The Board of Professors of the Academic Senate of Diponegoro University (UNDIP) organized a webinar titled “UNDIP’s Professor Talk” on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 1:00 PM WIB. The event was held online via Zoom and streamed live on the official YouTube channel UNDIPTV, with the theme “Strengthening Nationalism through the Art Appreciation Movement.”
The event was officially opened by the Secretary of the UNDIP Council of Professors, Prof. Dr. Denny Nugroho Sugianto, S.T., M.Si, who represented the chairman of the UNDIP Council of Professors. In his opening remarks, Prof. Denny stated that this webinar’s theme is a tangible expression of professors’ concern for strengthening nationalism through the art appreciation movement. “This webinar is one of the ways the professors at Diponegoro University and other universities demonstrate their concern,” he said.
“We have a great responsibility to pass on our cultural and artistic values to future generations. Moreover, with the rapid development of science and information technology today, sometimes the younger generation needs to be reminded,” added Prof. Denny.
According to him, the Indonesian nation possesses noble cultural and artistic values, and there needs to be a way to elevate these values into a sense of nationalism.
“At some national events, we often incorporate artistic elements such as dance, poetry, pantun (traditional rhymed poetry), and so on. This is one form of our responsibility to strengthen the values of nationalism through the arts,” said Prof. Denny.
Furthermore, fostering interest and enthusiasm for nationalism through the arts also requires the availability of facilities and infrastructure. Facilities such as the Gelora Seni dan Budaya (Art and Culture Arena) serve as a platform for various artistic activities.
“We have an obligation regarding how we can maintain the facilities and infrastructure, how we can strengthen it, how the facilities and infrastructure can become a forum that we can use together to socialize, to interact with each other, to develop innovations in the arts,” he explained.
The Chairman of Commission C of the UNDIP Board of Professors, Prof. Dr. Abdul Rohman, S.E., M.Si., noted that the webinar’s topic was fascinating as it coincided with Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations.
“This forum aims to discuss several aspects of nationalism that can be implemented through the arts, the supporting and inhibiting factors in implementing nationalism through the arts, and the efforts made to overcome the challenges in implementing nationalism through the arts,” said Prof. Abdul Rohman.
The webinar, moderated by Prof. Dr. Endang Susilowati, M.A., featured three speakers: Prof. Dr. Mustofa Agung Sardjono, IPU, a professor from Mulawarman University who presented on “Inserting Melody in Data”; Prof. Dr. dr. Hardhono Susanto, PAK, a professor from the Faculty of Medicine UNDIP who explained “The Essence of Wayang (Traditional Shadow Puppet) in Entertainment and Guidance”; and Prof. Dr. Drs. Dhanang Respati Puguh, M.Hum., a professor from the Faculty of Humanities UNDIP who discussed “Revitalization of Performing Arts.”
