The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, hosted a study visit from a group of students from Sidoarjo State Secondary School No. 4 on Wednesday, 8 June 2026. The event, which took place in the Poerbatjaraka Building Auditorium, was attended by around 100 students and accompanying teachers who wished to gain a closer insight into the academic environment and the atmosphere of university life at FIB UGM. This visit served as an important opportunity for the students to gather first-hand information on humanities degree programmes, supporting facilities, and the future career prospects for graduates.

The high level of enthusiasm was evident right from the start of the event, with students listening intently to every presentation given by the faculty members. As the question-and-answer session began, the atmosphere became even more interactive, with students posing a range of critical questions regarding the new student admissions process. One particularly interesting moment occurred when a student enthusiastically enquired about special admission routes, asking, “Does UGM offer a ‘golden ticket’ for secondary school pupils?” This question reflected the students’ strong motivation and ambition to succeed in the highly competitive admissions process at UGM.

In response to this question, the faculty explained that UGM does not recognise the term ‘instant golden ticket’, but is committed to a fair and transparent selection process through the national admission routes (SNBP and SNBT) and the UGM Independent Entrance Examination (UM UGM). Nevertheless, UGM places great value on students with outstanding achievements through the Outstanding Talent Search (PBUB) scheme. Through the PBUB pathway, students’ talents and abilities in the fields of sport, the arts, science and technology, and religion at national level will be given special weighting in the assessment process, thereby increasing their chances of admission.

The study visit concluded with a group photograph in front of the Poerbatjaraka Building and an exchange of souvenirs between the school and the Faculty of Humanities (FIB) at UGM. It is hoped that, through this activity, the students from State Senior High School 4 Sidoarjo will return home with strong motivation and reliable information to prepare themselves to become part of the Gadjah Mada Muda community.

[Author: Humas FIB, Zaidan Abdurrahman]

In commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), the Undergraduate Program in Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, organized an International Workshop entitled Rereading Wayang: Remembering the Past, Looking Toward the Future on Thursday (9/7/2026). The event invited academics, students, and the general public to revisit the art of wayang, not only as a cultural heritage of the past but also as a tradition that continues to develop and remains relevant in responding to present and future challenges.

To comprehensively explore the theme, the workshop featured three speakers with expertise in their respective fields: Prof. Matthew Isaac Cohen, Ph.D., Alan H. Feinstein, Ph.D., and Dr. G.R. Lono Lastoro Simatupang, M.A. The discussion was moderated by Zakariya Pamuji Aminullah, S.S., M.A.

The event commenced at 09.00 WIB with opening remarks by Dr. Rudy Wiratama, S.I.P., M.A., Chair of the Organizing Committee, followed by remarks from Dr. Mimi Savitri, M.A., Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation, and Alumni of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. Following the opening session, the international workshop officially began.

As the first speaker, Prof. Matthew Isaac Cohen, Ph.D., discussed the life of wayang art in the virtual sphere, particularly its development, which became increasingly visible during the pandemic. According to him, the presence of wayang art in the digital world had actually begun long before the pandemic through live-streamed wayang kulit performances. “The life of wayang art in the virtual world had actually begun before the pandemic era, with the emergence of live-streamed wayang kulit performances,” he explained. He further elaborated that the existence of wayang in the virtual sphere has continued to transform through various forms of innovation, ranging from the establishment of communities such as Posko Dalang Nusantara, the publication of the book #Dalang Goes to Twitter, the emergence of Wayang Jemblung during the pandemic, to the development of wayang in the form of artificial intelligence (AI)-based animation.

The second speaker, Alan H. Feinstein, Ph.D., presented the topic of the historiography and documentation of Javanese wayang stories. He explained that efforts to document wayang stories have been carried out since the colonial period, both through documentation projects of lakon carangan and through the collection of various ancient manuscript sources. According to him, wayang can be studied from various scholarly perspectives; therefore, documenting facts, data, documents, and various other forms of evidence is essential. This is necessary because wayang performances are ephemeral and leave no trace once the puppeteer concludes the performance.

In the final session, Dr. G.R. Lono Lastoro Simatupang, M.A., discussed the existence of women in wayang performing arts from the perspectives of female puppeteers, wayang characters, women’s representation, and the stories performed. He explained that women’s participation in the world of wayang has shown positive development, although it still requires further strengthening. “I recommend increasing the number of female puppeteers, enhancing women’s skills in wayang performing arts, and creating lakon carangan that are in accordance with contemporary developments,” he stated.

Through this workshop, Javanese wayang was understood not only as a performing art but also as a reflection of continuously evolving social and cultural dynamics. The presentations demonstrated that the existence of wayang has always been intertwined with the context of its era while continuing to transform without losing the cultural values that form its foundation. In line with the theme Rereading Wayang: Remembering the Past, Looking Toward the Future, the workshop demonstrated that the preservation of wayang is carried out not only through the transmission of tradition but also through documentation, critical reinterpretation, and various innovations that maintain its relevance amid contemporary developments.

Author: Prodi Bahasa, Sastra dan Budaya Jawa

Yogyakarta – This semester break, 11 Australian university students take on INCULS’ short program in preparation for their Summer Program at Fakultas Biologi UGM. They had only studied the language for 3 days. Today, they take on their biggest challenge yet, Treasure Hunt around campus strictly using Indonesian to further improve their understanding of the basic level Indonesian they had learned prior today. 

The activity starts at 9AM and goes on until 11AM. The 11 of them are then split into two groups. Each group is given an envelope. Inside are the clues needed to find their next destination. 

They have to follow directions, such as “belok kiri”, “belok kanan”, cardinal directions, also to recognize buildings, trees, icons, and the faculties around campus. At the designated spots they come along, students are to take pictures together as proof.

Throughout the activity, everyone was very energetic, full of energy, and working together to solve the riddles. They brainstormed to understand the meaning of the sentence and to decide their next move. Not just improving their Indonesian Language capabilities, but also to motivate them to communicate and work as a team.  

Everyone enjoyed the Treasure Hunt our lecturers in INCULS had prepared. Through this activity, not only they could understand directions in Indonesian better but also, the chance to see and etch an image of their new campus environment.

We hope the experience our Australian friends got from this fun and educational activity could increase their confidence when using Bahasa Indonesia, to make them feel at home in a new environment, and also to provide a very enjoyable and educative learning experience in this Summer Program in UGM. 

Author: Bela (Huang Chun Mei)

The Department of History at UGM’s Faculty of Cultural Sciences, in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam and Sound and Vision (Beeld en Geluid), is hosting a summer program titled Re:Sound (Restituting, Reconnecting, Reimagining Sound Heritage). The program will take place at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, from July 6–10, 2026, and will be attended by students from Gadjah Mada University and the University of Amsterdam. The program’s opening ceremony will be held in Room 709 of the Soegondo Building on Monday, July 6, 2026.

The program was opened by Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, S.S., M.Hum., Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, and Dr. Abdul Wahid, Head of the Department of History. They extended a warm welcome and congratulated the students and all participants involved in the program. Dr. Sri Margana, S.S., M.Hum., and Barbara Titus from Jaap Kunst Collection then took the floor to outline the introduction and objectives of the Re:Sound program, which serves as a collective platform for participants to critically examine the legacy of sound archives, their origins, ownership, and curatorial agency.

The opening of this program marks the start of a series of intensive activities combining in-class discussion sessions and site visits. The series of site visits took place at the Sonobudoyo Museum, the Ullen Sentalu Museum, and the Lokananta Museum. Through a combination of academic lectures in the classroom and visits to these cultural preservation institutions, the Re:Sound Summer Program is expected to spark new discourse among young people across nations regarding the importance of restitution, connectivity, and reimagining sound heritage. This international collaboration also reaffirms FIB UGM’s commitment to supporting academic internationalization and cultural preservation.

[Humas FIB, Maylafaizza Nafisha Zifa]

Yogyakarta, July 6, 2026 — Writer and journalist Linda Christanty shared her experience crafting human-interest stories based on reporting during the discussion “From Reporting to Literary Works,” held in the Multimedia Room, Margono, 2nd Floor, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, on Monday (July 6, 2026). This discussion was organized by the Indonesian Language and Literature Program and Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia (KPG), in collaboration with Bentara Budaya and ELTI Jogja. The event, attended by more than 50 people—including students, academics, and community members—was moderated by Nafiis Anshaari, and Prof. Dr. Aprinus Salam contributed to the discussion by analyzing a short story by Linda Christanty titled “A Dog Dies in Bala Murghab.”

Linda is widely known for her renowned journalistic works, and on this occasion, she also expressed her concerns regarding publishers’ interest in her work. “Even though no one has shown interest yet, it will still be published so that the new generation can read and discover other short stories,” said Linda, emphasizing her commitment to continue bringing literary works to the public even though the challenges of publishing are not always easy.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Aprinus Salam also shared a story about his encounter with Linda’s works. “I’ve known her for a long time; it all started with Linda’s short stories that appeared in *Kompas*, and we followed and read them back then,” he said, describing how Linda’s writings in the mass media had become required reading among academics since their very inception.

The discussion also touched on how literary works can emerge from journalism, citing Seno Gumira’s idea in “When Journalism Is Silenced, Literature Must Speak” as one of the references. From there, the forum delved deeper into the connection between the worlds of journalism and literature—how reporting and facts can be transformed into narratives, while also serving as a bridge for a new generation to discover a variety of short stories that have not yet received much exposure. The discussion concluded with the presentation of commemorative gifts to the two speakers, followed by the awarding of Gramedia gift cards—provided by Bentara Budaya—to the two speakers and five lucky audience members who asked questions, and finally, a group photo.

This spirit aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on quality education—which promotes literacy access for the younger generation—and SDG 17 on partnerships to achieve common goals, where collaboration involving Bentara Budaya, KPG, ELTI Jogja, academics, and even the discussion participants—working in synergy—is key to expanding access to literacy and ensuring the continued presence of literary works within the community.

Author: G Nathania Yolanda & Lina (沈孟樺)