Enthusiasts keep medieval sword-fighting arts alive

Members of the Gwaith-i-Megyr group posing for a photograph before practicing sword-fighting techniques known as Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) at a park in Jakarta. Armed with blunt swords, a dozen would-be chevaliers are put through their paces in a gallant effort to keep alive European medieval martial arts taught hundreds of years ago - AFP

ARMED with blunt swords, a dozen would-be chevaliers are put through their paces in a gallant effort to keep alive European medieval martial arts taught hundreds of years ago.

But this is not a scene from Game of Thrones or the Adventures of Robin Hood – it’s a breezy Sunday afternoon in the middle of Jakarta, one of the world’s biggest megacities.