Roadshow ‘Love Literacy’ Bandar Lampung: Celebrating Diversity with Love

ISLAMCINTA.CO – Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung Province, is one of the multicultural and multireligious cities in Indonesia. Located in a geographically strategic position of Sumatra Island, the city has become a melting pot of various cultures, in addition to the historical fact that it was Indonesia’s oldest city for transmigration. Bandar Lampung is home to various ethnicities, from Lampung origins, Javanese, Balinese, Sundanese, Batak, Minang, and so on.

However, regardless of the condition, Lampung can also be the place for spreading radicalism, intolerance and religious conflicts, if the government and civil society groups are unable to maintain diversity.

Research by the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) in 2017 and 2018 showed that Lampung was among the top four cities that were prone to radicalism. In recent years, the media reported a number of arrests of terrorists and social conflicts occurred in the city.

Another point to be highlighted was that religious radicalism and conservatism, as well as intolerance had a correlation with low literacy. During May-August 2018, Language Development Agency of the Education and Culture Ministry conducted a survey about literacy rate in several cities across the country and found that the literacy rate in Lampung was relatively low, or only scored 48.43. The figure was below the national average score of 48.48. Ideally, the literacy rate of a city should be around 70.

As an attempt to improve the literacy rate in Lampung and to encourage young people to contribute to development of peaceful values, Gerakan Cinta Islam (Movement of Loving Islam) or GIC collaborated with the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to launch a program titled “Roadshow Literasi Cinta” (Roadshow of Love Literacy). The program, which ran on 28-29 October 2019, was held to commemorate the Youth Pledge Day and was part of a roadshow series previously held in Bukittinggi, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Jakarta, Tangerang Selatan, Banjarmasin. After Bandar Lampung, the roadshow would also come to Surabaya in November.

In general, the roadshow aimed for spreading the spirit of love-based literacy and encouraging young people to: (1) uphold a critical and open-minded thinking; (2) support interfaith dialogues and promoting inclusiveness, moderation, egalitarian, and tolerance; (3) raise public awareness towards diversity as well as extremism and radicalism, and embracing each other; and (4) gather young people to encourage them to be the agents of peace.

Specifically, the “Roadshow Literasi Cinta” in Bandar Lampung would perform various interesting activities that could expectedly attract the young people from various religious backgrounds, including a discussion to Gen Islam Cinta Series Book entitled “Fikih Milenial”, written by Ayi Yunus, a lecturer of Islamic Law UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. The contents of the book was worth attention from the millennials, because it could answer all that young generation needed to know about Islamic Law. There should also be an interfaith and inter-generation dialogue at Woods Stairs Bandar Lampung. The dialogue was scheduled to present Romo Roy, a figure of democracy from Bandar Lampung. The organizer would also hold a bazaar of Literasi Cinta, talk shows, trainings and poetry performances. SMA Xaverius High School was appointed to host the event which would also welcome a lot of students from high schools across the city.