The 4th International Seminar on Malay-Javanese Studies (SEMEJA) 2025 is jointly organized by the Institute of Nature and Malay Civilization (ATMA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia with the Javanese Literature Study Program, Department of Language and Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and the Department of Museum Malaysia (JMM). SEMEJA IV includes various components designed to foster meaningful dialogue, knowledge sharing, and strategic collaboration. The main focus is on how cultural heritage can contribute to community empowerment and regional unity.
The components of SEMEJA IV include:
Keynote address by visiting scholar – Secretary-General, Ministry of National Unity.
Paper presentation sessions among researchers, postgraduate students, Librarians/Curators/Archivists, government/private sector employees.
Forums featuring experts in related fields.
Poster presentations and exhibitions focusing on practical strategies in utilizing heritage for community empowerment.
Visits to heritage sites that play a role in community empowerment.
Featuring source person for studies of Malay-Javanese heritage
On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, the Instagram account @kratonjogja.event announced the winner of a competition. Not a contest to get a wife, but the #WaditraPralaga Content Competition held on two platforms, namely Instagram and TikTok. In the announcement, there was one student from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program at UGM who was announced as the winner. The student is Muhammad Yasir Ramadan with NIM 24/542781/SA/23331.
The theme of the content competition was of course around Waditra Pralaga because it was still related to a series of closings from the Paramaiswari exhibition. According to Bausastra, Waditra itself means music or percussion, while pralaga means war. This is in line with the performance presented by the palace, namely a battle between male and female orchestra players. What the palace wants to show is that women have the same potential as men.
Yasir stated that there was actually no special reason for him to join this competition. Yasir happened to hear this announcement while watching Waditra Pralaga at Kagungan Dalem. While watching, the MC announced that there would be a TikTok and Instagram content competition. The content can discuss anything, as long as it is still related to Waditra Pralaga. It was stated that one of the criteria for the winner would be calculated from the total number of viewers on the content, with the provision of using the hashtag #WaditraPralaga and by tagging the social media accounts of Karaton Yogyakarta. Honestly, Yasir did not expect that he would be announced as one of the winners of this competition because the number of viewers of his content was not as many as other content. However, when his name was included in one of the 10 winners, Yasir was happy.
According to Yasir, the difficulty in preparing the content was predicting the direction of the audience's interest. With the analysis and video material that Yasir had recorded, he chose a video containing music that many people knew. With this, Yasir chose a video when the players performed one of the soundtracks in the film "Pirates of the Caribbean".
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSMob6vkG/
The prize that Yasir received for winning the competition was the opportunity to watch the Opening of the Hamong Nagari Exhibition with the performance of the Abdi Dalem Fashion Show accompanied by Acapella by the Yogyakarta Royal Orchestra for free. In addition to being free, the winner also got a special place, where they got the front seat. According to Yasir, the event was very memorable because it was opened directly by Ngarsa Dalem and was also attended by G.K.R. Bendara, K.P.H. Natanegara, and also Wayah Dalem (the sultan's grandson). In addition, what made this experience memorable was the Abdi Dalem fashion show, which is very rare to find now. Finally, there was also a performance accompanied by the Yogyakarta Royal Choir which made this event more lively and gave a magnificent impression.
Haryo Untoro represented the Javanese Language, Literature, Literature and Culture Study Program in getting an extraordinary student award in the framework of the Achievement Individual Awards at the 79th Open Senate Meeting of the FIB UGM. This open senate meeting was held on March 3, 2025.
The series of open senate meetings starts from registration, opening, singing Indonesia Raya, Hymn Gadjah Mada, and Mars Sastra, then there is a UGM Rector's speech, Dr. Ova Emilia, M.Med.ed., Sp.OG (K)., Ph.D. Followed by the ceremony for submitting a comprehensive report by the Head of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, scientific speech by Dr. Gabriel Roosmargo Lono Lastoro Simatupang, MA., Ph.D., awards to outstanding individuals, choir, prayer, and closing.
According to Haryo, the selection of outstanding individuals is likely to be seen from academic and non-academic competitions, making scientific papers, and others. Here Haryo was chosen by lecturers to represent his study program, namely Javanese language, literature, and culture.
Haryo said that he was grateful and actually did not expect that he would get this award. Because of that this award was memorable for him. When asked whether Haryo was ambitious to re-achieve the same award next year, Haryo replied that he would only try to give better than in previous years, not ambition to achieve it again.
Noviyanti Alfitri (NIM 24/533646/SA/22795), a 2024 student from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program, inaugurated as a Diajeng Gunungkidul 2025 at the end of February. Diajeng is a representation of a young woman from a regency—in this case, Gunungkidul Regency—specifically in the field of tourism. Usually Diajeng is paired with Dimas (as a representation of youngman). They promote nature and culture-based tourism in their district and become icons for young people.
The selection process for the Dimas-Diajeng icon began in December 2024. Starting from the selection of files and administration, written selection, interview selection, then the announcement of 15 finalists who were quarantined, and officially crowned on the coronation night on February 22, 2025.
As the holder of the title Diajeng Gunungkidul, Noviyanti or who is familiarly called Upik has the main responsibility of assisting in the marketing sector at the Tourism Office in promoting tourism in Gunungkidul Regency.
Not the coronation night, according to Upik, the most memorable experience during the Dimas-Diajeng selection process was during quarantine. During the quarantine period, Upik gained a lot of knowledge ranging from tourism, culture, regional specialties, public speaking, and others. This increased Upik's knowledge and Upik learned a lot of new things during the quarantine period.
In addition to the most memorable moments, Upik also said that she had difficulty in time management. Because of the tight timeline of the selection process, Upik had to adjust her lecture schedule at UGM with her other activities. However, fortunately Upik was able to go through everything smoothly by making a priority scale.
Even though she has been named Diajeng Gunungkidul 2025, Upik realizes that she is still part of the UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students. Therefore, Upik wants to contribute a lot to her study program. She wants to do several things; become a writer or participant in the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali, become a talent or production team in the Gugur Gunung activity, and maybe take part in a competition to bring the name of the study program. In addition, Upik also has an ambition to be able to write her own anthology.
Wow, it seems like Upik has so many desires and ambitions! Hopefully, all of Upik's ambitions can be achieved smoothly without any significant obstacles. With this story, hopefully other students will also be motivated to do what they like and develop themselves even more!
Studying and understanding ancient manuscripts may sound complicated to some people. However, in the Codicology course taught by Dr. Sri Ratna Saktimulya, M. Hum., we can understand it better from a fun side!
Codicology itself is a course that focuses on the science of dealing with the physical condition of manuscripts. So basically here, students will study the physical condition of manuscripts in terms of materials, size, paper and everything related to the physical nature of the manuscript, as well as the elements in the text, such as illumination, stamps, script, and others.
On Monday, February 17, 2025, Mrs. Sakti entered the Codicology class bringing a new learning method for students. In this second meeting, students conducted a case study. The case given was the analysis of a manuscript. However, what was different here was the object of study. The object that became the example of the manuscript was the student himself.
There were 5 students who were chosen to be the 'objects of study', while their friends formed groups to discuss and analyze each of the objects. The things that were asked to be described included manuscripts, texts, and history.
An example of the requested script analysis is a physical description of the object of study. For example, in that day's meeting, according to the 'script', the object had curly hair, was 165 cm tall, had narrow eyes, had brown skin, and so on. Then in text, students could describe that the object was shy, kind, liked to show off, and so on. Finally, historically, students were asked to mention the life journey of 'the script' such as year of birth, parents, home address, age, and et cetera.
By imagining things like this, students can understand better how to analyze and describe scripts more concretely. And in the future, students are expected to be more enthusiastic about dissecting Javanese Literature scripts so that the essence of the script can be conveyed to the public.
An innovative movement in the world of education is back through the implementation of the final exam for the 'Tata Cara' course in the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program at Universitas Gadjah Mada. This exam is not only an academic assessment event, but also aims to train students' observation skills and strengthen their connection with local culture. With a learning method based on direct experience, students are invited to explore, understand, and document the traditions of the surrounding community as part of preserving cultural heritage.
In this final exam, students were asked to form groups and plan a reportation video of events and cultural products in the area around their homes. In approximately one month, the student groups successfully produced diverse and interesting outputs. Among them were those that discussed traditional herbal drinks, various forms of offerings, procedures for panggih manten, jathilan, and so on.
Mayla (class of 2023) said that she was very happy because this reportation assignment gave students more opportunities to learn more about related arts. She said that this was a completely different experience than just watching. Rachel (class of 2023) added that it was fun because she could watch the panggih procession live. There was a prayer for the bride and groom to be able to build a household. Then there was also Nadiffa (class of 2023) who stated that this activity was fun and taught many lessons about mutual tolerance.
This step is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially point 4 on Quality Education, which emphasizes relevant and skills-based learning. In addition, this exam also contributes to point 11, namely Sustainable Cities and Communities, by maintaining and appreciating cultural diversity in local communities. Not only that, the involvement of students in direct interaction with the community reflects the implementation of point 17, Partnerships for The Goals, through collaboration between educational institutions and local communities.
This innovative approach is expected to strengthen the awareness of the younger generation towards the richness of Indonesian culture while honing their observation skills in understanding social phenomena around them.
Bibliography
Ana Safitri. (Dec 14, 2024). "Aja Waton Payu" Video Dokumenter Mata Kuliah Tata Cara & Pranatacara | UGM | Kelompok 7. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/doC4jVOlluY?si=KdF8wiuBkeBzyMjs
Asmarawijaya. (Dec 13, 2024). KEBUDAYAAN DALAM HARMONI PERNIKAHAN || RANGKAIAN TATACARA PERNIKAHAN GAYA SURAKARTA. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ETIavdVdAh8?si=u-aoJLJdEje8Uwr2
Fifi. (Dec 14 2024). "Sabaya Mukti, Sabaya Pati" - Upacara Panggih Manten Gaya Surakarta di Magelang. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/LlVSazdFAPo?si=WnU3AF8NuSvqvuGw
Rizki Saputro. (Dec 13, 2024). Sajen "Wujud Doa Tanpa Kata". [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/IILkq0dEGPc?si=3ol8mQkLMJyLNr91
On Monday, March 4, 2024, at 09.30 WITA, Dr. Arsanti Wulandari, S.S., M.Hum, a lecturer from the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program, became a speaker in a public lecture entitled ‘Philology in Javanese Manuscript Studies’. This activity was held through the Zoom Meeting platform and initiated by the Javanese Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Udayana University (FIB UNUD).
In the public lecture, Dr. Arsanti Wulandari presented an introduction to philology, reviewed the concept of philology, the object of study, the tasks of philologists, and the final product produced. The presentation was equipped with examples of Javanese manuscripts and their identification, so that the audience could understand about philology more easily. The discussion session that followed provided space for participants to ask various questions, showing their high enthusiasm for the topics discussed.
Kuliah umum mengenai filologi ini diadakan sebagai respons terhadap semakin berkurangnya minat mahasiswa dalam bidang studi filologi. Meskipun demikian, saat ini pemerintah sedang serius mendorong penggalian pengetahuan dan nilai-nilai yang terkandung dalam naskah kuno. Harapannya, melalui kegiatan semacam ini, minat, dan pemahaman terhadap filologi dapat tumbuh kembali di kalangan mahasiswa.
Pentingnya memahami dan menjaga keberlanjutan pengetahuan serta nilai-nilai kebudayaan yang terdapat dalam naskah kuno menjadi fokus kuliah umum ini. Dengan memberikan bekal pengetahuan, semangat, dan menjalin kerja sama yang baik, diharapkan pengetahuan dan nilai-nilai kebudayaan pada naskah kuno dapat tetap lestari dan dapat kemudian dikembangkan sesuai dengan kebutuhan zaman. Hal ini selaras dengan tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan, terutama dalam meningkatkan mutu pendidikan (poin 4) dan memperkuat kerja sama untuk mencapai tujuan bersama (poin 17).
Entering the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Major not only makes students active in learning about Javanese literature and language, but also active in various non-academic activities. With the passion of preserving culture and developing skills outside of class, they are involved in organizations outside the faculty, art communities, and social activities. Their participation in these activities not only increases their insight, but also enriches their experience in understanding and applying Javanese cultural values in everyday life.
Even this year, some of them are not only active as ordinary members, but have 'moved up a level' to become responsible persons in various strategic positions. Let's take a peek at the story!
Luki Henria Pasadhi (Sasa) — General Secretary of PK IMM UGM
Starting from activities in high school, Sasa joined the Muhammadiyah Student Association (IMM) because she was looking for a Muhammadiyah-based organization in the college environment. Previously, Sasa was a member of the Muhammadiyah Youth Association (IPM). With the aim of maintaining what has been started since high school, Sasa went through a long process as a member of the Media and Communication division until this year Sasa served as the general secretary of IMM for the 2024/2025 period. Sasa hopes that IMM can run as it should, smoothly in carrying out work programs, and can contribute to UGM and the community.
Abimanyu Mahendra (Abi) — President of UKM Swagayugama
In the 2024 Swagayugama Great Deliberation, Abi took the initiative to nominate himself as the president. Through a long democratic process, finally the forum have agreed to elect Abi as the general chairman of Swagayugama UKM for one year ahead. Abi's reason for joining Swagayugama UKM was to preserve the Javanese culture of Yogyakarta. He felt obliged to do so, especially since he himself came from Yogyakarta. Abi has served as the coordinator of the pedhalangan competency test, as a talent during grand performances, as a dhalang talent, a dance drama talent, and even as a talent to perform at the Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. Abi's hope in his management is to improve what is lacking, and maintain what is already good.
Yanuar Agung Nugroho (Yanuar) — President of UKM UKJGS
Having a background related to arts, Yanuar was enthusiastic about joining the UGM Surakarta Style Javanese Arts Unit (UKJGS). Within a year, he was dynamically involved in many arts activities carried out by UKJGS such as Gladhi Madya, various performances including the Prambanan Ramayana ballet, the New Year's Eve gamelan parade, and so on. In these activities, Yanuar actively played a role as a talent before finally being trusted to become the general chairman of the 2024/2025 management. Yanuar was chosen from the results of voting at the 2024 UKJGS Great Conference.
June was chosen as the Chief Financial Officer for E-Sport UGM because the previous chairman saw June as a responsive person. Over the past year, June has participated in several events and has been the manager of two PUBG teams. As the head of finance, her future duties include monitoring the work of the treasurer and sponsorship. June hopes that in the future she can divide her time between E-Sport activities, department associations, or other activities.
Alma Syahwalani (Alma) — Head of Public Relations Marching Band UGM
Initially in the UGM Marching Band, Alma held a flag instrument where the section was called Color Guard. After a process of approximately one year, Alma was chosen to become the Head of Public Relations at the UGM Marching Band through interviews and also a deliberation system. On December 18, 2024, Alma was inaugurated with other new administrators. During her time in the marching band, Alma diligently attended routine practices and performed a lot inside and outside UGM. The Color Guard Section even received the title of Player of The Year. Alma's hope for the future is to continue to improve her soft skills and hard skills and also to be able to create wider networks and relationships.
Audrey Gizella Islamey (Audrey) — Kepala Divisi Kostum Swagayugama
Regarding Audrey's election as Head of Costume Division, there were two influencing factors. First, because of the recommendation from the previous division head. In addition, because the candidate for the head of UKM Swagayugama directly chose Audrey to fill the position of head of costume division. During her time at UKM Swagayugama, Audrey diligently attended routine training, sometimes also involved as a talent in several performances, such as Pentas Kraton, Pagelaran Akbar Swagayugama, and several other incidental performances. In addition, during her time as a member of the costume division, she was involved several times as a person in charge for taking care of the costumes of the talents. Audrey hopes that by joining UKM Swagayugama and studying in the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program, both can go hand in hand so that they always foster a sense of love and pride in local culture and ignite the spirit to participate in efforts to preserve culture.
M. Rafi Nur Fauzy (Rafi) — Head of the Karawitan and Pedhalangan Division UKJGS
Based on his competence, performance, and experience during the previous one year of membership, the previous manager recommended Rafi to become the Head of the Karawitan and Pedhalangan Division in the UKJGS management in 2024/2025. During his time at UKJGS, Rafi had been the coordinator of routine pedhalangan training, the coordinator of pedhalangan Gladhi Madya , the event committee at Gladhi Purwa, the coordinator of karawitanAmbal WarsaUKJGS, the coordinator of Ramayana Ballet Prambanan karawitan, and others. Rafi hopes to be able to improve his academic achievements for this semester and in the future. And for UKJGS, Rafi hopes to be able to maintain and improve his quality and good name both inside and outside the university.
M. Rizki Saputro (Rizki) — Head of Facilities and Infrastructure Division UKJGS
Rizki became the Head of the Facilities Division because he was appointed by the president of UKJGS. His goal in accepting the mandate was to take the opportunity to learn to become a division head in the organization. During his time at UKJGS, Rizki actively participated in various committees, including Gladhi Madya equipment coordinator, Gladhi Purwa security staff, Ambal Warsa equipment staff, Ramayana equipment staff, and is currently the Ramayana equipment coordinator. In addition, Rizki is also a talent at Gladhi Madya and the Faculty of Philosophy Karawitan Festival as a kenong player. Rizki's hope for UKJGS in the future is that it will continue to develop and innovate in preserving Javanese culture.
Fega Achillea Maydena (Fega) — General Secretary of Gadjah Mada Diving Society
Starting from her interest in the underwater world, Fega decided to register for the UGM Diving Society. During the training period and after being inaugurated as an official member, Fega routinely participated in various agendas held by the UGM Diving Society. So that at the end of 2024, Fega won the title of Member of The Year as a form of appreciation for her active participation. In the future, Fega hopes to continue to be able to balance academic and non-academic life, and continue to develop herself into a more skilled person.
From the writing above, we can conclude that being a student of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture does not prevent us from developing our potential in other fields. Some are in the arts, sports, and even religion. By knowing these stories, it is hoped that readers will also have the spirit to continue to develop themselves and fly high in the fields they are engaged in.
No less than other well-known study programs, it turns out that being a student of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture can also carry pride and inspire other people around! For example, Dian Nitami (Dian) and Miktahul Ulumudin (Ulum) below. Both are students majoring in Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, class of 2023 and 2024.
Dian and Ulum were invited to the annual Campus Expo event held by the MAN 1 Tulungagung alumni association, through the Tulungagung Student Communication Forum (FKMT). This Campus Expo was held on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at MAN 1 Tulungagung. Like Campus Expo events in general, here Dian and Ulum are in charge of educating and sharing experiences about being UGM students. They discussed topics around UGM entrance selection, college fee education, KIP scholarships, and a glimpse of UGM itself.
The Campus Expo itself was attended by 1st - 3rd year, but the seminar session was specifically attended by 3rd year where the class was certainly preparing for the exam to enter college. Dian was invited to be one of the speakers because she was one of the lucky students who had the opportunity to study at UGM with funding assisted by a scholarship. So at this event Dian gave a testimonial that scholarships at UGM are very open to students from any entrance selection path.
From Dian and Ulum's point of view, MAN 1 Tulungagung students were certainly very happy because they could meet their seniors who were studying at UGM. Then the impressive occasion was when the speakers entered, they were greeted with the Pionir celebration song with the enthusiasm of Mantasa (the name for MAN 1 Tulungagung students) overflowing. Even in the closing session, it was enlivened again by the Pionir celebration dance so that this indicated that MAN 1 Tulungagung students were really enthusiastic about participating in this seminar session.
For Dian, the impression gained from this experience was a sense of joy because this was the first time Dian had the opportunity to be a speaker who of course could educate and motivate the MAN students.
With this valuable story from Dian and Ulum, it is hoped that this can be an inspiration for other student to always be able to provide benefits and spread positive enthusiasm to people around them, that being part of the family of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students is a pride and not less cool than other majors.
As the host of Temu Budaya Nusantara (TBN) XXX Imbasadi, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) remains serious in the competition that is part of the big series. The earnestness of the UGM delegation, represented by ten students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, paid off with championships in three branches of the competition, including the following:
1st place in the National Scientific Writing Competition (LKTIN) - Haryo Untoro, Daffa Pharaja Mustofa, and Miktahul Ulumudin
The work competed in LKTIN has the title Implementation of Asthabrata Concept as the Foundation of Generation Z Life. This study raises the material object in the form of Asthabrata's leadership concept in Yasadipura I's Serat Rama, which turns out to be relevant and can be a life guide for generation Z.
1st place in Batik Design Competition - Meifira Arini Pitaloka
The batik designed by Meifira Arini Pitaloka presents a butterfly with various batik motifs on its wings, as well as other supporting motifs. From her work, there is an in-depth philosophy of Indonesian culture as the identity of the people of the archipelago, with its various forms, patterns, and philosophies, and continues to live and develop throughout the ages.
3rd Place in Storytelling Competition - Ghibran Arsha Daffa' Musaffa'
Ghibran Arsha Daffa' Musaffa' presented a story entitled Nyai Rangga Wati. The story focuses on the quarrel between a couple, Joko and Wati, in Malioboro. During the argument, Joko did not want Wati to continue her desire to become a Jathilan player, which he considered an ancient and backward art. The argument ended with their relationship breaking down. In the end, Wati continued to pursue her dream as a Jathilan dancer and was dubbed by the community as Nyai Rangga Wati.
Imbasadi's XXXth Nusantara Cultural Gathering took place over five days, from November 11-15, 2024. The event themed Manggala Gajah Mada: Ancala Raksi Budaya 'Pioneer Gajah Mada: Bagai Gunung Pengharum Budaya' took place with a variety of events, such as various competitions, batik, tilik UGM, until the peak night in the form of awarding champions, wayang kulit performance of the Gajah Mada Kridha play, and cultural tours to Pura Pakualaman.
There are seven (7) competitions held, namely cultural performances, National Scientific Writing Competition (LKTIN), fairy tale competition, batik design competition, Tiktok archipelago competition, documentary film competition, and essay competition.
The delegates who participated in the event consisted of the 3 youngest batches, from the batch of 2022 there was Haryo Untoro, then from the batch of 2023 represented by Meifira Arini Pitaloka and Nisrina Almasevi, while the batch of 2024 was represented by Dhaffa Pharaja Mustofa, Ghibran Arsha Daffa' Musaffa', Harvesto Qodam Sahaja, Miktahul Ulumudin, Nurcholish Ramadhan, Noviyanti Alfitri, and Shabrina Fitra Azzahra.
With the implementation of the XXXth National Cultural Meeting, it is hoped that it can generate enthusiasm for students to continue to appreciate, explore, preserve, and develop traditional and cultural heritage in Indonesia. The existence of the TBN-XXX can also be a place to strengthen the relationship of students of regional language and literature study programs throughout Indonesia, and unite the spirit to realize the goals of sustainable development for the advancement of national civilization.
Our gratitude goes to all parties who participated in supporting and organizing this activity. Thank you also to all students majoring in regional literature throughout Indonesia who have attended and tried together to preserve and enliven the diversity of Indonesia in full harmony. Hopefully in the future, Imbasadi can present real efforts in cultural preservation and spread benefits to the people of Indonesia.
