Fighters of Traditional Games in the City of Heroes
The use of gadgets is considered to have reached an alarming level as children have easier access to the internet. So, play and be free, so that life will be colored with joy and goodness.
By
AMBROSIUS HARTO MANUMOYOSO, RUNIK SRI ASTUTI
·5 minutes read
AMBROSIUS HARTO MANUMOYOSO
Grade 1 students play marbles at SD Negeri Mojo 3, Surabaya, East Java, Wednesday (21/9/2022). Since April 2018, Mojo 3 Elementary School has declared itself as an educational institution for the preservation of traditional games.
The students of Mojo 3 State Elementary School Surabaya, East Java, are looking forward to Happy Wednesday. On this day, they may bring toys and play to their heart's content during the break or during a free lesson.
On Wednesday (21/9/2022) before 9:00 a.m. the students of SD Negeri Mojo 3 were preparing their toys. They were holding yo-yos, carrying small bags of marbles, cards, preparing the dakon (a traditional board game played with shells as counters), bekel (similar to the western jacks) and an arrangement of rubber bands (as jump ropes).
The teachers were rather busy in making the immunization month a success for the students. Lessons were reduced for the immunization process. Children who have not been vaccinated are free to play and enjoy “Happy Wednesday”.
Some of the male students played marbles in groups in the school yard. The others played with cards and yo-yos. Some of the female students played dakon and bekel. They truly enjoy the fun of playing.
The students understood in advance that there is a time limit for playing because at school, the main thing is to learn. However, playing is very important for learning support.
“There is one day of play out of five days of school. Hopefully this will make the children happy,” said the Principal of SD Negeri Mojo 3, Soemarlik.
Happy Wednesday has become a program of pride and excellence for SD Negeri Mojo 3 since April 2018. The program was created on the basis of the concerns of teachers and activists in preserving traditional games in order to prevent children from becoming addicted to gadgets. Hours of playing with mobile devices can trigger illness in children due to lack of movement. Children can also have difficulty focusing on learning, become slow to communicate or even indicate that they don't care about others.
There is one day of play out of five days of school. Hopefully this will make the children happy.
The children are offered and invited to play a number of traditional games, such as dakon, snakes and ladders, egrang (stilts), marbles and bekel. While they are playing, children forget about their device.
This school proclaims itself as a preserver of traditional games and a leader in recreational sports with excellence in egrang.
Games and fitness
Traditional games are also a source of enthusiasm for the residents of Jambangan subdistrict, Surabaya. Every Sunday morning, children gather in the yard of the Jambangan Subdistrict Office to practice recreational sports. They do not just play, but also forge themselves to become recreational sports athletes.
On Sunday (25/9) before 8:00 a.m. as many as 20 children and teenagers lined up and listened to instructions from Slamet, the coach and trainer of the Jambangan Traditional Sports Club. Teens who are athletes wore green t-shirts.
Their nickname is written on the front of their t-shirt. On the top left side, there is the Surabaya city logo, while in the middle is their squad number and the words Suroboyo Wani (courageous). The back of the t-shirt says East Java and, below it, their squad number again.
AMBROSIUS HARTO MANUMOYOSO
A teacher monitors grade 1 students at SD Negeri Mojo 3, Surabaya, East Java, who are filling their break with traditional games, Wednesday (21/9/2022).
The activity that morning started with a game of kasti (a traditional game similar to baseball). Next, it was a game of gobak sodor (blocking). Some teenagers showed their agility on stilts in a game of egrang.
Adelia Putri (16) and Maria Angelina (14) ran fast while controlling their bamboo stilts. Both were part of the East Java women's relay team that won a gold medal at the 6th South Sumatra National Recreational Sports Festival on July 1-7, 2022.
Jambangan has declared it as a conservation kampung for recreational sports, especially in egrang.
Two other athletes were Aulia Rahmawati (12) and Talita Safa (15). They are talented in volleyball.
The women's team already has successors, namely the 5-8 year old sisters who are quite agile in using stilts. Children also improve their abilities by playing the traditional games of hadang, ompah, stilts,kasti and in sports, namely volleyball and soccer.
"Jambangan has declared it as a conservation kampung for recreational sports, especially in egrang," said Slamet.
Kampung Dolanan
Mustofa Sam, the initiator of Kampoeng Dolanan (village of traditional games and sports), said that Mojo 3 and Jambangan Elementary Schools preserve traditional games and sports as part of life in Surabaya. Nicknamed the "City of Heroes,” Surabaya the courageous character of an egalitarian and sacrificial society.
Through dolanan, people learn to be disciplined and to obey the rules. People also learn to share, cooperate, be sincere, accept, be proud, be happy and be honest.
A hero, in Mostopha's understanding, must be a good human being. For this reason, it is no exaggeration that anyone can become a hero, namely having the joy of life by playing, preserving and developing traditional games and sports.
"Dolanan is a part of people's lives, so it would be a big loss if they were marginalized or removed," said Mustofa.
A similar opinion was conveyed by Achmad Irfandi, the initiator of Lali Gadget Kampung (KLG) in Pagerngumbuk, Wonoayu, Sidoarjo. Irfandi and Mostafa are friends. They share the same struggle in preserving and developing traditional games.
The KLG is a social community engaged in character education. One of the activities is to reintroduce dolanan in order to maintain the nation's cultural heritage. Traditional games are considered to strengthen children's social interactions and foster tolerance because they cannot play alone, but with friends.
The name KLG was chosen to invite the public, especially children, not to "glorify" gadgets. Devices have indeed become a necessity, especially for children in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, lasting for two years.
The use of gadgets is considered to have reached an alarming level as children have easier access to the internet. Devices can have a negative impact, namely triggering addiction. In addition, devices can damage vision and even cause blindness.
So, play and be free, so that life will be colored with joy and goodness.
