Bilateral relations socially and intellectually were continued by UNS and UNDIP in an online public lecture room on November 8, 2022 which was held by the Indonesian Literature Study Program FIB UNS. The public lecture was also attended by Dr. Sukarjo Waluyo, M. Hum., Head of Indonesian Literature Study Program, FIB UNDIP. On that occasion, Dr. Sukarjo Waluyo, M. Hum. raised a material entitled “Oral Story and Material Culture of Coastal Java: Portraits of Identity and Cultural Diversity”.

As an expert in the field of coastal culture sketches, Dr. Sukarjo Waluyo raised many portraits of the life of the people of the north coast of Java Island. This northern coastal region consists of Jepara, Kudus, Pati, Blora, and Rembang. The various areas that developed in the northern coastal area of Java Island have the essence of cultural values that were born as abstract and concrete products.

Various types of batik, folklore, and the meeting of various cultures in the coastal area have a unique diversity. The coastal area becomes the entrance that welcomes new cultures when ‘explorers’ from other countries come to the archipelago. This can be seen, for example, from the arrival of Admiral Cheng Ho to Central Java via Rembang and moving on to Semarang. Not to mention, the value of variety can be seen from the construction of the Holy Mosque which communicates with the development of Chinese culture in the surrounding area.

This cultural meeting is also shown by the diversity of religious traditions which tend to have a balanced quantity. Chinatown villages and churches with a diaspora with Javanese culture are often found in coastal areas. The values of this diversity are also born in concrete forms such as batik which is more colorful than other areas of the island of Java such as in the Pasundan or Yogyakarta areas. The sketch of the life of Coastal Java was also expressed by Dr. Sukarjo Waluyo, M. Hum. in relation to the digital age. Cultural connectivity and products that were born in the Coastal Java region have begun to materialize and continue to grow. This then encourages the establishment of a creative economy linkage with the development of information technology.

The discussion on Coastal Java is a major reference that Dr. Sukarjo Waluyo, M. Hum. By conveying knowledge as has been directly observed, the Head of the Indonesian Literature Study Program FIB UNDIP feels that this record of culture, history, and development needs to be continuously disseminated. This was proven by the enthusiasm of UNS students who attended the online public lecture. (Hamdan)