UNAIR NEWSÌý“ Wayang orang performance was the final event of 63rd Dies Natalis 51¶¯Âþ (UNAIR). It was held at Balai Pemuda, on Saturday night, November 11. The theme of the performance was King Airlangga.It was chosen to introduce millennial generation to Indonesian culture, in this case, King Airlangga history.
“The interesting wayang orang show will have a positive effect for the audience, especially for young people so they will be more interested in preserving the culture of Indonesia, “said Saifullah Yusuf, Vice Governor of East Java, who attended the event.
UNAIR Rector Prof.Moh.Nasih said that what King Airlangga did, both his struggle and his role in history, have many moral values.All of these can be role models in leadership.
“His leadership style in the prosperity of his people is summarized in this play.It must be known by the current generation “, said Prof. Nasih in his speech.
Dean of the Faculty of Humanities UNAIR who was also in charge of the event, Diah Arimbi, PhD, said the millennial generation can take Prabu Airlangga as a real model.“Airlangga managed to unite the small kingdoms to build a bigger kingdom, and it proved to be realized and run well,” said Diah.
“Learning history is not just monotonous through books.But it can also be done through the art, ” she continued.
All this time, the plays and historical figures displayed in wayang orang show generally Ramayana and Mahabharata,which is fictional.Mahabharata also comes from India, so it is not originally from Indonesia. When, in fact, many figures in Indonesia who have “aura” of a super hero such as King Airlangga.
Diah added that rooting the identity of the nation is one of the goals of this performance, to explore more of our own culture.“So, the current generation is not only familiar with K-Pop culture.Airlangga figure with the faithful Narotama patih, could be an interesting example in the perspective of local wisdom, ” she explained.(*)
Author: Helmy Rafsanjani
Editor: Rio F. Rachman
