Click for updates & pictures from Bapak Waleed & the ISFA's summer tour to Indonesia, including Padang, Bukittinggi, and other locales,
ISFA@Yale is a student group dedicated to sharing the arts, cultures, natural healing methods, and traditional dances of Indonesia and Southeast Asia
with the Yale University and New Haven community. CLICK for more information
on Indonesia's History & Culture
We hold ongoing sessions on campus and special events throughout the
year. For more information, to subscribe to our email list, or if you have questions or comments, please
contact us.
"The Harvard University Asia Center was officially established on July 1, 1997, to reflect Harvard's deep commitment to Asia and the growing connections between Asian nations. The center is an active organization with varied programs focusing on international relations in Asia and comparative studies of Asian countries and regions. Harvard's study of Asia is spread across the University's departments and schools, and a wide array of disciplines come together under the auspices of the Asia Center. Through such a convergence, the Center brings a layered, multi-faceted approach to the scholarly description of events to probe questions of history and culture, of economics, politics, diplomacy, and security, and the relationships among them..."
"The
Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) supports student engagement in the arts
and serves the University in its commitment to the arts. Through its
programs and services, the
OFA fosters
student art making, connects students to accomplished artists, integrates
the arts into university life, and partners with local, national and
international constituencies. By supporting the development of students as
artists and cultural stewards, the OFA works to enrich society and shape
communities in which the arts are a vital part of life..."
"The mission of Cultural Agents is to promote the arts and humanities as social resources. We foster creativity and scholarship that measurably contribute to the education and development of communities worldwide. Identifying creative agents of change, reflecting on best practices, and inspiring their replication, we show that creativity sustains healthy democracies by developing the moral imagination and resourcefulness in citizens. Based at Harvard University, Cultural Agents brings together artists, educators, and community leaders in innovative collaborations that revitalize civic life both locally and internationally.."
Bapak Waleed was invited up onto the main stage, with other dignitaries and officials, for the opening ceremonies of 'Pekan Budaya Sumatera Barat 2008,' the week-long Cultural Festival in Padang in July, 2008.
Bapak Waleed also met with the Mayor of Padang, Walikota Fauzi Bahar, as well as professors, researchers, and officials at Andalas University and other top schools throughout West Sumatra.
The tour also featured visits throughout the city of Padang, to Batusangkar in the Tanah Datar regency and the King's Palace 'Istano Basa Pagaruyung', and also to Bukittinggi, a 'cultural capital' of West Sumatra.
West Sumatra Photo Gallery
Geography & Landscapes
Arts & Culture
International Silat Federation of America
Meditations in Motion 
Spiritual Dance
Silat Training
ISFA@Yale gives thanks and recognition to the many groups on campus and in the community who are dedicated to building bridges between communities, including:
...and many more.
"The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations: "In 1981, the President and Deans of Harvard University established the Harvard Foundation, an intercultural agency. Its purpose is to improve intercultural understanding through scholarly programs and cultural celebrations, and to recognize the contributions of both national and international figures whose works and deeds have served to improve the quality of our collective life..."
