By: Ismail)*
Local wisdom is part of the culture of a society, which has noble values and has been inherited from the ancestors of the Indonesian people. The noble values of local wisdom are believed to be able to fight radicalism as one of the threats to the nation.
Have you ever seen the atmosphere of a country with a radical leader? When a radical group overthrows power, what happens is destruction because there is a government system that changes very quickly and is always forced. We are trying to prevent Indonesia from changing like Afghanistan or other countries that become radical.
Head of Makara Art Center UI, Dr. Ngatawi Al-Zastrouw stated that Indonesia has local wisdom that can counteract radicalism and terrorism. Local wisdom is like gold and diamonds that can be processed. The public can use it to ward off radicalism.
Local wisdom is a view of life and knowledge as well as various life strategies in the form of local community activities. Local wisdom in each region is different. For example, there are areas that have prohibited forests and there are those that apply customary law.
With local wisdom, the community can fight radicalism. The reason is because radical groups are present to bring new culture and habits. Unfortunately, this custom is contrary to local wisdom. For example, the prohibition against being hostile to people of different faiths. This is very unfortunate because since the days of the kingdom, the people of the archipelago have been a heterogeneous group.
Radical groups also preach and oppose wayang art because they think it is a teaching from another faith. Even though wayang stories have been loved by the people of Indonesia for hundreds of years, long before the era of independence. Imagine if a radical group became the ruler, where would the puppets, puppeteers, and sinden go? Their presence can suppress Indonesian culture.
By intensifying local wisdom, radicalism can be destroyed. First, people can be reminded again to enjoy and make local culture viral, so that if there is an imported culture brought by radical groups, they will be opposed. Local culture can be held again, for example by requiring students and teachers to wear batik uniforms on certain days. They will love batik and Indonesian culture.
If there are more and more batik lovers, they will wear it on various occasions, from weddings to RW meetings. When a member of a radical group seduces them to enter, society will reject it. The reason is because if you are a member of a radical group, your clothes must be plain and black if you can, and you can’t wear batik.
Second, people can love local culture and wisdom by watching wayang orang and wayang kulit. This noble culture is a legacy from our ancestors and has many life lessons. When you love wayang, you will reject the invitation of members of a radical group, because they clearly don’t like wayang, which is considered a representation of living things.
Likewise with other cultures such as traditional dances, gending, gamelan, and others. Even in the era of information technology, traditional arts must be disseminated because they contain many noble teachings, while maintaining the original culture of Indonesia. If all people love local culture and wisdom, they will reject radicalism that brings foreign culture, which is not compatible with Indonesian society.
Radicalism must be fought because if left unchecked, they will mess up the nation’s order. To prevent the spread of radicalism, the community needs to re-invigorate the love of culture and local wisdom. For example puppets, batik, and so forth. With a love for local wisdom, it is hoped that the spread of radicalism can be suppressed.
)* The author is a contributor to the Press Circle and Cikini Students
