Yogyakarta, June 25, 2026 – The Kuliah Kerja Nyata – Pembelajaran Pemberdayaan Masyarakat (KKN-PPM) program at Universitas Gadjah Mada serves not only as a platform for community engagement but also as an opportunity for students to learn about Indonesia’s diverse local traditions and cultures. This was experienced by Alma Syahwalani, a student of the Department of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, who is currently participating in the 2026 KKN-PPM Period II program in Nyamuk Village, Karimunjawa District.

During her program, Alma had the opportunity to participate in the Barikan Ceremony, a traditional ritual practiced by the people of Nyamuk Village as a communal prayer for protection and the well-being of the entire community. The ceremony is held at a village crossroads and attended by local residents.

As part of the tradition, each household brings a tumpeng a cone-shaped serving of yellow rice as a symbol of gratitude and hope for safety and prosperity. Unlike most tumpengan traditions, however, the tumpeng prepared for the Barikan Ceremony is not shared and eaten together. Instead, after prayers led by a respected community elder, the tumpeng is thrown to the gathered participants. The lively and joyful event reflects the strong sense of togetherness, mutual cooperation, and communal spirit that characterizes the people of Nyamuk Village.

According to local residents, the Barikan Ceremony is held regularly every Friday Wage, one of the days in the Javanese calendar. The tradition is also preserved in Parang Village and Karimunjawa as part of the communities’ ongoing efforts to safeguard their cultural heritage and pass it on to future generations.

The Barikan Ceremony shares similarities with the Sedekah Bumi tradition, as both express gratitude to God while also seeking blessings, protection from misfortune, and safety for the community in their daily lives.

For Alma, participating in the Barikan Ceremony was a valuable learning experience throughout her KKN-PPM program. As a student specializing in Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, taking part in the tradition allowed her to gain firsthand insight into a living cultural practice that continues to thrive within the community. The experience also broadened her understanding of Indonesia’s rich cultural diversity and reinforced the importance of preserving local traditions as an integral part of the nation’s cultural identity.

[Public Relations, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM]

On Friday (June 5, 2026), we had the opportunity to interview Professor Emerita of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Prof. Dr. Noriah Mohamed, who is also an alumna of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program (formerly Javanese Literature) at Universitas Gadjah Mada. Interestingly, despite being from Malaysia, she possesses a strong affinity for Javanese culture.

In the interview, she shared that she is still deeply connected to her Javanese heritage. “My father’s parents were Javanese. My grandfather was from Solo, while my grandmother was from Kebumen,” she shared. Her interest in Javanese culture also grew from childhood experiences. “When I was a child, my grandfather enjoyed singing Javanese songs (nembang), and that is where my interest began to grow.”

In short, she later enrolled in the Javanese Literature Study Program at Universitas Gadjah Mada and wrote her undergraduate thesis on the Javanese people in Selangor. Her interest in Javanese culture did not stop there. She also enjoys various Javanese literary works, such as the tales of Damarwulan and Panji Jayengtilam.

Her interest in Javanese literature later led her to a manuscript titled Serat Jayengbaya. The term Jayengbaya itself is a combination of the words jaya + ing + baya, which means ‘triumphant over danger.’ There is something unique in this text: Ranggawarsita, as the author, uses hypothetical forms, such as “if I were…”, covering various states of being, ranging from professions and animals to God. She later developed her study of the text into her Master’s thesis in Literature at Universitas Gadjah Mada, which has now been published.

During the conversation, she assessed that Javanese culture today is experiencing a decline, both in Malaysia and in Indonesia. This condition, according to her, is a shared challenge to revive cultural values that are beginning to erode. Therefore, she emphasized the importance of the younger generation rediscovering their identity. “We need to recognize ourselves, to know who we are. Do not become someone else. Furthermore, culture should not only be studied but also practiced and passed down,” she explained.

Author : Haryo Untoro

For most humanities students, the question “What will you do after graduation?” often weighs heavily on their minds throughout their college years. The outdated assumption that Arabic literature graduates will end up only as translators or educators is still commonly heard. However, Desthy Umayah has clearly shattered that old paradigm. This 2011 graduate of the Arabic Literature program at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at UGM has successfully demonstrated that a career path for literature graduates can reach the highest echelons of international diplomacy by becoming a diplomat at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait City for the 2023–2026 assignment period.

Desthy’s interest in the Arabic language actually began back in school. However, she never imagined that her decision to pursue a degree in Arabic Literature at UGM would lead her to the global stage. UGM not only offers a high-quality curriculum but also provides an academic ecosystem that is attuned to the times.

As the Arab Spring (a wave of revolutions across the Arab world) was unfolding, the Arabic Literature program at UGM actively responded by organizing academic discussions featuring alumni who were working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This moment marked a turning point for Desthy. It was in those small classrooms that she realized the knowledge she was acquiring was vital to analyzing global geopolitical issues.

For Desthy, university is a mental laboratory. While on campus, she actively developed herself through the Arabic Language Student Association (IMABA), the Marching Band, and the Rampoe UGM arts community. It was through these non-academic activities that the soft skills crucial to a diplomat—such as negotiation, public speaking, leadership, and teamwork—developed organically. Recognizing the importance of these non-academic skills, Desthy urged students not to become “butterfly students” (class-home-class-home). According to her, the professional world isn’t just looking for those who excel on paper, but for individuals who are ready to grow and are resilient in the field through organizational experience.

The combination of classroom theory and practical experience in campus organizations proved to be Desthy’s strongest asset when she entered the global arena. One of the academic skills she gained at UGM that became her main tool in the field was her proficiency in the official language required for bureaucratic matters.

“Although the Arabic used in everyday conversation is Ammiya (colloquial Arabic), which varies by country, the Fusha (standard Arabic) taught by our professors during our studies at UGM has actually become a crucial foundation that is extremely useful in a professional diplomatic career,” he explained.

Desthy’s journey conveys a valuable message that will always be relevant to generations of FIB UGM students year after year: success on the global stage does not come overnight, but is the result of making the most of the campus ecosystem. A degree in the field of culture has proven to provide a competitive edge that other academic disciplines lack.

“For me, studying Arabic Literature isn’t just about learning the language; it’s also a foundation that makes us more attuned to culture, helps us understand other people’s perspectives, and ultimately helps me grow as a diplomat,” said Desthy.

In closing, she offered words of encouragement worth pondering for every student currently in college who is uncertain about their future.

“If you love languages, are interested in international issues, and enjoy encountering new perspectives, don’t hesitate. The world of diplomacy can be a really exciting career path to pursue,” she concluded.

Photo: Dhesti Umayah
Author: Zaidan Abdurrahman
Editor: Candra Solihin

The Korean Language and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), held a public lecture entitled “The Strategic Profession of Sworn Translators.” The event featured Anisa Syifa Amalia, S.S., M.I.S., a sworn translator for Indonesian–Korean and Korean–Indonesian language pairs, as well as an alumna of the Korean Language and Culture Study Program, Class of 2011. The lecture was open to all students of the study program and was mandatory for students enrolled in the Korean Comprehensive Language 2 course.

During the session, the speaker shared her professional journey as a translator and explained the vital role of sworn translators in supporting legal affairs, business activities, and international cooperation. Students were introduced to various aspects of the profession, including the code of ethics, competency standards, certification process, as well as the challenges and career opportunities emerging in the era of technological advancement and artificial intelligence (AI). The speaker also emphasized the importance of maintaining accuracy, professionalism, and accountability in translation work, particularly when dealing with documents that carry legal implications.

Through this public lecture, students gained broader insights into the profession of sworn translators as a promising career path for graduates of Korean Language and Culture Studies. The event also provided a practical understanding of the competencies that students need to develop early on in order to remain competitive and contribute effectively in professional environments.

It is hoped that this activity will encourage students to continuously enhance their language proficiency, strengthen their professionalism, and prepare themselves for various career opportunities that require linguistic expertise and intercultural communication skills in the future.

Author: Eunike Serafia N.S

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), in collaboration with the Université de Montréal (Canada), is organizing the 2026 Off-Campus Summer School program. Under the theme “The New Orientalism: Understanding the Paradoxes of Mass Tourism in Southeast Asia,” this program invites students from various countries to critically examine the challenges and real-world impacts of the mass tourism industry. This event was the fourth installment of the “Political Issues in Southeast Asia” (POL6615) seminar series, attended by 32 selected students—16 from Canada and 16 from Southeast Asia.

Rooted in the framework of critical tourism studies, this Summer School invites students to understand the contradictory processes generated by the enthusiasm for mass tourism. The phenomenon of tourism in Southeast Asia is seen as presenting real ambiguities; on the one hand, it can foster cultural exchange and economic growth, but on the other hand, it contributes to the commodification of culture, the destruction of local ecosystems, and the construction of an imaginary “authenticity” for the sake of market interests. To explore these complexities, this program emphasizes a comprehensive pedagogical approach. Participants not only listen to theoretical presentations by experts at the R. Soegondo Building, Faculty of Humanities, UGM, but are also immersed in the field to conduct participant-observation research in small groups in Yogyakarta, a major destination rich in cultural and ecological heritage. As part of the academic requirements, every student is required to contribute to the course, prepare summaries of required readings, and produce research reports and reflective journals.

The theoretical complexity surrounding this tourism paradox was immediately brought to life on the first day through a keynote lecture delivered by Prof. Devi Roza K. Kausar, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at Pancasila University. In her lecture titled “The Challenges and Paradoxes of Cultural Tourism in Yogyakarta,” Prof. Devi highlighted the ongoing tension between cultural preservation and the commercial expectations of tourism. He specifically analyzed the case study of the Borobudur Temple World Heritage Site to illustrate the real conflict of interest between the economic development of priority destinations and the conservation of cultural heritage.

The Borobudur case clearly demonstrates that tourism is not merely an ordinary economic activity, but rather a political decision shaped by power dynamics, institutional fragmentation, infrastructure priorities, and competing development visions. Through this analysis of a specific case, students are directly invited to critically reflect on how a cultural element is presented to the public, who actually benefits most from this industry, and how young researchers should position themselves ethically when conducting studies in socially and culturally complex environments.

Through this Off-Campus Summer School program, students are expected to move beyond a black-and-white view of tourism as something that is either “beneficial” or “harmful.” The goal is for them to graduate with a more nuanced understanding, while also developing research methodology, academic presentation, and cross-cultural collaboration skills that are crucial for future researchers.

[Author: Humas FIB, Zaidan Abdurrahman]