Bulan Bahasa: An Event to Strengthen Indonesian Language
The 2018 Bulan Bahasa commemoration at Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD) coincides with the 37th Anniversary of Indonesian Language Education Study Program (PBSI). The event which was summarized in the 2018 Bulan Bahasa Festival raised the theme of "Indonesian Language and Literature Existence in Maintaining National Identity".
The event was enlivened by a national-level Indonesian Olympic which was attended by high school/vocational high school students. Additionally, there was a national-level essay contest for students and poetry musical for public participants. The Olympics were attended by 60 participants, 5 participants for the essay contest, and 8 participants for the poetry musical.
The 2018 Bulan Bahasa Festival was held in the west hall of UAD campus 4 on Jln. Ringroad Selatan, Tamanan, Bantul, Yogyakarta on Sunday (10/14/2018). On this occasion the Chairman of PBSI Study Program, Dra. Triwati Rahayu, M.Hum., delivered that this event was a part of PBSI Anniversary to contribute to Bulan Bahasa commemoration.
"Indonesian language is growing. In the future, it is possible for it to become an international language, at least in ASEAN. For that, everyone must realize the importance of Indonesian as a national identity," said Triwati.
Meanwhile, the Head of UAD Bureau of Student and Alumni Affairs (Bimawa), Dr. Dedi Pramono, M.Hum., asserted that language is the highest cultural product. "With language we can communicate and express our thoughts. However, it can also lead to a confrontation. Language has a special position that distinguishes humans from other creatures."
Dedi added that he respected PBSI which continued to hold and commemorate Bulan Bahasa. He expressed his hope that in the future there would be collaboration between PBSI and Bimawa so that there would be more participants in order for it to become a regular event at UAD and be a national-level event. (ard)
