The article, titled “Cultural Literacy: Introducing Sundanese Culture through a Cultural Creativity Competition,” highlights a unique initiative undertaken by the Library and Information Science Student Association (Himaka) of Fikom Unpad. They held a Sundanese cultural creativity competition to help new students of the 2024 batch adapt to the Sundanese cultural environment (Tatar Sunda).
One of the biggest challenges for new students, especially those from outside the region, is adapting to a new environment and culture. This activity was designed as a cultural bridge, introducing local values in a fun and interactive way. The lecturers who authored the article also participated as judges in the competition, which was part of a Community Service Program (PKM).
The competition, held on September 12, 2024, was attended by five groups of new students. They performed a variety of stunning Sundanese cultural attractions, ranging from agricultural culture, the Ketuk Tilu dance, the bakakak hayam traditional procession, the sapintrong game, to the pencak silat martial art. The judging was based on stage performance, presentation material, and delivery.
The judging results showed that all groups successfully performed their cultural attractions very well. Moreover, the competition proved effective in motivating new students to learn about Sundanese culture and its noble values. This was evident from the depth of their presentation materials and their heartfelt delivery.
The activity concludes that introducing culture through a creativity competition is a successful cultural literacy strategy. By getting to know Sundanese values, new students are expected to more easily understand the local way of life, language, and social norms, thereby accelerating their adaptation process in the academic and social environment at Unpad.
The full article is available at: http://media.unpad.ac.id/files/publikasi/2025/rpm_20250214071801_4557.pdf
Authors: Ridha Amalia, Nadziva Shaqeena, and Ariel Mohammad Alief Yusuf
