Yogyakarta, May 22, 2026 – The Gadjah Mada Wayang Festival (GWF) 2026 once again presented a series of cultural events as part of the 80th Anniversary celebration of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. On the second day, an “Expert Lecture” themed “Wayang as Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage” was held at the Pusaka Jawa Courtyard of UGM on May 22, 2026.

This activity was part of a community engagement program under the theme of Equity, supported by LPDP. In his opening remarks, the Chairperson of the Gadjah Mada Wayang Festival Committee, Rudy Wiratama, expressed his gratitude to all invited guests and participants who had supported the event.

Rudy Wiratama also expressed his hope that the Gadjah Mada Wayang Festival would continue to be held annually as a cultural program. According to him, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM aims to continuously introduce wayang and selected dalang (puppeteers) to the public as part of preserving Javanese culture.

The expert lecture featured various discussions related to the world of wayang. Ir. Wono Sri Suwito, M.M. discussed cultural heritage within the wayang tradition. Meanwhile, Mas Tyo Cahya Sadewa presented the art of tatah sungging (traditional carving and coloring techniques) of wayang kulit within the treasury of Javanese puppetry. Zakariya Pamuji also provided perspectives from philology and epigraphy to examine wayang as a cultural heritage rich in historical values and knowledge.

The event was moderated by Dr. R. Bima Slamet Raharja, S.S., M.A. During the discussion session, he stated that wayang essentially belongs to everyone.

“When we talk about wayang, wayang belongs to all of us,” he remarked.

Through this activity, the Gadjah Mada Wayang Festival 2026 served not only as a space for appreciating performing arts but also as a medium for cultural learning for younger generations and the wider community, encouraging them to appreciate and preserve the cultural heritage of the Indonesian archipelago.

This activity was also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on Quality Education through the dissemination of cultural knowledge, SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities through the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals, as the event involved collaboration among academics, artists, LPDP, and the community in maintaining the sustainability of Indonesian culture.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

Yogyakarta, May 22, 2026 – The Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), held a Farewell Afternoon Tea event alongside an evaluation meeting for the 2025/2026 Academic Year Student Exchange Program. The event was organized as a closing activity for the even semester and as a reflection forum on the implementation of FIB UGM’s student exchange program as well as the Independent Student Exchange Program under the Consortium of Deans of Faculties of Cultural Sciences across Indonesia.

The event was attended by faculty leaders, relevant administrative units, student exchange participants from various universities across Indonesia, and international students from partner institutions, including Kokushikan University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, National Chengchi University, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Palacký University Olomouc, and Kobe University. The presence of participants from diverse countries and institutions highlighted FIB UGM’s strong international academic network in supporting student mobility and cultural exchange.

In the official invitation, Nur Saktiningrum, Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs of FIB UGM, stated that the event aimed to evaluate the implementation of the student exchange programs that had been conducted throughout the academic year. Through this evaluation forum, participants were given the opportunity to share their experiences, feedback, and recommendations to further improve the quality of the programs in future periods.

Beyond serving as an evaluation platform, the event also functioned as a means of strengthening relationships among students from different cultural and national backgrounds. The interactions established throughout the exchange programs not only enriched participants’ academic experiences but also enhanced intercultural understanding, tolerance, and adaptability in a global environment.

This spirit aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education, through the promotion of inclusive and internationally oriented learning experiences, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, through collaboration between FIB UGM and various national and international higher education institutions in supporting student mobility and educational cooperation.

[Public Relations Office of FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

The Master’s Program in Literature once again held a public discussion titled “Exercises in Chineseness: Literature, Mythmaking & Identity in Contemporary Tionghoa Communities” at Room 105 Soegondo, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, on Wednesday (20/5/2026). The event featured researcher Alexandra Masri Do from Cornell University, moderated by Naria Nur Iftitah from the Master’s Program in Literature, FIB UGM. The discussion explored contemporary Chinese Indonesian identity through literature, collective memory, and everyday cultural practices.

In her presentation, Alexandra highlighted the position of Chinese Indonesians as part of the world’s largest Chinese diaspora population. She explained that Chinese communities in the Indonesian archipelago existed long before the emergence of the modern nation-state, with records of settlements dating back to the seventh century. According to her, “Chinese” identity in Indonesia has never been singular, but rather continuously negotiated through language, culture, historical experience, and intergenerational social relations.

Alexandra also examined how the legacy of Dutch colonialism created social stratifications whose effects continue to persist today. She referred to 1965 and 1998 as two traumatic historical moments deeply embedded in the collective memory of Chinese Indonesian communities. The political circumstances of those periods, she argued, shaped the ways Chinese Indonesians viewed themselves, the state, and the very idea of citizenship.

Through several contemporary literary works, Alexandra demonstrated how the experience of being Chinese in Indonesia is articulated through personal narratives. She quoted The Longing by Alberta Natasia Adji, which portrays the younger generation’s disconnection from their ancestral cultural roots: “I’m a copy of my mother, but I speak the language of the locals. The closest thing I’ve got to my Chinese heritage now is eating noodles with chopsticks and checking my luck according to the Chinese horoscope.”

Referring to the passage, Alexandra noted that Chinese identity often survives only through simple cultural symbols such as chopsticks or zodiac beliefs, while ancestral languages gradually disappear from everyday life.

Beyond literature, Alexandra presented field documentation that she described as both collective and deeply personal, gathered from areas such as Glodok, Pantjoran PIK, Jambi, and Yogyakarta. Photographs of Chinese temples, Chinese schools, markets, and even citizenship archives from 1953 illustrated how Chinese identity continues to be reproduced through social spaces and cultural practices. She referred to this process as “mythmaking,” or the construction of collective narratives surrounding who Chinese Indonesians are and how they are understood.

Alexandra’s research also explored the aspirations of contemporary Chinese Indonesians, particularly the post-1998 generation. She questioned whether the idea of “homeland” is understood as Indonesia, China, or an in-between space of identity. These questions emerge alongside social change, globalization, and the increasing mobility of younger generations.

During the discussion, Alexandra emphasized the importance of fiction and literature as mediums for understanding minority experiences that are often absent from official historical narratives. In her view, literary works are capable of capturing the emotions, anxieties, and hopes of Chinese Indonesian communities more intimately than formal historical documents.

The event proceeded interactively with enthusiastic participation from students and academics. The discussion expanded to issues of discrimination, nationalism, and the representation of Chinese Indonesians in Indonesian popular culture. Through this public lecture, participants were encouraged to see Chinese identity not as a static category, but as an experience continually shaped by history, politics, culture, and everyday life.

[Magister Sastra, Khotibul Umam]

The Psycholinguistics course is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the relationship between language, the mind, and human biological processes. Through this course, students are introduced to the ways in which humans, as subjects, utilize their neurobiological capacities to process language as an object, while also examining the various obstacles that may arise in such processes.

The course materials encompass the study of humans as biological beings possessing the brain, neurological systems, auditory and visual senses, and speech organs that play essential roles in language processing. In addition, students explore the nature of human language and the various stages of linguistic processing, including language perception and comprehension, first language acquisition, second and foreign language learning, memory storage and retrieval processes, as well as spoken and written language production.

Beyond focusing solely on typical language processes, the Psycholinguistics course also addresses a range of language impairments and disorders caused by neurological and biological abnormalities. Through this approach, students are expected to develop a more comprehensive understanding of language from cognitive, biological, and social perspectives.

The course is delivered through a combination of face-to-face and blended learning modes in accordance with faculty guidelines. The instructional format consists of 60 percent in-person learning and 40 percent blended learning. Indonesian is used as the primary language of instruction throughout the course.

As part of strengthening students’ academic competencies and analytical skills, assessment is conducted through assignments and quizzes weighted at 20 percent, as well as article writing based on a case-based learning approach weighted at 80 percent. This approach encourages students to relate psycholinguistic theories to real linguistic phenomena occurring in society.

Another distinctive feature of the course is the student presentation sessions conducted in their respective regional languages to discuss specific topics related to psycholinguistics. This activity not only enriches students’ academic perspectives on Indonesia’s linguistic diversity, but also serves as a reflective space for understanding the relationship between language, culture, and human cognitive processes.

Through the Psycholinguistics course, students are expected to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of language as part of the human cognitive system, while simultaneously enhancing their sensitivity to linguistic diversity and various language-related issues encountered in everyday life.

[Magister Linguistik]

The Archaeology Student Association (HIMA) of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas
Gadjah Mada, through its Underwater Archaeology Division, conducted a scuba diving training
activity as part of efforts to develop students’ skills in maritime and underwater archaeology. The
activity was held on May 17, 2026, and attended by members of the Underwater Archaeology
Division under the guidance of certified instructors from Sentra Selam Jogja. During the training,
students were introduced to various materials, including diving equipment, proper usage
techniques, and underwater communication signals.

This scuba diving training program was part of a series of activities conducted prior to the Open
Water Training, which is usually carried out in open sea environments. Therefore, the activity
served as a practical learning experience that supported students’ understanding of underwater
archaeological research, particularly in the observation and documentation of cultural remains in
aquatic environments. Through this activity, HIMA demonstrated its commitment to improving
students’ competencies and field experience relevant to underwater archaeology and maritime
studies.

Author: Jovinka Aldinova Kiranamurti
Photo: Divisi Arkeologi Bawah Air