Indonesian martial art pencak silat lands a punch on the UN’s prestigious heritage list

The popular Indonesian martial art pencak silat, which has a growing following after it appeared in Star Wars and John Wick films, has now achieved heritage status with the United Nations. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) added pencak silat to its “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” on December 12, 2019. Silat is an umbrella term for a class of martial arts with roots across the Malay Archipelago and pencak silat, as it’s referred to in Indonesia, combines spirituality with self-defence and artistic elements.