Jakarta - After mesmerizing the people of Portugal for eight consecutive days with angklung music, the Muhibah Angklung Team from Bandung, West Java, created a new buzz at the Gala Performance at the top of the Cantanhede International Festival, Portugal.
In this moment, Indonesia, represented by the Muhibah Angklung Team, was the only team asked to open the Gala Performance event. They performed the iconic song "We Are The World" to accompany the opening ceremony, where 11 other country representatives jointly entered the stage. This was the first time in the festival's history, a great honor for Indonesia.
The harmonious and emotional angklung performance mesmerized the thousands of spectators. Small lights and waving hands from the audience warmed and illuminated the center of Cantanhede at that moment. Many of the audience members were moved to tears. The passionate rendition of "We Are The World" symbolized unity, togetherness, caring, friendship, and peace amidst the cultural diversity present at the festival.
A Great Honor for Indonesia
"This is the only event where all countries can perform on one stage. There was something special earlier, the Indonesian team was asked to bring music for the opening gala," said the head of the Angklung Muhibah Team, Maulana M. Syuhada, in a written statement received by InfoPublik, Monday (15/7/2024).
Maulana revealed that usually the music for the opening gala comes from the festival, but this year there was a special request from the festival president. They really admire Indonesia's spectacular performances and often get standing applause. "Last but not least, the opening gala was attended by the President of CIOFF Portugal, Boaventura Rodrigues," added Maulana.
FOLK Cantanhede - Semana Internacional de Folclore is one of the largest cultural festivals in Portugal attended by thousands of visitors each year. The presence of the Indonesian Angklung Muhibah Team at this festival not only introduces the richness of Indonesian culture to the world, but also strengthens relations between nations through music and art.
"Portugal, which didn't know angklung before, is now very fond of angklung, and they even come when they hear angklung. They said this angklung music is astonishing! Hopefully, this is one of our concrete forms to continue to maintain and globalize angklung. Hopefully this trip can make Indonesia's name even more global," continued Maulana.
Support from the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon
The festival was attended by the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon, represented by Nilton Amaral, the Indonesian Embassy's Social and Cultural Information Officer. The Embassy was present to express their support and appreciation to the Muhibah Angklung Team.
"This is a valuable opportunity for the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon to welcome the Muhibah Angklung Team who participated in the international festival in Cantanhede. When Indonesia is trusted to open the gala event, it is an extraordinary and proud thing!" said Nilton.
Nilton explained that people in Portugal appreciate the uniqueness of Indonesia, not only from culture but also from angklung music combined with international songs. "This clearly received high appreciation from the committee, until they trusted us to perform 'We Are The World' as the opening song," he added.
According to Paulo Marques, Director of Folk Cantanhede, the Muhibah Angklung Team's performance was impressive. "I didn't know about angklung instruments before, but from a score of 1-10, I felt that the Muhibah Angklung Team's performance was an 11. They played well, and angklung is a difficult instrument to play. Three words that describe the performance of the Muhibah Angklung Team are beautiful, all perfect, and emotional," said Paulo.
The Muhibah Angklung team has also conducted cultural missions to countries on several continents, including Europe, Australia and the United States. On the next occasion, they will participate in an international festival in Murcia, Spain, as well as concerts in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
However, the Angklung Muhibah Team faces funding constraints for the trip. Maulana hopes for support from the community, government, companies, and other parties to become donors, sponsors, or work together.
Those who wish to help can contact the Muhibah Angklung Team via email at management@angklungmuhibah.id. Support in any form will be very valuable for the Muhibah Angklung Team in fighting for their cultural mission.