● Opening 1’ 15’’

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Good morning the honorable jury, and my fellow orators. Before we begin, I would like to
ask you a question. Have you ever played traditional games, such as engklek and bentengan? Have
you ever tried to make Batik before? Or have you ever played Gamelan at least once in your life?
When I was a child, I used to do it a gargantuan amount of times. However it has come to my
attention that this is a rare thing to see these days because most kids are geared towards mobile
phones. Did you know that there is even a special word for kids who do that frequently? The word
is “ipad kid”. As bizarre as it sounds, we should not be concerned about its terminology; rather we
shall turn our heads on the reason why it is happening and how it is all related. I mean, don't you
wanna see the skeletons coming off its closet? Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Reihan Ananta,
and I’m from Universitas Airlangga, and I will be elated to be talking to you about “Harmony of
Culture: English as A Bridge” from the perspective of "Indonesian Culture in The Era of
Globalization"
● Isi 3’
According to Edward Tylor, culture is defined as the complex whole which includes
knowledge, beliefs, arts, law, morals, customs, and any other capabilities acquired by a human as a
member of society. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines globalization as the
increased interconnectedness and interdependence of peoples and countries. These two entities
emerged and collided causing a shift in the way our people interact within the community that alters
hundreds of years of traditional values in between ethnicity, such as tolerance, celebration, and
much more.
According to Malinowski Theory that states the culture with a higher hierarchy will and has
proven to influence the culture beneath it. Based on a meticulously conducted research by Nurul
Hafizah in 2023, the lush and lavish culture of Indonesia has been diminished by the western
culture. In which, most kids being more well-aware of TikTok rather than traditional games, is one
of the examples of its impact on a daily basis. The reason behind this degradation is the simplicity
in the way foreign culture is practiced. Other factors include the lack of cultural knowledge and
experiences. To the point where the portrait of our predecessor heritage is tarnished because of it.
Hence, we, the most precious treasure in our nation, the younger generation, are ought to
grow the will to strengthen the relationship between the harmonious coexisting culture in our
country with English as the bridge. As old as time, the role of language is to help people to
communicate and English serves as an International language. So instead of applying external
culture into our own coven, you can initiate to introduce the whole world to the culture of The
Wonderful Indonesia. It could be batik, it could be gamelan, it could be congklak, or anything that
you’re intrigued by and most proud of. It doesn't necessarily have to start with an extravagant event
in beautiful rooms like a workshop, seminar, or international conference. The thing with
globalization is that it takes advantage of rapid growth of science and advanced technology. But
guess what? It can be lucrative for us too! You can simply create a TikTok video explaining any
kind of Indonesia’s culture in English, and people from all over the world have the chance to see it
as long as they have the internet. TikTok perhaps has assisted in imbalancing the equilibrium
between culture and ethnic in Indonesia. But I kid you not, this is the time to turn our most
vulnerable weakness as our strongest weapon.
● Closing 45’’
Ladies and gentlemen, all things come to an end, so will this one. I would like to conclude
the whole message of my speech, which is the eradication of our nation’s culture because of
globalization. It is compulsory for us, the younger generation, to take full responsibility to put an
end to it. In order to perpetuate the abundant culture of Indonesia so that our children,
grandchildren, and even great grandchildren would be able to live through it. As the wise man once
told me “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven
into the lives of others.” Thank you so much for your attention.
Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh