Open Heart in Togethernes

fast-breaking with moslem students

Direct encounters among people with different ethnic, religious, educational and regional backgrounds are valuable authentic experiences that will enlighten and renew one's perspective. This thought is one starting point for Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta to hold a fast-breaking gathering on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. This is the second gathering after the previous one on Wednesday, May 30, 2018.

The second fast-breaking gathering became medium of establishing friendship between Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta, students and their community. Twenty-two participants attended it, consisting of four Stube’s work team, six student activists of Stube and networking students, and twelve new participants who visit Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta secretariat for the first time

Trustha Rembaka, the coordinator of Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta welcomed the participants and expressed hope that this networking can be strengthened in the future, especially with (YIPC) Youth Interfaith student community. From the introductions, it revealed that the participants were from various regions in Indonesia, such as Banten, West Java, Sulawesi, Papua, West Nusa Tenggara, Madura, Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara.

The program became more familiar when they played a 'mix & match' game where each participant took one card and the name of the province in Indonesia or its capital was written on the card. Next, they have to find a partner from the card, such as Southeast Sulawesi with Kendari, West Sumatra with Padang, and East Nusa Tenggara with Kupang. Participants must also tell their knowledge about the province or capital written on the card. This game encouraged each participant to recall, tell stories and learn again the province or capital as well as the uniqueness and diversity that exist in Indonesia.

A poetry entitled ‘Nyanyian Angsa’ (Geese Song) from WS Rendra performed by Achmad Salahuddin, one of the participants who studied at the State Islamic University of Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta completed the gathering. The poem told a story of a prostitute who was ill, ignored, rejected by people although she was  on the verge of death. It is actually a criticism on the stigma against prostitutes; injustice of health facilities among people, discriminative clergy in serving people and even apathy attitudes of the society. The poem invited all people to reflect again about their care and sensitivity to social reality and the suffering experienced of other fellows.

After the fast-breaking, the participants still talked each other about their respective activities, study, local origin and experience while studying in Yogyakarta. In this section, the participants expressed their desire to exchange information about student activities and participate in Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta activities.

Hopefully the second fast-breaking can truly built and realized good and strong relationships between students, between communities, and students with communities that support them while studying in Yogyakarta. (ELZ).