Muhibah Angklung Team Performs at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., United States on a Cultural Mission

JAKARTADAILY.ID - The Muhibah Angklung band from Bandung, West Java performed at one of the largest museum complexes in the United States, the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

This July, the Angklung Muhibah band is on a cultural mission to the United States to promote Indonesian cultural heritage through the angklung instrument.

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"This is a very prestigious place, the queue can be one to two years to be able to appear at the Smithsonian," said Prof. Popy Rufaidah, Education and Culture Attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC in a press release received by JakartaDaily.id on Monday, July 11, 2022.

Muhibah Angklung Team Leader Maulana M. Syuhada said the team he led did not only perform at the Smithsonian but also on the western coast of the U.S.

In coordination with the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C. through the Education and Culture Attache with the Indonesian Consulate General in New York, the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago, and the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, to carry out cultural missions in New York, Washington, Manitowoc, Chicago, Boise, and San Francisco.

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Some of the songs performed by the Angklung Muhibah Team included "Jali-jali" from Jakarta, "Janger" from Bali, and "Yamko Rambe Yamko" from Papua, which was combined with traditional dances.

The team also performed international hit songs across a variety of genres such as "Pompeii" from Bastille, "Nothing Else Matter" from Metallica, "Mamma Mia" from ABBA, and "New York-New York" by Frank Sinatra.

"Congratulations to the Muhibah Angklung Team, which is supported by the West Java Province, Governor Mr. Ridwan Kamil, and other partners who have attended the Angklung Goodwill Team in the United States. The Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC through the Cultural Attache collaborates with the Smithsonian to showcase culture which is an annual agenda for the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC and also for the Smithsonian," said Popy.

"This year, after two years of the pandemic with no performances, the Smithsonian Institution only chose two performances from Korea and Indonesia. And fortunately, the art of Angklung music passed curation by the Smithsonian Institute Team to be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution after the profile and appearance of Tim Muhibah Angklung from West Java are given."

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"Their performances were extraordinary, they mastered the songs that were displayed and also the composition of folk songs, national songs, and international songs which consisted of songs that were very popular with Avenger, there were songs from Italy where the audience was from the Smithsonian is from many countries," continued Popy.

"As of today there are 1,500 people watching this program, it is a very extraordinary achievement from the many embassies present, the majority of whom were very surprised to find out that angklung can be played in groups and can perform various kinds of songs," she said.