The winning teams in the Gemastik XVI Animation category from various campuses in Indonesia that introduce Javanese language through animation

ITS Campus, ITS News — To preserve the Javanese language in Indonesia, a team of students from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) created Aksara Swara. This innovation, presented as an animated video, aims to increase public awareness of the importance of maintaining and preserving cultural heritage, especially the Javanese language, which is rich in traditional meanings and values.

The CTRL+S team, which consists of three students, started by studying their own cultural identity. Despite their background as descendants of Javanese with a rich linguistic heritage, they feel isolated due to their inability to speak Javanese. This challenge arises due to the family environment and lectures where the majority use Indonesian as a means of daily communication.

CTRL+S team leader Cendikia Queenadita Karmadi stated that this animated video lasts five minutes and nicely combines Javanese culture, traditional heritage and sophisticated modern technology. The Swara script was created through an evocative work, inviting the audience to reflect on the harmonious combination of tradition and technology in Indonesian sacred culture.

Swara Script poster created by the CTRL+S team at the Gemastik XVI 2023 event

In this fascinating narrative, the CTRL+S team introduces several main characters representing various generations of society. Among them, there are Pak Kusno, a wise Javanese language expert, Sri, an enthusiastic high-achieving student, and Budi, a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who adds a human dimension to this story.

According to Queena, the choice of the main character who has ASD was based on the personal experience of one of the CTRL+S team members who has a friend with ASD. Queena explained that these individuals often have difficulty interacting socially with their peers. “Like Budi, he has challenges in communicating with his friends, but his enthusiasm for learning is very high,” she said.

One of the excerpts from the animated video entitled Aksara Swara, created by the CTRL+S team from the ITS DKV Department

In the story, the worry is felt by Pak Kusno, a Javanese language teacher who will soon retire. He is concerned about the need for more interest of current students in studying Javanese. Despite this, Pak Kusno still maintains his enthusiasm for teaching without exception, with a particular focus on Budi.

Responding to Pak Kusno’s sincere enthusiasm in his desire to learn from Budi, a student named Sri has taken the brave step of raising this phenomenon as an inspiration for the competition he is participating in. He was determined to create an educational game application. With the presence of this innovative educational game, we are confident that efforts to preserve the Javanese language will be further strengthened and sustainable.

The CTRL+S team achieved second place in the Gemastik XVI 2023 event in the Animation category

The work initiated by students of the ITS Department of Visual Communication Design (DKV) achieved extraordinary achievements, namely second place in the prestigious XVI National Student Performance for Information and Communication Technology (Gemastik) in the Animation category. “Of course, we are delighted to see that this work was able to bring us to victory,” said Queen with great pride.

By creating this short animated video, the CTRL+S team hopes to raise public awareness of the Javanese language culture in Indonesia. They also advised the entire community to persist in fighting for inclusive education. “Apart from preserving culture, inclusive education is also upheld and developed in all corners,” he concluded. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: Bima Surya Samudra