Singaraja- The Association of Indonesian Regional Language and Literature Students (Imbasadi) held the IX Archipelago Workshop. This time, the Balinese Language Education Study Program, Department of Indonesian and Regional Languages, Faculty of Languages and Arts, University of Education, Ganesha (FBS-Undiksha) was entrusted as the host. The event, which opened on Thursday (12/5/2022), is an event to unite and awaken the spirit in maintaining the existence of culture, one of which is the regional language.
The opening ceremony, which was centered directly at the Undiksha Auditorium, described the rich culture of the archipelago. Inside is filled with exhibitions of various handicraft products, regional toys, regional clothing, and so on from various universities in Indonesia. This is also a reflection of the theme of the event “Tresnaning Budaya Hitaning Budaya: Cultural Romance Towards a World of Harmony”. This theme has the meaning of how we as the younger generation grow love for native culture in order to create a more harmonious life or world.
President of Imbasadi, Nehemia Anugrah Parasian, explained that this activity is an annual activity. Apart from building a spirit of love for culture, this momentum is also a space to get to know each other and learn about inter-regional cultures, each of which is unique. “Even though we are different in terms of regional languages, we can learn from each other and can also understand each other,” he explained.
He realizes that regional languages as a part of culture are faced with challenges. These challenges come from speakers and the rapid flow of globalization. By Imbasadi, this reality is a serious concern. Imbasadi is moving to make conservation efforts in order to anticipate the dimming existence of regional languages. The steps taken have been to actively hold various competitions, such as folk song competitions, poetry musicalization, and so on. “We hope that this effort will receive support from the wider community,” he hoped.
This activity was opened by the Dean of FBS Undiksha Prof. Dr. I Made Sutama, M.Pd. He, who represented the Rector of Undiksha, appreciated the holding of this activity at Undiksha because it could be a space to display and appreciate the diversity of Indonesian culture. This academic from Ubud, Gianyar Regency also invites all parties to preserve the regional language. “So language itself is the storehouse of culture. If the local language becomes extinct, then the regional culture will disappear by itself,” he said.
Head of the Ni Archipelago Workshop IX Committee, Wayan Dewinta Tirta Sintyawati explained that this activity was attended by 69 participants from various universities in Indonesia. A total of 38 of them participated offline.
This series of workshops carried out various activities. There is a dedication that is manifested in blood donation activities and also teaching in a number of schools carried out by Imbasadi administrators and also delegations. In addition, there are various types of competitions and sharing sessions which are the essence of the archipelago gathering to discuss programs in management and the selection of the next workshop host. (hms)
