Friday, November 25, 2022. The Faculty of Adab and Cultural Sciences invited Drs. Akhmad Fikri, a founder of the Aksara Pacibata Community, became the speaker at the 36th Bi-Weekly Forum. On this occasion, the theme entitled “Aksara Jawa and Its History” and moderated by Andriyana Fatmawati, M.Pd., a lecturer of the Faculty of Adab and Cultural Sciences of UIN Sunan Kalijaga.

Drs. Akhmad Fikri talked about the importance of introducing Javanese script to the younger generation to preserve their traditional identity. Through the Aksara Pacibata Community, he introduces a new method of reading Javanese script for the younger generation. Pacibata is an abbreviation of Payak Cilik Bintaran Witan, a combination of two village names located in Srimulyo, Piyungan, in the Bantul district.

On this occasion, Akhmad Fikri stated that the Javanese script, also known as Hanacarakan or Carakan, is one of the hundreds of traditional scripts in the world that developed on the island of Java. Fikri speculates that the Javanese script has a pivotal role in the Islamization process of Java. Adopting the Javanese script as a way of communication allows people to understand Islam easily. However, he continued, an in-depth research is needed. He argues that the transition from Kawi to Jawa script was a crucial starting point in the history of Islam, especially in Java.

This discussion was held online and attended by academics from UIN Sunan Kalijaga and other higher education institutions, from 1.30 to 3.30 p.m. WIB.