Kampoeng Musi ITB: Preserving South Sumatra Culture Through the Kemaro Performance
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id – Mahasiswa Bumi Sriwijaya (MUSI) ITB successfully organized the "Kampoeng Musi" performance at Lapangan Cinta, ITB Ganesha Campus, on Saturday (18/11/2023). MUSI ITB is a student unit that focuses on art and culture preservation, especially those originating from South Sumatra.
The head of the committee, Sahirah Wilhelmina (Interior Design 2019), mentioned that Kampoeng Musi is an annual art and cultural performance by MUSI ITB, last held in 2019. At that time, she had not yet become an ITB student and only heard about Kampoeng Musi through alumni's stories and photo/video documentation.
“The pandemic had a massive impact. Numerous activities were either canceled or held online. This year, we hope this activity can boost our awareness of South Sumatra cultures,” she said.
Therefore, Kampoeng Musi at this moment is simplified with the name "MUSI Comeback" as an event to revive the existence of MUSI ITB as the cultural unit of South Sumatra.
The performance opened with the Gending Sriwijaya Dance, portraying the joyfulness of Palembangnese girls when hosting a great guest. The event continued with the performance of the Musical Theater and Dance-Drama of the South Sumatra Legend titled "Kemaro”.
“Kemaro is adapted from the legend of Kemaro Island, a cultural tourism destination,” Sahirah explained.
The legend revolves around a prince from China named Tan Bun An, who, at that time, would go to trade in Palembang. He fell in love with a princess named Siti Fatimah. Deeply in love, they intended to tie the knot. The king gave a condition to Tan Bun An to bring seven jars full of gold.
In short, realizing that the jars delivered from China contained vegetables instead of gold, the enraged Tan Bun An threw the jars into the Musi River. However, the last jar broke on the boat, revealing gold inside.
Tan Bun An and his guards plunged into the river to retrieve the last jar. When Siti Fatimah realized that her better half had not surfaced yet, she followed suit. The Kemaro Island became their resting place forever.
This performance received a positive response from the campus community and the general people. More than 200 attendees from various circles were present at Lapangan Cinta.
One of the audience, Farhan Wily, expressed his impression of the performance.
“Incredibly spectacular. I can truly feel the South Sumatra vibe. The actors delivered it well,” he said.
Reporter: Muh. Umar Thoriq (Food Engineering, 2019)
Documentation: Kampoeng Musi
Translator: Hanifa Juliana (Urban and Regional Planning, 2020)
Editor: Anggi Nurdiani (Management, 2024)
scan for download
