Semarang – The Faculty of Humanities (FIB) at Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) hosted a Cultural Oration as the highlight of its 59th Anniversary celebration on Tuesday (29/10) at the Art Center Theater, FIB Building, UNDIP Tembalang Campus. The event, themed “Indonesian Culture in the Global Arena,” aimed to reinforce FIB’s commitment, motivation, and attention to national cultural issues.
The Cultural Oration, part of the 59th Anniversary series, was a special moment as it featured, for the first time, UNDIP’s Rector, Prof. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si., as the keynote speaker discussing Indonesian culture. Under his leadership, UNDIP’s tagline as a dignified and beneficial campus aspires to implement cultural values in the form of ideas and thoughts, influencing behaviors, policies, and resources at the university.
The event began with a captivating kuda lumping “Turonggo Tunggak Semi” performance accompanied by traditional music from the Budhi Laras Karawitan Group of Jurang Blimbing, Semarang. The performance was followed by impressive performances of the Gugur Gunung dance by international FIB students and the Kepyar dance by FIB UNDIP students, marking the opening of the Cultural Oration.
In his welcome speech, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities UNDIP Prof. Dr. Alamsyah, S.S., M.Hum., emphasized that the cultural oration represents FIB UNDIP’s initial step in becoming a cultural epicenter, reference, and barometer in Central Java. It aims to inspire insightful cultural thinking. “This campus is expected to be a stage for the birth of tangible and intangible cultural works,” he stated.
Prof. Alamsyah also expressed appreciation to the founding fathers of FIB UNDIP, including former deans, professors, lecturers, and staff, for their efforts in maintaining and advancing FIB UNDIP. He extended deep gratitude to Rector Prof. Suharnomo for his willingness to deliver the cultural oration.
“Thank you to Prof. Suharnomo; it is rare for a rector to be willing to talk about culture. The willingness of the UNDIP Rector to be a speaker indicates that his attention to culture is earnest. His thoughts on culture will guide UNDIP’s long journey as a large and best educational institution in Jawa Tengah and Indonesia. It is only natural that cultural observers highly anticipate UNDIP and FIB’s future perspectives and views on culture,” said the Dean of FIB UNDIP.
In his cultural oration titled “Forecasting Indonesia’s Future: A Cultural Perspective,” Prof. Suharnomo emphasized that culture permeates all aspects of life. He highlighted three vital cultural elements: artifacts, behavior, and core values, and discussed how Indonesian culture intersects with global influences.
“We have Borobudur and Prambanan, but our cultural influence abroad is minimal compared to others influencing us. For instance, K-pop has become a global phenomenon, impacting music, film, technology, and tourism. Meanwhile, Indonesia is yet to become a dominant cultural exporter,” Prof. Suharnomo remarked.
Furthermore, the UNDIP Rector explained how culture works; the knife of cultural analysis includes the definition of national culture and national culture itself, including the existence of different cultures with different priorities. Likewise, about Indonesia in the eyes of cultural experts, including Indonesian people, Indonesian cultural values and the socio-cultural values of Indonesian society.
Another discussion regarding hopes for Indonesian culture is based on two main capitals. Namely, the first is the artistic-utilitarian attitude toward capital (mixing and matching is very good for Indonesian people). Second, low uncertainty (brave people are not easily anxious; the Indonesian nation is a courageous and optimistic nation and a nation of fighters).
The importance of building a strong leadership culture is greatly needed by the Indonesian nation today. “A strong leadership culture is about how to be a good and strong leader or a good leader means a leader who is an example, who is involved in coercive-cohesive leadership, harmony and lifelong learning,” explained the UNDIP Rector.
At the end of his speech, Prof. Suharnomo said that talking about culture is actually talking about national leadership, national economic strength and the strength of a leader who cannot stand alone or culture is not something separate – alienated. The importance of being a strong culture is that a strong culture is a representation of a strong society as a nation, and it firmly loves the products of the nation’s physical and mental exercise.
Dr. Sukarjo Waluyo, S.S., M.Hum., Head of the Literature Department and chair of the Cultural Oration event, revealed plans to make this an annual flagship event for FIB UNDIP. “Jawa Tengah lacks cultural discourse, and UNDIP aims to fill this gap with meaningful discussions, starting with Rector Prof. Suharnomo’s insights. For the first time, UNDIP Rector Prof. Suharnomo will speak from a cultural perspective, and of course, his thoughts will be eagerly awaited by the people of Jawa Tengah,” he said.
“It is known that the UNDIP Rector is concerned with issues in Jawa Tengah with thousands of lecturers and students through research, community service and so on. Of course, this event will emphasize that UNDIP has a cultural agenda that is concerned with Jawa Tengah,” he added.
“InsyaAllah, this event will become an important and awaited annual cultural agenda in Jawa Tengah that will present national figures who discuss culture,” said Dr. Sukarjo when interviewed before the event. (DHW-Public Relations)
