Depok, November 11th 2023. The 2023 University of Indonesia (UI) Community Service and Empowerment Festival (PPM) was successfully held by the UI PPM Directorate on 6 to 10 November 2023. The UI PPM Festival ended with the Cultural Carnival and Earth Almsgiving procession led by the Director of PPM UI, Prof. Agung Waluyo, on Friday (10/11). The nuances of Indonesian culture were very strong in the final agenda of this festival.
The UI Library, which was the center for the UI PPM Festival, was busy with Cultural Carnival participants and visitors. Cultural Carnival participants paraded around the UI campus accompanied by bende music performed by traditional musicians from Senden Village, Boyolali City. The Cultural Carnival group consisted of Cucuk Lampah, bearer of the national flag and the UI flag, Putri Domas who carried a tray of roses, gunungan, UI Leaders along with the PPM UI Festival Committee, angklung players who were students of the Javanese Study Program, Faculty of Humanities (FIB). UI, Jathilan and Mask Ireng dancers, as well as general participants.
Head of the Center for Social and Cultural Research (PPKB) FIB UI, Dr. Ari Prasetiyo, who was also the coordinator of the Cultural Arts Performance at the PPM UI Festival, said that the Cultural Carnival is a procession that symbolizes joy and thanks for the support of the UI academic community and the local community, which allowed the PPM UI Festival to be carried out smoothly. The Cultural Carnival also provided space and actualization for arts practitioners and introduced the public to the diversity of Indonesian arts and culture. “We hope that by inviting art workers directly from their respective regions, we will be able to increase the enthusiasm of those who are mostly young people, and maintain the existence of Indonesian culture,” he said.
In the Cultural Carnival series, gunungan containing food from the land, such as vegetables and fruit, have been held up and paraded, then fought over by visitors on the closing night of the PPM UI Festival. After the Cultural Carnival procession, the festival continued with the Earth Alms activity as an expression of gratitude to the earth which gives life. This activity was carried out symbolically in the form of fish release by the Vice Rector for Research and Innovation at UI, drg. Nurtami, Ph.D., Sp, OF(K), and the release of pigeons by the Director of PPM UI, Prof. Agung Waluyo.
The 2023 PPM UI Festival was enlivened with a number of cultural arts performances, such as Jathilan, Jlantur, Topeng Ireng, and Wild Kelabang Pencak Silat. UI also presented a performance of Gong si Bolong, an almost extinct art from Tanah Baru, Depok City. It is hoped that the presence of Gong si Bolong at the PPM UI Festival will prevent it from becoming extinct, and this art can be preserved to become the cultural heritage of Depok City.
Apart from these arts, the Greater Jakarta members of the Sumba Family (IKBS) also attended the festival presenting various performances, namely the Sumba weaving demonstration, Kataga Dance, Woleka Dance and Manu Wolu. IKBS brought the Pakalaka and Payawa Teams to accompany the dances. Not to be left behind, the musicians with gongs and drums were also brought directly from Sumba.
The implementation of various activities at the annual UI PPM Festival is expected to strengthen and socialize the UI community service and empowerment program. This activity is also intended to bring Indonesian traditions and culture closer to the UI academic community and the general public.
