“As a child, I always wondered: why is it that when I can think of something, others may not? And vice versa, others can come up with ideas that have never crossed my mind. Over time, I realized that every person possesses a unique way of thinking and their own kind of intelligence.”

This simple yet profound reflection has become the foundation for the inspiring journey of Noveza Prima Prasta, a second-semester student of Arabic Literature at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Her path has led her into the heart of education—not merely as someone who teaches, but as someone who learns from life and the children she meets along the way.

Seeing the World Through a Child’s Eyes

At a young age, Noveza has actively immersed herself in various educational volunteer programs. Her firm belief that understanding a child’s reality and mindset is the first step toward change has shaped her journey. She has been involved in communities such as Rumah Mengajar UGM, Elbom, Arabic Camp, and TPA Al Akhdor. These experiences have taught her more than just how to instruct; they’ve revealed the beauty of character diversity, hope, and the limitless ways children perceive the world.

“Every time I engage with children from different environments, I learn one thing: no intelligence is greater than another. There are simply different brain functions and different life experiences,” she shared.

Education Beyond the Classroom

Noveza’s commitment to education goes far beyond academic content. She actively participates in inclusive educational initiatives like Sekolah Rakyat Serdadu Kumbang, where she emphasizes empathy and inclusivity in every learning session. She recognizes that education is not just about delivering materials—it’s about taking a stand, being present, and showing genuine care.

“Many children just need to be heard, appreciated, and assured that they are capable,” she said.

Her approach is not limited to being a teacher; she chooses to be a learning companion—one who listens to each whisper from a child’s heart, one who validates their silent hopes.

The Right to Learn, the Right to Be Understood

Throughout her journey, Noveza has often encountered a touching reality: many Indonesian children still lack access to learning spaces that honor their individual thinking styles and intelligence. She sees firsthand that every child has unique strengths. Some shine in logic, others in art; some blossom in discussion, while others thrive on emotional connection.

Unfortunately, a rigid, results-oriented education system often fails to embrace this diversity. Many students are left behind—not because they are incapable, but because their learning needs are unmet.

“Sometimes, I meet children who are labeled ‘slow’ at school. But when I engage them through play-based learning, they absorb information rapidly,” she explained. “The problem isn’t with the children—it lies in the approach that doesn’t yet accommodate all kinds of learners.”

A Life Devoted to Empowerment

For Noveza, volunteering is not a hobby—it’s a calling. She dreams of one day building a community learning center for marginalized children—a safe, joyful space where learning feels natural, stress-free, and full of warmth. In her view, consistent small actions, no matter how modest, can become beacons of hope in a world full of challenges.

One quote she holds dear encapsulates her mission: “العلم نور”—knowledge is light.

Her story reminds us that education should never be confined to walls, tests, or rigid systems. Instead, it must grow into a dynamic force that meets children where they are. For Noveza, every child—regardless of background—deserves an equitable, understanding space to grow. And in that space, the spark of learning becomes a light that never fades.

[Public Relations FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]

Yogyakarta, 16/06/2025 – The Master’s Program in American Studies held a seminar titled “Introduction to Bodies that Haunt: Rethinking the Political Economy of Racialized Death.” Taking place in Room 709, 7th Floor of the Soegondo Building at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, this event served as a platform for critical discussions on racial violence, politicized death, and cultural memory within a global context—particularly in the Americas and Southeast Asia.

Moderated by Achmad Munjid, Ph.D., the seminar featured two prominent speakers with strong backgrounds in cultural studies, feminism, and historical memory: Dr. Emily Itamura and Dr. Rachmi Diyah Larasati.

The discussion began with an introduction by the moderator, who drew parallels between horror films and everyday life, highlighting the mass production of ghosts in popular culture. From this point, the seminar explored the meaning of “bodies that haunt”—a term that goes beyond traditional ghostly figures, referring instead to collective trauma, unresolved death, and suppressed forms of knowledge.

Dr. Rachmi Diyah Larasati opened the first session by examining the concept of ghosts through a local Indonesian lens. She explained that in Indonesian culture, ghosts often emerge as warnings, memories, or connections to unresolved political violence. In her talk, titled “Train and Its Fugitive Rhythms: Reflecting on Political Violence through Sound Aesthetics,” Dr. Rachmi encouraged the audience to interpret sounds and rhythms—such as train noises—as invisible archives of political violence. These sounds, she argued, act like ghosts: ever-present and evocative, even if not always consciously perceived.

She emphasized the importance of seeing ghosts not simply as supernatural beings, but as a way of rereading history shaped by trauma. Ghosts become embodied through shadows, feelings, sounds, and memories that seep into our everyday lives.

Building on this, Dr. Emily Itamura led participants into the historical trauma of the Cambodian genocide through her presentation “Love Story, Ghost Story: The Cambodian Genocide, Labour Extraction, and Hout Bophana.” She highlighted how love stories can become ghost stories within the context of violence, and how female figures like Hout Bophana continue to haunt post-genocide development narratives.

Dr. Emily argued that the United States, as a modern imperial power, is a haunted space—saturated with the legacies of colonialism, racism, and capitalist extraction of nonwhite bodies. She pointed to Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese communities in Minnesota as groups who carry the “ghosts” of war and forced migration—now inextricably woven into the fabric of American cultural life.

The conversation between Dr. Rachmi and Dr. Emily unfolded into a rich cross-cultural dialogue, blending feminist theory, imperial critique, and ethnographic approaches to explore how haunted bodies continue to reappear in collective memory, art, and sound.

The event concluded with a powerful insight: ghosts are not simply objects of fear, but forms of alternative knowledge about trauma, violence, and histories left unresolved. Ghosts act as reminders that not all experiences can be archived or silenced by official historical narratives. They emerge through sound, shadows, and emotions—quietly shaping how we remember the past and envision the future.

This seminar served as a reflective space where theory met lived experience, popular culture intersected with violent histories, and Indonesian localities resonated with global traumas. A poignant reminder: haunted bodies are not meant to be dismissed—they are meant to be heard.

[Humas FIB, Alma Syahwalani]

Yogyakarta, 31/05/2025 – Another proud achievement came from mahadaya (students of Cultural Sciences). Nurcholish Ramadhan, a 2024 student from the Department of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, successfully directed the production of a theater performance entitled Sat-Set. The show was performed by Teater Berdaya in Prabusena (Cultural, Art, and Islamic Appreciation Stage of PD IPM Bantul) 2025 on Saturday night, May 31, 2025 at 20.00 WIB, at the 1st Floor Hall of the Da’wah Building of PDM Bantul.

Sat-Set Theater tells the story of the love journey of Fikar, a 28-year-old man, the son of a panewu (sub-district head), who falls in love with Alya – the daughter of his late father’s best friend. An accidental meeting in the square is the beginning of Fikar’s love story. After some research, Fikar learns that Alya is the daughter of Paklik Pram, his father’s old friend. They stay close for a month, but Fikar never proposes. To provoke Fikar’s sincerity, Paklik Pram created the rumor that Alya would be married off. The plan worked. Although Fikar initially only expressed his feelings in front of Paklik and Bulik Pram, he finally received their blessing. Later, Fikar went to the park where he often visited with Alya. There they meet again after not seeing each other for several days. Finally, Fikar expresses his love and immediately asks Alya to marry him.

The uniqueness of Sat-Set theater lies in its source of inspiration. Nurcholish Ramadhan said that Sat-Set was inspired by Serat Riyanta, a Javanese literary work written by R. B. Soelardi in 1918. In an online interview conducted on June 12, 2025, Nurcholish explained that his interest in the fiber began with a course assignment. “After I read Serat Riyanta from beginning to end, I was interested and liked the story, so I had an idea to translate it into a performance,” he explained.

The production process of the performance was not free from challenges. Nurcholish mentioned that the limited duration required him to summarize the narrative of Serat Riyanta effectively, without losing the essence of the story. In addition, funding constraints were also an obstacle. Nevertheless, he was grateful that the performance could run optimally.

“Through this performance, I learned to go deeper into the work that was referred to when it was adapted into a theater script. Then, I feel happy to be able to accommodate the potential and talents of my fellow Muhammadiyah students in the arts,” he said.

Sat-Set Theater is a tangible form of nguri-uri ‘preserving’ and ngurip-urip ‘enlivening’ regional arts, literature, and culture. Past literary works hold a wealth of historical values, knowledge, moral and didactic teachings, and interesting stories to be revived. Through the excavation, preservation and utilization of these cultural treasures, the community not only benefits sustainably, but also builds a sense of pride in the nation’s noble identity. As Nurcholish said at the end of the interview. “A history and culture will always be preserved when there are people who want to nyinau (learn) and adum ilmu (share knowledge),” he concluded.

[Haryo Untoro]

Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) students have made another proud achievement. The Basabuja team consisting of students of the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), won a bronze medal in the national essay competition at the Andalas 2025 Scientific Week. The competition was organized by the Political Science Student Association (HIMAPOL) of Andalas University, West Sumatra.

The Basabuja team, which is an acronym for Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, consists of four students namely Muhammad Siswoyo, Yudha Adistira, Dwi Mei Saroh, and Dian Nitami. In the competition that was held offline, the Basabuja team carried the subtheme of Law and Culture with the essay title Kuṭāramanawa: Ancient and Present Ramanawa.

The essay raised the customary law during the Majapahit Kingdom, which was recorded in Kuṭāramanawa. “What is applied from Kuṭāramanawa is in the form of Smart QR Code and Internet of Things (IoT). As a law that contains very complete social rules, with 275 articles and 19 chapters, we realize that Kuṭāramanawa has values that are relevant to today’s social and environmental conditions,” said Yudha Adistira in an online interview (28/05/2025).

According to Dwi Mei Saroh, in an online interview (24/05/2025), their team had to go through an elimination stage before entering the final round. The final round was held on May 10-13, 2025, with a presentation session on the 11th and the announcement of the winner on May 12. “The only one who represented our team to go and present at Andalas was Siswoyo,” he said.

The process of composing the essays that the team went through was not easy. Dian Nitami said that their long journey began in January 2025. “From the process, of course, many dynamics occurred and the toughest lies in the cost constraints. However, this was overcome with the commitment and solidarity of the team and the help of many other parties. Therefore, we would like to thank you for all the help that has been given,” he explained in an online interview (24/05/2025).

This achievement is expected to be a spark of enthusiasm for students of the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program to continue to work and innovate. In addition, Muhammad Siswoyo invited the younger generation to keep trying to preserve, explore knowledge, and innovate from Javanese literary works. “Javanese literature has many innovative opportunities that can be developed with an interdisciplinary approach. Many branches of science are connected to the laws, customs, culture, and habits of the Javanese people. Friends can utilize this into new innovations. For that, let’s preserve Javanese culture,” he said in an online interview (24/05/2025).

In line with this, Yudha Adistira emphasized the importance of accessibility to classic manuscripts as an effort to preserve and utilize the noble values of the nation. “Customary law is often considered ancient and left behind, but in fact it contains values that are very relevant to the present. However, access to manuscripts such as Kuṭāramanawa is still very limited. Therefore, we feel it is important to digitize this manuscript so that it can be more widely accessed, studied, and reapplied, especially in the context of legal education, cultural preservation, and national character building. We believe that technology can be a bridge between the past and the future,” he concluded.

Author: Haryo Untoro
Editor : Haryo Untoro

The implementation of the Productive Javanese Writing Course in the even semester of the 2024/2025 academic year at the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM), presents a different learning atmosphere from previous years. Batch 2024 students get direct assistance from Wikimedia members in learning article writing, especially in Javanese.

The collaboration between the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program and Wikimedia took place from Tuesday, May 6, 2025 to Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Through this collaboration, students not only learn the basics of article writing, but also get an in-depth understanding of the world of Wikipedia, including the structure and language style of article writing, things that are not allowed in writing on Wikimedia, and an introduction to the Wikimedia organization in Indonesia. The students even had the opportunity to write articles directly in Javanese.

During the program, two Wikimedia members, Mbak Ana and Mbak Hanifah, accompanied the students in learning activities. Based on an online interview on June 12, 2025, one of the course participants, Wreksi Awinanggya Pinandhita, said that this activity was considered very useful because it provided concrete provisions in writing, especially writing articles in Javanese.

Overall, this collaboration is considered to provide valuable experience for students. In addition to enriching writing skills, this activity also broadens students’ insights into the world of article writing in the context of local culture. Through the ability to write articles in Javanese, students actively contribute to reintroducing regional culture to a wider audience.

Author: Haryo Untoro
Editor : Haryo Untoro