On Thursday, June 14, 2024, a Sharing Session entitled “Developing Potential, Strategizing: Success with KBTT Study Program at Faculty of Arts UGM” was held online through the Zoom platform. This event aims to socialize the KBTT Study Program (Middle East Language and Culture Studies) to Indonesian students in Arab countries, as well as to establish cooperation between IMABTA, the KBTT student organization, and PPIDK (Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia Dunia Kawasan) Middle East and Africa.

This activity is part of the effort to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in terms of Quality Education and Partnerships to Achieve Goals. Through this session, it is hoped that undergraduate students from the Middle East and Africa will gain insight into alternative further study options and strengthen their analytical skills related to Arab world topics. This is important as they are already accustomed to using Arabic and living in these countries, which allows them to access data more easily.

The event began with an opening by the host, followed by remarks from the Head of Department. The core session consisted of the delivery of material delivered in PowerPoint presentation format for about 100 minutes, including 45 minutes of material and a question and answer session. After the delivery of the material, the activity continued with a photo session and closing.

This Sharing Session involved the PPIDK Middle East and Africa community and IMABTA members. In addition to the delivery of material, this event also includes various supporting activities such as discussions, soft promotion, book review, signing of cooperation, and scientific writing competitions. Through this collaboration, it is expected to strengthen global alliances and provide better learning opportunities for the students involved.

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has a variety of students with a myriad of achievements, both in academic and non-academic fields. This time, good news came from one of its students, Muhammad Siswoyo, from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program. The 2022 student won third place in the essay competition at Parab Kawi #6, a prestigious event with the theme “Luhuring Kabudayan lan Kasusastran Jawi, Amrih Kalokaning Nagari.”.

This year’s Parab Kawi competition featured two categories, essays and calligraphy. In the essay category, the sub-theme was “Tradition of Javanese Cultural Values, Knowledge, and Technology.” On this occasion, Muhammad Siswoyo presented an essay entitled “Psychological Depiction of Raos Gathotkaca Krodha as a Destructive Entity in Pocapan Abur-aburan Gathotkaca Wayang Kulit Jawa Timuran”.

The essay discusses the pocapan (narration of an event in a shadow puppet performance) Abur-aburan depicting Gathotkaca Krodha, ‘Gatotkaca who is angry’, especially on the body parts of one of Werkudara’s children. The limbs of Gathotkaca Krodha are likened to various tools of destruction, such as scissors, pacul, etc. This is in fact relevant to the shape of the Gathotkaca Krodha puppet, which is also depicted in this way. This concept is also in line with the psychology of raos, which links a person’s emotional state with the ability to create certain states, such as anger and destruction.

Shadow puppetry is not only an art form, but also a ‘miniature’ of Indonesia’s cultural diversity. It contains various elements of art, from the presentation, to the play, to the details of the puppet form and its existence. The art of storytelling in shadow puppet shows also plays an important role in ‘animating’ the show and delivering the audience to the ‘gate’ of literature as well as moral messages and philosophical meanings.

Exploring cultural knowledge can be done to find out the worldview of a society. By knowing the mindset of the community, we can improve education while understanding diversity in a frame of harmony. Thus, the competition is in accordance with the points of the Sustainable Development Goals, namely point 4 (improving the quality of education) and point 17 (partnerships to achieve goals).

IMAGE REFERENCE

Tokohwayangpurwa.blogspot.com. (2009, October). Gatotkaca. Accessed at https://tokohwayangpurwa.blogspot.com/2009/10/gatutkaca.html.

Author : Haryo Untoro

Recently, the “back to nature” lifestyle has become increasingly popular. Not only are people looking for instant results, but they are now increasingly concerned with the process of achieving optimal health. This trend can be seen in the increasing number of people who exercise diligently, pay attention to nutritional intake, and utilize herbal and traditional medicine.

When it comes to traditional medicine, our ancestors already had the right recipe to maintain health. Referring to Wulandari (2011), there is a book entitled Serat Primbon Jampi Jawi published in 1933 by the publisher Tan Khoen Swie, which collects valuable knowledge about traditional medicine, including the efficacy of various kitchen spices for health. Let’s discuss some of these herbs that have amazing benefits:

• Black Cumin

Black cumin is known to have hot properties but feels cool for a while. The benefits of black cumin are very diverse, ranging from removing mucus and dirt in the stomach, to overcoming soreness in the back or joints. To experience its benefits, Mahadaya can try a mixture of crushed black cumin with honey. In addition, black cumin can also be used to cure colds and dizziness due to colds by inhaling black cumin wrapped in mori cloth.

• Nutmeg

This kitchen spice is not only a flavoring agent but also has health benefits. Nutmeg is known to strengthen the heart, strengthen semen, and treat eye and bone pain.

• Red Onion

Apart from being a spice that is often used daily, shallots have various health benefits. Dripping crushed shallot water into the eyes can cure blurred vision. In addition, shallots are also effective for preventing hair loss if applied to the head, which often experiences hair loss.

• Tamarind

This plant, which is often the main ingredient in herbal medicine, has many health benefits. Tamarind is known to reduce body heat if consumed directly. Furthermore, tamarind is effective for relieving shortness of breath and nausea. The trick is to soak the tamarind for three days, then mix the water with sugar and drink it.

• Lime

Lime, which is commonly used as a complement to soto, has health benefits that are no less great. By drinking a mixture of lime juice and sugar in the morning after waking up, the kitchen spice can neutralize toxins in the stomach. In addition, lime juice can also warm the body.

Some of the explanations above are a small part of the various properties of herbal medicine with this kitchen spice. This then opens our perspective, showing that old manuscripts actually contain a variety of information, one of which is in the health sector. By extracting information from these manuscripts, we are expected to be able to utilize these instructions, disseminate them, and develop them in order to bring goodness to ourselves and our environment.

LITERATURE

Wulandari, A. (2011, December). ). Serat Primbon Jampi Jawi Koleksi Perpustakaan Dewantara Kirti Griya (Taman Siswa): Sebuah Dokumentasi Pengobatan Tradisional. Jumantara: Jurnal Manuskrip Nusantara,2(2), 30-56. https://doi.org/10.37014/jumantara.v2i2.135

LIST OF IMAGES

Vandro. (2016, April 10). Ssst…! Ini Dia 35 Bumbu Dapur Masakan Indonesia, Incaran Dunia… Rumahmesin.com. Accessed from https://www.rumahmesin.com/bumbu-dapur/.

Author : Haryo Untoro

Laos, August 16 – UGM Korean Language and Culture Study Program student, Anggita Lintang Herdiwan (2022) advanced as a representative of Indonesia in The 28th K-Speech World Contest. Previously, Anggita had won first place in The 22nd K-Speech Oratory Contest Indonesia. By winning first place, Anggita was able to become one of Indonesia’s representatives in The 28th K-Speech World Contest. The competition was held on August 16, 2024 at the Lao National Cultural and Arts Hall, Laos.

The event began with an Oratorical Speech Demonstration performance and an appearance from Trot President, Lee Seung Yul. Then, the opening ceremony began with the entry of representatives from 20 countries, namely France, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, Philippines, China, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and South Korea. Followed by opening speeches and remarks from related parties, as well as announcements of judging rules.

The implementation of the speech competition was carried out based on the order that had been randomized the day before. Starting from the team category consisting of 6 teams, the individual foreigner category consisting of 16 people, elementary school as many as 9 people, middle school as many as 6 people, general and university students as many as 4 people, and the category of Koreans living abroad as many as 7 people. After the judges gave their overall evaluation, there was a cultural performance from Laos. The event ended with an awarding ceremony and closing ceremony.

As one of the representatives from Indonesia, Anggita managed to get 최우수상 or an award equivalent to third place awarded by 통일부 (Ministry of Unification).

This competition can realize the potential of students, namely the ability to speak Korean in public. This is one of the potentials that UGM Korean Language and Culture Study Program expects each of its students to have. Of course, this can be achieved by the courage of students and the provisions provided by all lecturers of the study program.

Dr. Pujiharto, M.Hum., Main Supervisor/Head Lecturer at the Department of Language and Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, was recently involved in Community Service as a resource person at the Socialization of Independent Sensor Village. The event took place on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Ambarketawang Village, Gamping, Yogyakarta. On this occasion, Dr. Pujiharto delivered material on sound in language and literature, film, and censorship.

The Desa Sensor Mandiri program aims to form and strengthen community awareness in sorting and choosing spectacles wisely. The program involves a series of activities carried out continuously in selected villages or sub-districts, with the hope of creating human resources capable of self-censorship.

Through this program, it is hoped that the community can increase their literacy to protect themselves from the negative impact of films, as well as maintain regional customs and culture so that they are preserved and sustainable. In addition, this program is in line with Article 61 of Law No. 33/2009 on Film, which states that the Film Censorship Board (LSF) is tasked with assisting the public in choosing and enjoying quality films, as well as understanding the influence of films and film advertisements.