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Studium Generale with Seno Gumira Ajidarma: “Disrupt! Deconstruct! Gubrak!”

Monday, August 21, 2017 Fakultas Sastra Sanata Dharma University in its famous Auditorium started the first day of academic year with Studium Generale. It was the first Studium Generale of this kind for the faculty civitas academica. This event was attended by all the students of Faculty of Letters, comprising of English Letters, Indonesia Letters, and History from 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 classes.

Dr. Gabriel Fajar Aji, M.Hum moderated the studium generale, and he especially asked the audience to sing Garuda Pancasila, as a reminder that we are one nation united by Pancasila ideology. After short opening, he invited the guest speaker, Seno Gumira Ajidarma, a well-known essayist, short-story writer as well as an academician, to deliver his presentation.

Unlike other studium generale  which gives certain material related with subjects taught in the faculty, this time the guest speaker only read his short-story entitled ‘Gubrak!” and then followed by discussion. (The short story can be downloaded here).

Seno Gumira Ajidarma told about his experience in writing literature. “A literary work will be considered great or bad depending on the reader. "In the reformation era, one of his works attracted overseas readers. According to them, Seno was a lucky man because he lived in a chaotic place of undergoing a reformation. “Who wants to live in chaotic places if we can choose live in quiet places?” stated him jokingly.

 

For him, literatureis something that must be liberated. Itis everything; everything that can be exposed is literature sastra. “There are 3 assumptions why people are too lazy reading literature. Literarure is assumed to be self-confessed, cheesy, and preachy. This must be deconstruacted! It also traps people to be on the level of aesthetic mediocrity, lacking of reading, reflecting and understanding. Literature must be an exposure, a question and a re-creation. If we create literature creatively, using daily language it might be understood and accepted by people.

The question and answer session that follows, more like a warm discussion, was responded enthusiastically by the students. Seno was very pleased. “I often get many questions, one of those is how can we write? It’s easy, begin  with start, continue, and end,” stated him, ekoning laughter from the audience.

“I never imagine all the students can be so enthusiastic in this event. I hope there there will be another event like this held by Faculty of Letters,” stated Dr. P. Ari Subagyo, M.Hum., Dean of Faculty of Letters, closing the memorable studium generale for this semester. The event truly refreshed our body and mind, as we were preparing to commence a new semester. (Vincentia Wika C.)

 

 

 

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