Kemayoran popular artist associated with Kemayoran theater is Benyamin Sueb. Pencak silat, a martial art of the Betawi people, also flourished in Kemayoran. Styles of pencak silat developed in Kemayoran area are "Beksi", "Cingkrik", "Si tembak", "Sin lam ba", and "Kolong meja". Until late 80's, it is a common routine for children to practice pencak silat after the Isha prayers. During the 1990s, many of the traditional art and culture of Betawi characteristic of Kemayoran slowly disappeared. There are many folklore associated with Kemayoran area, usually involving the conflict between the indigenous people of Kemayoran and the Dutch "kompeni" (local term
Silat at least the fifteenth century in Malacca. The preset forms of silambam are known as "silatguvarisai". The most popular theory in Malaysia is that it derives from "sekilat" meaning "as (fast as) lightning." Other theories derive silat from the Sanskrit "sīla" meaning morality or principle, or the Southern Chinese "saula" which means to push or perform with the hands. The Sanskrit theory is particularly popular in Thailand, as "sila" is an alternate form of the word silat in that country. Other similar-sounding words have been proposed, but are generally not considered by etymologists. One example is "si elat" which means