Yogyakarta, October 4th 2021–The Department of Communication Studies, Fisipol, UGM is a partner in the online Southeast Asia Conference on Media, Art, and Cinema (SEA-MCA) 2021 held by Center for Southeast Asian Social Study (CESASS) UGM on 4–5 October 2021. The online conference held the theme of “Rediscovering Southeast Asia Amidst It’s Multi-Layered Burdens”.
The Director of CESASS and a Professor in the The Department of Communication Studies Fisipol UGM, Hermin Indah Wahyuni, said that the theme of the event was based on the social and political condition of Southeast Asian countries that are more complex as the Covid-19 pandemic goes on. She hopes that the conference attended by hundreds of participants from all across Southeast Asia can help in analyzing the dynamics of Southeast Asian countries through relevant topics. “There are 79 papers from five countries; Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Hongkong, and Singapore, that will be presented in the parallel panel sessions,” said Hermin.
Maria Serena Icasiano Diokno, a professor from Philippine Diliman University, who was the keynote speaker in the conference, explained the various problems in Southeast Asia, one of them being injustice. She hoped that academicians can create inclusivity, because inclusivity is an important aspect and a way to strengthen democratic institutions. “Every country in Southeast Asia needs to analyze other countries in the region to prevent exclusivity,” said Maria.
Gilang Desti Parahita and Budi Irawanto, lecturers in The Department of Communication Studies Fisipol UGM, were speakers in the first and second panel in the conference. In the first panel titled “The Fate of Journalism in The Region : Between Freedom, Security and Responsibility”, Gilang explained the condition of press freedom in Indonesia. One of the barriers to press freedom is the press conglomeration that is hard to tackle by public or digital press media. In line with Gilang’s topic, Evi Mariani Sofian, as the founder of Project Multatuli said that the media conglomerate dictates public agenda. On the other hand, digital press media also have it’s own challenges. “The title of “press company” makes it complicated for non-profit organizations or new media to get a verification from The Board of Press,” said Evi.
Next, in the second panel session titled “Envisioning New Landscape of Southeast Asian Cinema ”, Budi Irawanto said that Southeast Asianc cinema hasn’t appreciated social values such as historical, cultural, way of life, and perspective resemblance. “Art is not just to beautify a space, but it also has a deeper meaning and can be important to give voice to the voiceless,” said the UGM’s Head of Performance Art and Art Assessment Doctorate program.
On the second day, five other Communication Studies lecturers also talked in the “Media, Culture, and Society: Rediscovering Indonesian Media and Communication Landscape in The New Normal Era” session.