The Student Creativity Program in Social Humanities Research (PKM RSH) aims to improve the quality of university students, preparing them to become members of society with academic or professional skills. It also enables them to apply, develop, and spread knowledge, technology, and arts to enrich national culture. This program, carried out from April to August 2024, is implemented by students of Universitas Airlangga (Unair) who are part of the PKM RSH Wayang Wali research group. This program is part of the implementation of Tri Dharma in Higher Education which is managed by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology (Ditjen Dikti Ristek), under Directorate General of Belmawa (Teaching and Student Affairs).
PKM contributes to improving students’ achievements and the ranking of universities in evaluations conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. For the Social Humanities Research scheme, this research is supervised by Dr. M. Fariz Fadillah Mardianto, SSi MSi, and involves the PKM RSH Wayang Wali group led by Adma Novita Sari, with three other members: Pressylia Aluisina Putri W, Moh. Suma Firman Romadhoni, and Bima Sakti Putra Yusuf. According to Adma, their group successfully passed the selection process from the university level to the national level thus their proposal is approved for funding.
“Currently, we are one of around 3,500 research projects funded in Indonesia, but we still need to go through another selection for PIMNAS,” said Adma.
Adma explained that the PKM RSH Wayang Wali group hopes that their research will have a broad impact on society, boosting creativity and student achievement. The four-month research involved Ki Sudrun, the creator of Wayang Wali from Krenceng Village, Nglegok District, along with his followers, and collaborated with local authorities, particularly the Department of Tourism and Culture (Disparbud) of Blitar Regency.
“Together with Mr. Rofiq, the Head of Culture at the local government, the RSH Wayang Wali group also held a meeting to discuss the role of the government in engaging cultural practitioners in Blitar Regency and preserving Wayang Wali, which is gradually fading,” explained Adma.
Throughout the research, the RSH Wayang Wali team did not face significant obstacles, except for scheduling interviews and handling bureaucratic processes that required frequent travel between Blitar and Surabaya.
Ki Sudrun explained that Wayang Wali has unique characters, such as a Muslim mother and an ustadz (Islamic preacher), which distinguish it from traditional wayang kulit characters. Wayang Wali is used as a medium for Islamic preaching, based on the themes being presented.
From the final survey, the community responded positively, noting that Wayang Wali in Blitar Regency is fading despite its uniqueness as a medium for preaching and imparting moral values. This research also aims to explore the relationship between Wayang Wali culture and transpersonal psychology, as well as the social piety index in Blitar Regency.
“Through this research and cooperation with local authorities, we hope to rebrand Wayang Wali, making it better known and preserved by the wider community,” Adma concluded.
