A total of 18 international students and awardees of the Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) scholarship in Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), participated in the International Students Summit (ISS) 2024, held at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta from October 14-16, 2024.
Under the theme Javanese Rhapsody: Weaving Culture, Creativity, and Solidarity, ISS 2024 aimed to introduce Javanese culture while strengthening traditional values, creativity, and openness to modern developments.
Throughout the event, the international students engaged in various exciting activities that combined Javanese culture and arts, such as touring Kampung Batik Laweyan, doing outbound activities, playing traditional Indonesian games, and joining competitions related to Indonesian culture.
Out of the four competition categories in ISS 2024, UGM’s contingent successfully secured three wins: 2nd Place in the Indonesian Cultural Promotion Video Competition, won by Witness Dhliwayo (Zimbabwe), Emily Paima (Peru), and Ruvarashe Rambwawasvika (Zimbabwe); 2nd Place in the Fashion Show Competition, won by Mohammad Assahouri (Jordan) and Christina Chirwa (Malawi); and 3rd Place in the Indonesian Traditional Singing Competition, won by Awabeen Samsuding (Thailand).
These achievements brought great pride to UGM, while also enriching the international students’ experiences during their studies in Indonesia.
Witness Dhliwayo, one of the 2nd place winners in the video promotion competition, expressed his happiness about the achievement. “I’m thrilled and honored to have won second place in the video competition! All of our hard work, dedication, and creativity really paid off, and this motivates us to explore new opportunities,” said the Zimbabwean student, who will be studying at UGM’s Faculty of Agriculture.
Throughout ISS 2024, Witness enjoyed various activities he participated in. “I especially enjoyed visiting Candi Cetho by jeep. I also loved watching the fashion show and singing competitions. Solo is a beautiful city, and we were warmly welcomed here,” he added.
ISS is an annual event organized by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology (Ditjen Diktiristek) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), with the hosting rights for the event rotates between Indonesian universities that host KNB awardees. Through ISS, KNB awardees are expected to get to know each other and deepen their cultural experiences while studying in Indonesia.
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