The issue of climate change has been highlighted by various circles in the international realm, both by environmental activists, and filmmakers, to academic circles. In Indonesia, this issue still needs to be encouraged so that it continues to receive attention from the public. Students should be involved in environmental campaigns so that they have attention to the issue.
“As academics, we are certainly very concerned about environmental issues, especially related to climate change. Maybe we can’t take action that directly confronts parties who pollute the environment, but we can try to get this issue to get the attention of students,” said Ahmad Rifai, a lecturer at Indonesian Language and Literature Education (PBSI), UPGRIS, in the Hall of Building B UPGRIS, Thursday, December 23, 2022.
In his remarks at the “Festival Hujan Bulan DesemberDesember” initiated by PBSI UPGRIS Students, Rifai invited students to express their ideas related to climate change issues through literary works, namely through drama scripts. “There are six play scripts written by college students. They discuss issues related to climate change in these works,” he added.
He said, this effort needs to be continuously initiated so that students are motivated by their concern to better understand and follow the facts related to the issue of climate change. “In the future, the script of the play will be documented into a collection of scripts, which hopefully will be staged by the younger brothers and sisters at the grade level. That way, the ideas originally stated in the text will continue to the staging room.”
Rini Azkiatu Solikha, one of the students of the playwright team entitled “Deceived by the Weather Forecast”, said the script was inspired by often unexpected weather changes. “As it turns out, these unpredictable weather changes are the result of climate change caused by the destruction of nature,” she said.
Rini added that although he does not totally talk about nature’s destruction, she hopes that this work can trigger it to cultivate concern for environmental issues. In addition to the script “Deceived by the Weather Forecast”, other works written by students are “The Melting of the Dilemma with the Rain”, “Pocket Drought in the Snowfall”, Congregational Pain”, “Blushing in the Weather”, “Dark Plays on the Edge of the Lake”, and “Neglectful Man of the Abandoned World”.
In addition to the discussion of drama scripts, the festival is also filled with drama performances and film screenings. The drama performance was played by PBSI students in semester 3, namely the script “Bulan Bujur” by Iwan Simatupang and “Malam jahanam” by Motinggo Boesje. The short films screened were the work of students, namely “Kualat” by Rizky Ristyandani and Mei Paridah, as well as the films “Pangilon” Radit Bayu and Shafa Aura. The event was closed with a cultural oration delivered by Prof. Harjito.