A group of reog artists in Magelang City along with art activists strongly condemned the burning of reog at the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Davao, Philippines, some time ago. They regretted the action which was considered to have damaged state assets and slashed the nation's conscience. As a form of protest, they held an action in the Magelang City Square area, Wednesday (11/11). On the stage that reads Magelang, they gather together, pray together, and three of them perform to voice their protest by means of dancing, poetry, and songs. Eka Pradaning, one of the participants in the action performed a solemn dance. While carrying two torches he danced in front of the head of reog and reog artists. From his mouth came literary verses entitled "Fitnah Termites and Idols" accompanied by two other dancers. And fire has ignited everything/And fire has burned the national identity or Fire has burned a pair of dragons/Fire has burned a peacock and a lion's head/And fire has burned souls to manifest their stupidity or In the name of termites and idols who are the alibis of ignorance and his filth

"I deliberately made the poem and read it in this action as a protest to those who had burned the reog. With the alibis of termites and idols, they scorched the nation's heritage and that is an unforgivable act," said Eka after the action.

In a similar vein, Wahyu Puji Santoso, an elder of the Manunggal Budoyo reog art group from the South Rejowinangun Village, Magelang City, said that the burning of reog is completely unacceptable. For whatever reason, the combustion is not feasible, especially the condition of the reog still looks very good.

"I see 80 percent of them are still in good condition. They were burned once. If they don't want to take care of them, we are ready to accept them and will take good care of them," said the father, who has 20 years of reog art.

Meanwhile, the Action Coordinator, Agung Begawan Prabu, emphasized that the act of burning reog at the Indonesian Consulate General in Davao, Philippines, was a pure crime. This is because the extermination was not carried out through a clear and official procedure according to existing regulations.

"One of the procedures is that there must be coordination and analysis first. Here the procedure is not followed and the burned reog is an asset of the state, art and culture of the nation. We demand that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs investigate this case and the perpetrators of the arson can be punished," he explained.