Dutch colonial supervision. However now Beksi became a cultural heritage in need of preservation. Local cultural experts argue that it is important to get young people interested in traditional martial arts in the face of a growing popularity of foreign disciplines such as Karate, Taekwondo and Muay Thai. Some foundations started to use social media to attract members, and that works well. ==INDAH RAMADANTI, martial art student == We have many crimes taking place against women in Jakarta. I'm doing this for self defence and as my personal hobby ==PANDU PANDEGA, martial art student == I'm learning this martial art to preserve our culture and for self defence. I also want to be able to help people and fight criminals on the street. The Jakarta authorities also issued a regulation in 2015 that promotes Betawi cultures, including teaching its martial art in government offices, schools and other public facilities. Betawi martial art teaching is not just a form of self-defense, it also encourages people to learn about personal discipline, fairness, mental growth and helping others in the community. TRANSLATED BY：SASHA CHIU