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The Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival (BWCF) celebration 2018 on November 21-25 2018, full of thick Acehnese scents. There are several important points underlying it. First, the theme carried by Traveling & Diary cannot be separated from history because when historians discuss the journey of foreign travelers such as Ibn Battuta, Marcopolo, Cheng Ho, until I Tsing, a Chinese traveler on Sunday 7, Aceh is included.

Historians Taufik Abdullah, Taufik Rahzen, and Azyumardi Azra mentioned several times the existence of Aceh as part of past civilization. Likewise with other speakers from both inside and outside the country who call Aceh an important part of the history of civilization.

Secondly, there is an Acehnese writer, Azhari Aiyub, who is the speaker. He discussed the creative process of writing the Kura-kura Berjanggut novel which received the Kusala Literary Award, a prestigious literary award in Indonesia.

Unfortunately, I did not have time to discuss with Azhari because I was in a hurry to leave for Magelang after opening at the Inna Hotel Malioboro in Yogya. I thought that I would meet him during the BWCF event, it turned out that Azhari only joined the first day.

The third, there is the appearance of Rapai Geleng from the Saleum Aceh Community, Banda Aceh. Their performances received appreciation from the audience as seen at the opening ceremony at Manohara Hotel, Magelang.

The scent of Aceh also came from several visitors from among students. From nowhere, the student at Gadjah Mada University greeted me in Acehnese language. We engage in intimate conversation in a few minutes and have to part because of a busy program.[]

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Aroma Aceh di Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival 2018

Hajatan Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival (BWCF) 2018 pada 21 - 25 November 2018, penuh dengan aroma Aceh yang kental. Ada beberapa poin penting yang mendasarinya.

Pertama, tema yang diusung Traveling & Diary tidak lepas dari keacehan karena ketika sejarawan membahas perjalanan pelawat asing seperti Ibnu Batutah, Marcopolo, Chang Ho, sampai I Tsing, seorang pengelana Cina Ahad 7, maka Aceh masuk di dalamnya. Sejarawan Taufik Abdullah, Taufik Rahzen, dan Azyumardi Azra beberapa kali menyebutkan keberadaan Aceh sebagai bagian dari peradaban masa lalu.

Demikian juga dengan pembicara lain baik dari dalam maupun luar negeri yang menyebut Aceh sebagai bagian penting dalam sejarah peradaban.

Kedua, ada penulis Aceh, Azhari Aiyub, yang menjadi pembicara. Dia membahas proses kreatif penulisan novel Kura-kura Berjanggut yang mendapatkan Kusala Literary Award, sebuah penghargaan sastra bergengsi di Indonesia.

Sayangnya, saya tidak sempat berdiskusi dengan Azhari karena terburu-buru berangkat ke Magelang seusai pembukaan di Hotel Inna Malioboro di Yogya. Saya pikir akan bertemu dengannya selama acara BWCF, ternyata Azhari hanya ikut hari pertama saja.

Ketiga, ada penampilan rapai geleng dari Komunitas Saleum Aceh, Banda Aceh. Penampilan mereka mendapat apresiasi dari hadirin seperti yang terlihat di acara pembukaan di Hotel Manohara, Magelang.

Aroma Aceh juga datang dari beberapa pengunjung dari kalangan mahasiswa. Entah dari mana tahu, mahasiswa Universitas Gadjah Mada tersebut menyapa saya dalam bahasa Aceh. Kami terlibat pembicaraan akrab dalam beberapa menit dan harus berpisah karena acara yang padat.[]

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