Yogyakarta, January 24, 2026 — The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM), hosted the 2026 The 1st CAUGM Korean Festival, a cultural event that offered the general public a hands-on experience of Korean culture. The festival was held on Friday (January 24) at the Margono Corridor, FIB UGM, and was open to anyone with an interest in Korea.

Korean Festival 2026 was a collaborative initiative between students of Universitas Gadjah Mada and Chung-Ang University (CAU), South Korea. The event aimed to strengthen cross-national cultural relations while serving as a platform for cultural exchange between Indonesia and Korea through an educational and entertaining approach.

A wide range of programs was featured during the festival, including Taste Korean Cuisines, which allowed visitors to sample Korean traditional foods in limited portions, as well as cultural experience booths that offered direct exposure to Korean culture. Visitors had the opportunity to try on Hanbok, traditional Korean attire, and to learn about traditional Korean musical instruments through interactive booths provided at the venue.

In addition, the event was enlivened by special performances from UGM and CAU students, as well as a Random Play Dance session that was open to visitors and became a major attraction, particularly for fans of Korean pop culture. The entire series of events began at 10:00 a.m. (WIB) and was open to the public without any mandatory registration.

The implementation of Korean Festival 2026 aligns with efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on Quality Education through the provision of cross-cultural learning spaces beyond the classroom, and SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals through international collaboration between educational institutions in Indonesia and South Korea. The festival also reflects the spirit of SDG 11, which focuses on building inclusive communities by providing safe and open public spaces for cultural interaction.

Through Korean Festival 2026, FIB UGM reaffirmed its commitment as an academic space that supports cultural diplomacy, global exchange, and the strengthening of cross-cultural understanding among students and the wider community.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

Yogyakarta, January 2026 – January marks a moment to commemorate Eyang Sapardi Djoko Damono, an Indonesian poet born on January 20, 1940. His works are widely known for their closeness to everyday life and their use of simple language that nonetheless carries profound meaning. Through his poetry, Sapardi invited readers to become more sensitive to language, emotions, and the realities surrounding them.

Sapardi’s poems, including “Hujan Bulan Juni” (June Rain), often feel closely connected to the experiences of university students and younger generations. His light yet reflective choice of words makes his works accessible to read while simultaneously opening space for thought and interpretation. In this way, literature no longer feels distant or complicated, but instead becomes an integral part of daily life.

This spirit aligns with the values upheld by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada, which positions language and literature as essential elements in fostering a culture of literacy. Through the works of Sapardi Djoko Damono, literature is understood as a medium capable of recording human experiences and portraying the social realities of its time.

The commemoration of Sapardi’s birthday also serves as a reminder of the importance of cultivating reading and writing habits among students. Amid the rapid flow of information today, literary literacy helps sharpen critical thinking, empathy, and the ability to understand meaning beyond surface-level reading.

The literacy values inherited from Sapardi Djoko Damono also contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education, through the strengthening of literacy culture and humanities-based learning, as well as SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, by preserving and nurturing intangible cultural heritage through literary works.

Through the momentum of remembering Sapardi Djoko Damono, students are encouraged to continue nurturing literacy and to embrace literature as a space for reflection, dialogue, and the reinforcement of humanistic values in everyday life.

[FIB UGM Public Relations, Alma Syahwalani]30

Photo source: https://sl.bing.net/d8Hga0uT8Ka

Students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, Class of 2025, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, staged a drama titled Weton Waton on Tuesday (12/16/2025). The performance took place at the Poerbatjaraka Auditorium, FIB UGM, at 6:00 p.m.

This activity was organized as part of the final exam assignment for the Communicative Spoken Javanese Language course taught by Dr. R. Bima Slamet Raharja, S.S., M.A. The performance of Weton Waton was directed by Safa Rahmatul H. as the production manager.

The drama Weton Waton tells the story of a domestic conflict between a husband and wife triggered by financial problems. The root of the problem lies in the husband’s decision to quit his job and get involved in cockfighting gambling. The ongoing conflict then prompts the wife’s parents to take the matter to a shaman. In the story, the shaman says that the couple’s domestic quarrels are caused by an incompatibility in their weton, which is called tiba pegat.

Through this performance, students sought to convey the message that problems should not be automatically attributed to a person’s character or nature based on their weton. In addition, this performance also presented knowledge about the concepts of dina, pasaran, and wuku, which are still believed by some Javanese people to be part of their tradition.

Based on an online interview with Yogi Setiyawan on December 28, 2025, the Weton Waton performance was a final exam assignment that required all students enrolled in the course to be directly involved in the performance. The theme of weton was chosen as an effort to highlight the tradition of calculating weton, dina, pasaran, and wuku that has developed in Javanese society.

“In preparing for the Weton Waton performance, our preparations can be said to still have a number of limitations. The challenges faced include script writing, group division, and funding constraints. From this process, we learned that good and open communication between members is very important in a performance,” said Yogi.

Yogi also expressed his pride in being involved in the premiere performance of the 2025 batch of students from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program. He hopes that this activity can be a first step towards producing better works in the future.

The performance of the Weton Waton drama was not only a means of practicing Javanese language skills orally, but also a platform for students to create and apply their language skills in the form of a performance. In line with the teachings of KGPAA Mangkunegara IV in Serat Wedhatama, which states that ngelmu iku kalakone kanthi laku or knowledge must be implemented through practice, this performance is a tangible manifestation of reviving enthusiasm for the Javanese language while honing students’ creativity. Through activities such as this, students are expected to continue to preserve and revive Javanese culture through concrete efforts that benefit the community.

[Javanese Literature and Culture Studies, Haryo Untoro]

SMAN 1 Bantul held the Saba Tilik 6.0 X Saba Education Fair on Thursday (January 22, 2026). This event aimed to provide motivation and further educational information to students, especially final-year students, so they could gain a broader understanding of the world of higher education and study program options.

Two students from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, class of 2025 at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), who are also alumni of SMAN 1 Bantul, Nurul Fajri Rahmani and Tri Wulandari, participated as speakers. Their presence allowed them to share their academic experiences and introduce the various study programs at Universitas Gadjah Mada to the students.

In an online interview with Nurul Fajri Rahmani on Friday (January 23, 2026), the material focused on introducing the literary and cultural groups, specifically the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program. Fajri also shared his experiences in pursuing higher education through the National Achievement-Based Selection (SNBP) and National Test-Based Selection (SNBT) pathways.

Fajri revealed that the main challenge in the event was students’ low interest in the Literature and Culture field. “Therefore, we strive to explain as well as possible the job prospects, academic potential, and the various benefits and interesting experiences that can be gained while studying in the Literature and Culture field,” he explained. This explanation is expected to broaden students’ horizons and change their perspectives on the study of literature and culture.

For Fajri, participating in the Saba Tilik 6.0 X Saba Education Fair was a truly memorable experience. Besides returning to his alma mater and meeting his classmates, he also had the opportunity to share stories and information about the world of college. He hopes that similar events can continue to be held on an ongoing basis to spark students’ interest and enthusiasm in pursuing higher education.

The Saba Tilik 6.0 X Saba Education Fair aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4, which focuses on quality education through providing inclusive and equitable access to information on higher education. Providing this information helps students make more conscious and informed educational decisions. More broadly, this activity also intersects with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements), namely by increasing literacy and insight in educational communities, which are the foundation for the formation of an informed and sustainable society. The collaboration between secondary schools and universities in this activity also reflects the implementation of SDG 17, namely partnerships to achieve sustainable development goals through synergy between educational institutions.

Author : Haryo Untoro
Editor  : Haryo Untoro

Singapore, January 5, 2026 – Randy Setiawan, an educational staff member of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), was selected as a delegate in the Transforming University Libraries Leadership and Innovation Programme (TULLIP) organized by NUS Libraries. The program brought together 19 participants from various countries and was held over five days, focusing on strengthening leadership, innovation, and digital transformation in university libraries.

The TULLIP program was designed to foster collaboration between librarians across the ASEAN region and the global academic community. Through a series of workshops, seminars, roundtable discussions, and learning visits, participants were equipped with strategic skills to address the challenges of library management amid a rapidly evolving information landscape.

Throughout the program, participants took part in a range of thematic sessions. The first day explored leadership in driving transformative change within libraries. The second day highlighted the use of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and innovation in leading academic libraries. The third day focused on library partnership practices in supporting education and research. On the fourth day, libraries were positioned as living labs through the management of collections, infrastructure, and spatial design. The program concluded on the fifth day with a case study-based problem-solving session.

In one of the presentation sessions, Setiawan outlined the challenges faced by the FIB UGM Library, particularly in relation to limited collection storage space. “In yesterday’s paper presentation, we highlighted an issue faced by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Library, namely the need to accommodate space as the library collection continues to grow,” Setiawan explained.

He added that older collections remain in high demand among students. “In addition, there is an urgent need to transform library collections from physical formats to digital ones. This is due to the limited capacity of the temporary library space, which can only accommodate around 15 percent of the total collection,” he said. As a result, approximately 85 percent of the collection must be stored long term and is at risk of deterioration.

Setiawan also shared that the workshop sessions provided participants with insights into effective and up-to-date collection digitization processes. On the same occasion, he introduced efforts to promote the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM’s rare collections through the Lawang Sejarah platform, which can be accessed at langka.lib.ugm.ac.id.

The participation of the FIB UGM delegate in the TULLIP program reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to adapting to developments in information technology and strengthening the role of libraries as centers for learning and research. Through enhanced human resource capacity and international networking, libraries are expected to better support an inclusive, impactful, and sustainability-oriented academic ecosystem.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]