Narrative-Musical Performance Honours Buya Syafi’i Ma’arif at ISI Padang Panjang

The legacy of Buya Ahmad Syafi’i Ma’arif’s intellectual and moral teachings has been revitalised through a narrative-musical performance titled ‘Telling the Story of the Nation’s Teacher: Minangkabau National Kaba’ at the Hoerijah Adam Performance Hall, ISI Padang Panjang campus, in the evening of Sunday, 31 May.

The event, organised by the MA’ARIF Institute in collaboration with Talago Buni Community and the Indonesian Institute of Arts (ISI) Padang Panjang, forms part of commemorations for his birth month and the fourth anniversary of his passing. Buya Syafi’i Ma’arif, a prominent Indonesian Muslim intellectual from Minangkabau, was born in Sumpur Kudus village, West Sumatra, on 31 May 1935 and passed away in Yogyakarta on 27 May 2022. Throughout his life, he was known as a progressive Muslim intellectual consistently advocating for Islamic values, nationalism, and universal humanity. He led the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership from 1998 to 2005 and was active in various international forums.

MA’ARIF Institute Executive Director Andar Nubowo stated that the commemoration aims to preserve and reintroduce Buya Syafi’i’s ideas and values to the younger generation amid Indonesia’s diverse society. ‘This year’s overarching theme is “Preserving the Torch, Safeguarding the Nation’s Conscience”. We want Buya Syafi’i’s thoughts to remain alive as a moral and national beacon,’ he said.

Event Series

He explained that the系列活动 takes place in three cities: Yogyakarta, West Sumatra, and Jakarta. In Yogyakarta, MA’ARIF Institute, in collaboration with Kiniko Art, launched a visual arts exhibition titled ‘Torch’ on 23 May, featuring works by Indonesian artists inspired by Buya Syafi’i’s ideas. The exhibition runs until 7 July 2026. Meanwhile, in Jakarta on 18 June, the Ministry of Culture’s Fadli Zon will deliver a cultural lecture at the National Museum, accompanied by a re-staging of the ‘Telling the Story of the Nation’s Teacher’ performance.

At the Padang Panjang event, Talago Buni Community presented a multimedia performance blending narrative readings, audio-visual elements, contemporary music, and Minangkabau cultural idioms. The life journey, thoughts, and nationalist stance of Buya Syafi’i were recounted through an artistic approach that resonates emotionally.

Multimedia Approach

Performance Art Director Edy Utama explained that the multimedia approach was chosen to make Buya Syafi’i’s ideas more accessible to the public, especially the youth. ‘We want Buya’s ideas to exist not only in books and academic spaces but also through performances that connect with the public,’ he said.

The performance also featured insights from M. Amin Abdullah of Gadjah Mada University, who described Buya Syafi’i as a progressive Muslim figure capable of unifying Islamic values, Indonesian nationalism, and universal humanity.

Talago Buni Community, known as a contemporary music group rooted in Minangkabau culture that has performed at various national and international art festivals, presented the ‘Telling the Story of the Nation’s Teacher: Minangkabau National Kaba’ performance, which is open to the public free of charge.