UNAIR NEWS – Becoming a writer and making a paper is an achievement for students. Noviani Mariyatul Hakim, a student of History Science in Faculty of Humanities (FIB) Airlangga University (UNAIR) became a speaker at an international event.
She managed to be a speaker at an international seminar titled Conflict and Violence: Reconstructions and Cultural Resolution in Makassar. The event which took place on 27-29 August 2019 was also filled by several keynote speakers from several universities in Indonesia.
Novi was the speaker of a paper entitled “Surviving in Difficult Times: Everyday Life of the Chinese Community During the Revolutionary Period in Surabaya”. She raised the title because during the period of the physical revolution, especially in the city of Surabaya and its surroundings had created a deep trauma for the victims.
The community, especially minority groups such as India and China, are trying to secure themselves, seeking shelter in order to survive. They sought refuge in several places that were considered safe such as Malang, Pasuruan, Probolinggo, and Mojokerto.
“Violence against the Chinese community is inseparable from the community,” she said.
Novi also added the paper was a task of community and oral history. She finished these two courses assignment until she became a speaker at an international seminar.
She also interviewed two Chinese communities, Lie Tjio Wee and Djuneo were key informants describing past events in her paper. Not only that, she tried to find an old newspaper published in the period 1945-1949.
In compiling the paper, she also found several interesting things to be revealed to the public. One of them is the struggle of the Chinese community who helped Indonesian independence in 1947-1949. One of the information is the Chinese charity committee supported the fighters’ funds on the battlefield back then.
In addition, Novi wants to provide knowledge to the public that the nation during the physical revolution to maintain independence. Not only the natives, Chinese community also helped independence to live free from European colonization. (*)
Author: Aditya Novrian
Editor: Khefti Almawalia
