The 7th International Cultural Program (ICP) continued their exploration on South Sulawesi maritime culture to the Pusat Pendidikan Lingkungan Hidup (PPLH) or Center for Environmental Education in Puntondo village, the Regency of Takalar on Friday, July 5th, 2024. The participants took part in a number of activities in the village comprising three days long.
In Day #1, the participants got in touch with the Center through the Introduction to PPLH delivered by Mr. Mulyadi and team. The activities continued with marine ecosystem introduction. The participants were divided into three big groups and parallelly conducted the activities. Group #1 began with the observation of mangrove plantations around the Center. Meanwhile Group #2 continued with seagrass observation. In addition, Group #3 sailed into the ocean for coral reef observation. All three groups at the end took turns doing the activities. After lunch time, by group, the participants conducted other activities such as cooking class and visiting the fishermen community. In the cooking class, the participants used seaweed as the main materials. They made fried stick seaweed and syrup. The results of the cooking were presented to other participants.
In addition, another group visited the fishermen community working on the seaweed cultivation. The participants observed how the seaweed proceeded from harvesting, drying and further process. The participants also observed how coastal waste was managed by the community. The wastes were plastic bottles used in the seaweed cultivation. In the evening another group observed the Bagan (the traditional house of fishing). The participants managed to climb up and observed how the fishermen caught the fish.
Furthermore, in Day #2, the participants headed to the official house of Takalar Regent for breakfast. The 7th ICP was honored to get this breakfast. In his welcome speech, the Regent, Setiawan Aswad, Ph.D stated that he was glad to have the ICP participants spending their time and activities in Takalar. He also explained several interesting sites that Takalar owns. The sites are tourist objects that can be targeted by foreign visitors. The Regent served a traditional dish of Makassar named Coto (soup) with Ketupat (rice covered by pandan leaves). In addition, the Regent also served boiled corn and some fruits for the participants. After the breakfast, the participants went back to Puntondo.
The activities continued with mangrove plantations after lunch time. The participants were directed by the Center where the mangroves were planted. It was such a wonderful time for planting as the sea water receded making it easier for the participants to plant. Moreover, in the evening was the group presentation. The presentation was divided into three groups based on the activities joined by the participants. Group #1 presented their reflection on their journey to the Bagan. Meanwhile Group #2 reflected their journey on visiting the fishermen community. The last presentation was by Group #3 reflecting their involvement in the cooking class. According to the committee, Group #3 Focusing on the cooking class was the best presentation.
Day #3. Prior to the closing in Puntondo, the bonfire was held at night. It was joined by all participants. In this moment, the committee provided several games to bond participants as well as build deeper group cohesion. The following morning, the participants embarked to Makassar for another classroom in UNHAS Tamalanrea Campus. Thank you Puntondo and we’re looking forward to seeing you again.