Strengthening Cultural Identity through Folklore-Based Poetry Writing and Reading Training for Members of the Massenrempulu Art Community

Abstract

In the era of digital disruption, local culture faces the threat of cultural amnesia and identity crisis among the youth. This community service program aims to equip 40 new members of the Massenrempulu Arts Community in Enrekang Regency with methodological skills to transform local oral traditions into aesthetic written and performance contemporary literature. The implementation method was adopted from the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) framework, placing local folklore (such as the Mount Bambapuang legend and the Maccera Manurung ritual) as the primary cultural capital through an intensive three-day interactive workshop (20% theory and 80% practice). The cognitive evaluation results showed a significant increase in theoretical understanding, with the average score rising from a 40% pre-test to an 85% post-test (+45%). In the psychomotor achievement based on rubrics assessment, 90% of participants successfully produced at least one independent poem rich in local diction, and 85% achieved "Good" and "Very Good" predicates in the spoken word poetry performance during the showcase session. The reconstruction of oral tradition into performance poetry is proven effective in revitalizing collective memory and strengthening the partner's cultural identity, which is sustainably followed up by the publication of an ISBN-assigned poetry anthology, digital audio-visual content conversion, and the establishment of a regular art performance agenda.