The number of participants involved was 37 participants from 21 countries such as Australia, Kyrgyz Republic, Myanmar, Tanzania, China, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Nepal, Afghanistan, Philippines, Panama, Palestine, Malaysia, Yemen, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Sudan, Jordan, and Pakistan.
Previously, the participants had obtained some material about the introduction of Unhas and the culture of the community which was held in the LP2M Hall for 3 days. On the first day, the participants were provided with insights related to the Maritime Community of South Sulawesi. The people who inhabit South Sulawesi are very famous for their strong and rich maritime culture. Then on the next day, there were 4 main topics, namely Fishermen Community in South Sulawesi, Types of Fish in South Sulawesi, the Traditional dessert of South Sulawesi, and Bugis and Makassar values: Two major tribes (Bugis-Makassar) in South Sulawesi. On the 3rd day, the participants did a traditional dance workshop in South Sulawesi.
In addition to providing material, the participants were also invited to see firsthand the culture of the people of South Sulawesi through field trips in Bulukumba, namely Bira Beach, Kajang Indigenous Community, and Bonto Bahari Phinisi Shipbuilding Village. The participants had the opportunity to visit the Kajang indigenous area which is famous for its very traditional cultural values, such as they do not accept modern equipment, such as electricity, machines, etc. In addition, participants were also able to see the manufacture of Phinisi boats. In addition, participants were also able to see the making of Phinisi ships in Bonto Bahari village. This village is one of the most unique places where most of the people work as shipbuilders.
After all the materials and field trips were completed, the closing ceremony was conducted at 20.00 WITA offline at Same Resort, Bulukumba Regency, on Friday (16/09). On the closing night, the participants gave their impressions and messages regarding the ICP program organized by the Office of International Affairs (KUI) Unhas. For example, the response from Binta Roberts from Sierra Leonean who felt happy and delighted to be one of the Unhas ICP participants. Binta said many experiences were gained when participating in this program such as getting to know Makassar’s diverse specialities with its culture and history. Besides Binta, Zhang Lirong who is an international student from China also conveyed the same thing. According to her, the Unhas ICP program is a platform to better understand eastern Indonesia, especially South Sulawesi. Through ICP, she gained new experiences and knowledge as well as friends from various countries.
Through an interview on Tuesday (20/09), the Head of the KUI Office Andi Masyita Irwan, S.Kep., Ners., M.Kep., Ph.D., expressed her gratitude for the active involvement of the participants in participating in the ICP Unhas. She hoped that through ICP activities, participants with different backgrounds and cultures could broaden their horizons, knowledge, and new experiences through various activities that had been carried out. Furthermore, Masyita hopes that ICP Unhas can be a platform to build networks and friendships among the participants.
“Alhamdulillah, the entire agenda for this week went smoothly, we also received positive responses from the participants. Hopefully, in the future, IO Unhas will continue to present development programs that provide benefits to participants and encourage the improvement of Unhas’ reputation nationally and globally,” explained Masyitha.
On the same occasion, Jamaluddin Fitrah Alam, PhD, the Chairman of the Committee explained that the ICP participants were lucky to be able to take part in activities that became a medium to get to know Unhas and South Sulawesi culture more deeply. Through ICP, participants gained insight and knowledge by studying the culture of the people of South Sulawesi.
This year, Universitas Hasanuddin through the Office of International Affairs held the International Culture Program (ICP) 2022 with the theme “Maritime Culture in South Sulawesi, Indonesia”, the opening took place on Tuesday (13/09).
ICP Unhas provided an opportunity for talented and enthusiastic participants from all over the world to engage in a cultural program for one week. Participants had the opportunity to get to know the diverse culture of South Sulawesi through the presentation of material and field trips to experience directly the culture of the community.
Kumara Tungga Dewa, S.S.