SDGs 4: Quality Education

Culture is an inherent part of human daily life. The importance of culture in everyday life cannot be separated from its essence which plays an important role in determining the identity of a society. The formation of a community’s identity can be formed with characteristics consisting of a variety of cultural elements, including language, knowledge, and art. The element of art is the main concern in seeing the uniqueness of a culture, one of the components of art that attracts a lot of attention is the art of music.

Rafi Karninto is a 2020 Faculty of Cultural Sciences Anthropology UGM student who has produced several musical artworks that combine local cultural diversity. Rafi, his nickname, started his musical journey in 2017. Initially, he started his musical journey by covering regional songs such as the cover of the first song from Banjar, called Saputangan Babuncu Ampat in November 2017. After successfully covering his first song on the YouTube platform, Rafi started his cultural content videos on his YouTube platform by bringing cultural elements to gaming, vlogs, and dance creations.

In 2019, Rafi released his first original song titled “Pantun Tidayu”. Interestingly, this song combines three different languages: Ahe (Dayak Kanayatn), Pontianak Malay, and Mandarin. These three languages were also inspired by the origins of the three ethnic groups in West Kalimantan.

“From the beginning of creating the song, I enjoyed experimenting by blending music from different cultures into one piece,” Rafi said about the cultural musical work he has created.

Not only does Rafi sing songs in different languages, but he also arranges and orchestrates the arrangements of the songs he creates. Two of Rafi’s latest songs, titled “Pemuda” and “Jatinegara,” showcase his talent and ability in musical instruments. The song “Pemuda” was initially composed for a dance creation to commemorate Youth Pledge Day on October 28th while he was interning at the Youth Pledge Museum. In this song, he arranged the instrumentation to be adapted to the music of the 1920s era, while still incorporating ethnic elements from 7 regions that participated in the Second Youth Congress.

“As for the song ‘Jatinegara,’ the inspiration comes from my own neighborhood, Jatinegara District, which has a history from the colonial period and has interesting places to explore. The music uses Betawi gambang kromong with additional modern elements,” Rafi explained about the background of developing the song “Jatinegara,” which he created on March 9th, 2024.

From the various cultural works he has created and preserved, Rafi hopes to collaborate more with various artists and other cultural content creators in the future. He also hopes that his own works and those of cultural enthusiasts can continuously preserve local and Indonesian culture by having opportunities to showcase their works at various events.

To listen to more of Rafi’s music creations, readers can visit a dedicated page containing Rafi’s music works at this link.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | SDGs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

On Friday, March 8, 2024, as many as 16 UGM Archaeology students accompanied by three Department of Archaeology lecturers participated in the Borobudur Youth Engage 2024. This program is part of the cultural introduction program from UNESCO to youth, especially university students. The Borobudur Youth Engage 2024 program with UNESCO Jakarta collaborates with some universities such as Universitas Gadjah Mada through the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Atma Jaya University, and Tidar University. In this activity, UGM Archaeology participated in a tour around Borobudur Temple and Borobudur Temple Tourism Area to learn the history of archaeological remains and management of cultural heritage management.

The UGM Archaeology group departed from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM at 05.30 WIB and arrived at Borobudur Temple at 06.30 WIB. When arriving at the location, the UGM Archaeology group went to the registration desk and was given special equipment in the form of sandals called upanat sandals. Upanat means footwear which is suitable to be mentioned as special sandals that must be used when visiting Borobudur Temple as a preventive measure from the Borobudur Conservation Center to prevent damage to the temple’s andesite stones. Uniquely, the shape of these upanat sandals follows the shape of the footwear found on Karmawibhangga Relief No. 150 from the walls of Borobudur Temple.

After registration, UGM Archaeology students including Atma Jaya University and Tidar University students visited the pavilion not far from the registration location to watch historical presentations and introduction of supporting sites around the Borobudur Temple area. After watching the presentation, the students departed on foot to the Borobudur Temple courtyard area. Arriving at the courtyard area, the students were assisted by a guide who explained the points of interest around the Borobudur Temple area which is a tourist attraction that is often visited by domestic and foreign visitors. The guide then invited the group to climb Borobudur Temple for a further tour of the meaning of the reliefs and statues around the temple.

After the temple tour ended, the group of students and lecturers visited one of the cultural heritage sites around Borobudur Temple, namely the Brongsongan Site. At this site, students are invited to have an interactive discussion with questions and answers about the Brongsongan Site which has some temple-style relics. After visiting the Brongsongan Site, the group followed the last agenda which was a meeting session and presentation by successful figures from the management of the Borobudur Temple area, one of which was the famous Batik Nawasena craft to the international scene.

This activity ended at 14.00 WIB, with the UGM Archaeology group returning to the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. The implementation of one of several activities from UNESCO is a start for UGM Archaeology students to recognize and learn more about local cultural heritage.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The Japanese Language and Culture Study Program welcomed Yuki Murakami, a Master’s student in the Development Economics Study Program from Kobe University, Japan, as an intern. The internship lasted for sixteen days from February 13th to 29th, with Masato Nakahara, Ph.D., as the supervisor lecturer.

During his internship at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yuki Murakami participated in various academic activities, including assisting in teaching classes, correcting exercises, and attending academic program activities. As a teaching assistant in the Japanese conversation class (Kaiwa), Murakami explained and practiced how Japanese people speak well and naturally, from basic knowledge to Japanese speaking habits. Furthermore, in the Japanese Thought History class, he assisted the lecturer in explaining how Japan found solutions to catch up with other countries after the implementation of sakoku (鎖国), which was Japan’s policy of isolation from the outside world.

Throughout his two-week stay in Indonesia, the intern student who was also known as Murakami-san shared his interesting experiences. At first, he was worried that the classes he taught would be considered unattractive by students. However, he was surprised that the students were active in class and easily became friendly with him. For him, feeling warmly accepted in a new place is an unforgettable feeling. Likewise, for the students, Murakami’s contribution as an intern student in the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program for two weeks has been inspiring and has provided new insights which become an unforgettable experience for Japanese Language and Culture students.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 5: Gender Equality

International Women’s Day (IWD) is commemorated every March 8th. In 2024, IWD carries the theme #InspireInclusion, focusing on supporting the establishment of an inclusive environment.

Renada Latifah Firdaus, an alumni of the English Department who joined HopeHelps Network. This community is dedicated to addressing and preventing cases of sexual violence in university environment. The HopeHelps Network has local chapters spread across 17 universities in Indonesia, including one at Universitas Gadjah Mada. On this occasion, Renada aimed to share her ideas about fostering inclusivity on campus.

She said that on IWD 2024, there is much to celebrate after the long struggle for gender equality and the rights of gender minorities. However, there are still pressing issues today, with women and other gender minorities experiencing discrimination, objectification, and injustice. Most women are not feeling safe even in public spaces, due to the constant threat of sexual violence.

Renada, often called Rere, emphasized that International Women’s Day can only be truly celebrated when all women are included, regardless of identity, background, profession, beliefs, and life choices. Every woman deserves to feel safe, receive equal pay, and not experience oppression or gender-based violence.

Joining HopeHelps Network in 2022 with the goal of contributing to positive action against sexual violence on campuses, Rere serves as the Director of Human Resources Development (PSDM). By actively providing training for all HopeHelps members, she believes in the significance of her efforts. She also mentioned that, within the network, she has not encountered situations where individuals are treated differently. This is because HopeHelps Network consistently strives to create an inclusive environment for everyone that is actively supporting, listening to, and advocating for anyone in need. The community places a strong emphasis on providing support for sexual violence victims, primarily women, on college campuses to provide accessible step to justice.

In conclusion, Rere emphasized that the crucial message from IWD 2024 encourages us to ensure that inclusivity is achieved comprehensively, as it is one of the most important things to live in diversity. “We need to empower each other, stick together, and be there for each other during the hardships. No one is left behind; we are in this together.”

Rere’s involvement in this organization serves as tangible proof that anyone can actively contribute to create an inclusive environment. Whether it be professors, educational staff, students, or alumni, everyone can take real action to promote inclusivity. Hopefully, it will inspire more people to be aware and contribute to this issue. The university itself that has students from various regions across Indonesia, should be a safe and comfortable home for them, where they can grow and express themselves without any discrimination.

SDGs 1: No Poverty | SGDs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SGDs 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Yogyakarta, Tuesday, February 20, 2024 – The Arabic Literature Study Program of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held an Entrepreneurship and Self-Development Lecture by presenting a national trainer, Dr. Ir. Siti Andarwati, S.Pt., MP, IPM, ASEAN Eng. The event aimed to equip students with knowledge and practical skills in building an entrepreneurial spirit and developing self-potential. The lecture, which was attended by high enthusiasm from UGM Arabic Literature students, was held twice online, namely on February 20 and 27, 2024.

In the first session, Dr. Ir. Siti Andarwati, S.Pt., MP., IPM., ASEAN Eng. presented material on “Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Scope”. This material opened the students’ insights into the basic concepts of entrepreneurship, potential business opportunities, and strategies for building a successful business. In the second session, the focus shifted to “Potential for Student Entrepreneurship Development”. This national trainer encouraged students to dare to be entrepreneurs and explore their potential. As a form of implementation of the knowledge gained, the students at the end of the activity were given the task of developing business ideas by making products. This aims to train their creative and critical thinking skills in building innovative and sustainable businesses.

Through this Entrepreneurship and Self-Development Lecture, it is hoped that it can foster an entrepreneurial spirit and equip UGM Arabic Literature students with qualified knowledge and skills to become entrepreneurs.