MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, MALANG – Muhammadiyah University of Malang (UMM) continues to expand its international programs through various collaborative initiatives. One of the latest is an agenda titled “Multimedia Culture Chronicles: Unveiling the Joy of Javanese Traditional Games Collaboration Program,” which brings together UMM and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malaysia. The week-long program, held since November 2025, involves dozens of university students from Indonesia and Malaysia.
This collaborative event brings international students from UiTM to learn about, explore, and document Javanese traditional games as a part of the Coffee Table Book project. Not only focused on strengthening cultural knowledge, this exchange program also expanded their international network. Throughout the program, students conduct field observations, interviews, and creative production processes to create documentation that can introduce Indonesia’s traditional games to a global audience.
The Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at UMM, Fauzik Lendriyono, stated in his opening remarks that the presence of UiTM students marks an important momentum for strengthening cooperation between two universities. “UMM is very pleased and proud to welcome students from abroad. I hope you all continue to strengthen collaboration and communication because that is your social capital,” he said.
He also reminded participants to maintain proper conduct and norms throughout the program, while continuously developing the competencies needed for cross-cultural collaboration.
Activities were carried out at various locations in Malang and Batu, including the Panji Museum, Ngawonggo Tourism Village, and Taman Dolan. At these sites, participants observed traditional games firsthand, experienced playing them, and produced videos explaining how each game is played. This direct approach allowed students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the cultural context behind the games.
One of the UiTM students, Tengku Syamimi Afiqah, shared that the program offered valuable academic and cultural experiences. She described UMM’s learning environment as welcoming, supportive, and inspiring. According to her, this collaboration provided participants with an in-depth appreciation of Indonesian culture, especially traditional games they documented throughout the project.
The main output of the program is a coffee table book featuring documentation of various Indonesian traditional games, complete with educational videos showing how to play them. This collaboration between UMM and UiTM reflects UMM’s commitment to strengthening international networks while promoting local culture on a global scale through creative and multimedia-based approaches. (Bintang Adrian)
