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East Kalimantan Folk Festival (PRK) 2025 provides special momentum to celebrate East Kalimantan Province's 68th anniversary. One of the festival's notable events was the traditional games performances and competitions led by Aspian Noor.
Aspian, coordinator of traditional games trainers and traditional sports activist fostered by the East Kalimantan Province Youth and Sports Office (Dispora), expressed his concern about the youth who are increasingly focused on digital media, threatening cultural heritage such as traditional games to be in danger of being forgotten.
"It would be nice if traditional sports like these [at the festival] were reintroduced to the community, especially to students so they know what the traditions and heritage of our ancestors are like," he said at the Gelora Kadrie Oening Samarinda Stadium in Samarinda City, East Kalimantan on Jan. 11, 2025.
Traditional games such as gasing (spinning tops), engklek (a type of hopscotch), catapults, and even sumpit (blowpipes( are not just games, but have deep cultural values. Aspian said that those games used to be part of the daily lives of the East Kalimantan people before technology took over the younger generation's attention.
"The traditional game teaches cooperation, creativity, and physical endurance. Unfortunately, it is now starting to be abandoned. Therefore, we want to revive the interest of young people through activities like this," he added.
The East Kalimantan Dispora is also making traditional games part of the local education program. The provincial government apparatus actively visit schools from the kindergarten to high school level to reintroduce traditional games.
"The children are very enthusiastic when they try. In fact, they are reluctant to stop playing. This is a positive signal that traditional games are still relevant and could attract the attention of the younger generation," said Aspian proudly.
He revealed that traditional sports championships have now become an official agenda both at the student and general public scale. One of the big traditional sports events coming up is the National Community Sports Festival (FORNAS) VIII West Nusa Tenggara in June 2025.
"East Kalimantan Dispora and the [East Kalimantan] Education and Culture Office have also collaborated to make traditional sports part of the extracurricular curriculum in schools. We want traditional sports to not only be momentary entertainment, but [also] to become part of children's daily lives," Aspian informed.
He also hoped that, in the future, the PRK could have a special competition for traditional games so the people of East Kalimantan, especially in Samarinda, could be more involved in preserving local culture.
"We want to have a bigger event for traditional game competitions next year. Not just as entertainment, but also for inviting people to get to know and love their own culture," Aspian said.
In the digital era, traditional games are thought to be a positive alternative to divert children's attention from social media and technology that often dominate their time. Traditional games are also said to be able to aid children develop their physical, social, and mental abilities.
"Rather than just being fixated on gadget screens, it is better for them to play traditional sports. They are not only fun, but also healthy," Aspian advocated.
With the growing enthusiasm of the local community, Aspian and his team are optimistic that traditional sports will continue to have a place in the hearts of the younger generation.
"It is not just about playing [these games], but also about preserving our cultural heritage so that it is not lost over time," he concluded.
