Swargaloka Budaya as a Container for the Preservation of Sundanese Culture
Jatinangor – Every place on earth certainly has its own culture, and Tatar Sunda or Parahyangan is no exception. As students of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Universitas Padjadjaran (FIB Unpad) who set foot in Sundanese Tatar, Sundanese culture should be respected and preserved. Therefore, as a form of respect and preservation of Sundanese culture, FIB Unpad students who attended Pengantar Kebudayaan Sunda (Introduction to Sundanese Culture) lecture in the even semester 2023/2024 held an event called “Swargaloka Budaya”, an event designed and organized by all 2022 students from various departments at FIB Unpad which featured Sundanese culture.
The event was packaged in the form of a Beubeutian Festival, located in the PSBJ Hall. At the festival, various Sundanese arts were displayed by students from different departments. The arts displayed included Jaipong dance, folk songs, traditional games and “Si Kabayan” theater. Students were very excited and energetic to show the interesting and spectacular Sundanese cultural performances to the audience.
The word “Beubeutian” comes from the Sundanese language which means ‘tubers’. In this festival, various types of tubers such as cassava, sweet potatoes, taro, and peanuts are provided as well as various preparations made from tubers. The Beubeutian Festival can also be interpreted as a symbol of gratitude for the abundant crops. This is in line with the purpose of organizing the festival delivered by Dr. Taufik Ampera, M. Hum. as the coordinator of the Pengantar Kebudayaan Sunda.
“In the end, it is hoped that there will be awareness and love for the benefits of local food which can support the preservation of biodiversity by encouraging people to protect their food sources. This effort can also help boost culinary tourism which is increasingly popular in Indonesia,” he said in an online interview.
Swargaloka Budaya provided a number of benefits for all 2022 students who organized this event, as well as for the Unpad Academic Community who attended. This event was not only beneficial, but also managed to captivate the hearts of the Unpad community. The students filled the PSBJ Hall to watch art performances and try various foods from processed tubers presented at booths from each department. The students responded to the event with great enthusiasm for the organization of this event. There were various testimonials and opinions expressed by the students, one of which was from Anevia Bakone (Evi), a student of the French Study Program.
“This festival is really cool! I got to know the ins and outs of West Java culture from this festival. I also found out about various kinds of processed sweet potatoes that can be made from simple, but interesting and delicious food ingredients. I could also see Sundanese culture such as Jaipong and songs. I hope that this festival can take place next year, where the message and purpose can be conveyed and students of class 2023 can get to know Sundanese culture better,” said Evi.
Swargaloka Budaya closed with the reading of the winner nominations from various categories of lecturer assessment, also involving judges from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences lecturers.
The following are the various categories of assessment from the lecturers along with the winners:
Presentation/Video Category
Rank I: Arabic Study Program
Second place: French Study Program
Third place: Japanese Study Program
Art Performance Category
First Place: Arabic Study Program
Second place: Indonesian Study Program
Third place: Sundanese Study Program
Variety of Dishes Category
First Place: French Study Program
Second Place: Arabic Study Program
Third Place: Indonesian Study Program
Poster Category
1st place: German Study Program
Second Place: History Study Program
Third Place: Indonesian Study Program
Best Costume Category for Men
Cahya Pratama (Japanese Study Program)
Female Best Costume Category
Nanda Azzahra (Indonesian Study Program)
Best Booth Category
Rank I: Arabic Literature
Second Place: Indonesian Study Program
Third Place: Japanese Study Program
Rowdiest Study Program Category
Russian Literature Study Program
Most Excited Study Program Category
English Study Program Category
This festival is not only a requirement for the final assessment of the Pengantar Kebudayaan Sunda Course, but also provides its own benefits and impressions for the Academic Community of FIB Padjadjaran University. In the future, Dr. Taufik hopes that FIB can organize cultural festivals regularly as an evaluation of learning and preservation of culture itself.
Writer: Yohanes William Ivakdalam
Translator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah
