Abdi Mahesa, an alumnus of Regional Literature study program batch 2016 of Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Hasanuddin, is one of the young generations whose special attention is to preserving cultural wisdom, especially in South Sulawesi. He is massively involved in cultural activities, especially Bugis culture.
Quoted from ACTION magazine issued in October 2021, Mahesa explained that his interest in culture, especially Bugis culture, started when he was still an elementary school student. At that time, he enjoyed stories, fairy tales, legends and speech traditions passed down from generation to generation in his circumstances. Those cultural facets subsequently form Mahesa’s character derived from the educational and moral values contained and stored in it.
“When I was a little kid, I, myself, regularly witnessed how various cultural activities in my surroundings were carried out, which then made me inspired to keep living up with those memories wrapped in those cultural activities. This interest started to hone when I entered junior high school. I have started reading Lontara script, a Brahmic script traditionally used for the Bugis, Makassarese and Mandar languages of Sulawesi in Indonesia, and attended numerous cultural activities such as art studios and being active in extracurricular arts at school,” explained Mahesa.
According to Mahesa, culture is vital to be preserved for it becomes the firm foundation to construct the future. Every humankind needs order and values. To attend it, culture, therefore, is required. Mahesa views culture as something complex, systematic and accustomed.
Mahesa continues to maximize various efforts, such as inviting the younger generation to cross focusses, including art, law, technical health, and consistently using culture as a source of inspiration to represent their intelligence.
“The challenge, these days, lies in the lack of concerns of some people to regional culture and language. This causes many entities or tribes in Indonesia, especially South Sulawesi, to be marginalized. Nowadays, most people have left their traditional lifestyle. There is a dichotomy between traditional and modern lifestyles,” added Mahesa.
Furthermore, Mahesa said that culture is the manifestation picturing how smart we are in undergoing our manners and characters in society. In today’s culture, many inventions, knowledge, and various information have been established massively that surely needs to be aware of.
If we successfully reveal the cultural information stored, review, or even produce a new thing in the cultural facets, we will discover a solution. Therefore, the role of the younger generation is highly required in contributing solutions to the facts of culture being concerned.
Marningsih Sadik, S.S. and Kumara Tungga Dewa, S.S
Editor: Ishaq Rahman, AMIPR
