How can Sundanese culture and language remain relevant in a rapidly evolving digital world?
This question became one of the main topics of discussion when the Wikimedia Bandung Community, supported by Wikimedia Indonesia, was invited as a guest on Ngobrol Bareng Komunitas (Ngobras), a community talk show broadcast by RRI Pro 1 Bandung 97.6 FM.
Represented by Hayati Mayang Arum, Hasnanf, Arunikala, and Oceanmuse, Wikimedia Bandung has participation in one of Indonesia’s oldest broadcasting institutions provided an opportunity to introduce the free knowledge movement to a wider audience.
Today, radio broadcasting extends beyond traditional airwaves. RRI Bandung simultaneously streamed the program on TikTok and promoted the event through Instagram, allowing the discussion to reach younger audiences who are more familiar with digital platforms.
The session was held under the theme “Liberating Local Knowledge in Digital Spaces: Preserving Sundanese Culture and Language through Wikimedia Projects.” The discussion explored how members of the public can participate in documenting, preserving, and sharing local knowledge through Wikimedia projects.
Wikimedia and Open Access to Knowledge
During the program, the Wikimedia Bandung Community introduced Wikimedia as a movement that provides free and open access to knowledge for everyone.
This mission is carried out through a variety of Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wiktionary, Wikisource, and many others that enable people to collaboratively create, share, and improve knowledge.
In Indonesia, Wikimedia communities are involved in more than encyclopedia editing. Their activities also include cultural preservation, local history documentation, regional language development, manuscript digitization, and digital literacy initiatives.
From Bandung to Bogor, Sharing Knowledge Across Generations
Over the years, the Wikimedia Bandung Community has organized numerous activities involving participants from diverse backgrounds.
One recent example was WikiLatih Bogor, held in June 2026 in collaboration with the Forum Taman Bacaan Masyarakat Bogor. The event brought together participants from different generations and cultural backgrounds to learn how to contribute to Wikimedia projects.
In addition to training programs, the community regularly organizes editing meetups, cultural documentation activities, manuscript digitization initiatives, and community gatherings aimed at strengthening volunteer networks.
Through these activities, Wikimedia Bandung continues to foster an open learning environment where anyone can contribute to expanding freely accessible knowledge online.
Challenges in Preserving Sundanese Culture in the Digital Era
Another major topic discussed during the broadcast was the current state of Sundanese cultural documentation. Many aspects of Sundanese culture, including notable figures, local history, arts, cuisine, and regional vocabulary, have already been documented across Wikimedia projects. However, significant challenges remain.
The availability of digital documentation is not always matched by a new generation of contributors who consistently participate in preserving local culture and regional languages.
Oceanmuse, CC BY-SA 4.0
As information consumption habits continue to evolve, engaging younger generations has become increasingly important to ensure that local knowledge remains documented and accessible for the future.
To address this challenge, Wikimedia Bandung has developed several initiatives. One example is WikiCagarBudaya, a program previously held in Tasikmalaya that combined cultural heritage documentation with Sundanese-language article writing workshops.
The initiative serves as an effort to expand public participation in documenting the rich cultural heritage of West Java and the broader Sundanese region.
From the Sundanese Homeland to the Maluku Islands
The discussion at RRI Bandung also provided an opportunity to introduce several ongoing community initiatives. One of them is WikiRempah, a project supported through a Rapid Fund grant from the Wikimedia Foundation.
The initiative focuses on documenting knowledge related to the historic Spice Route in the Maluku Islands, including historical forts, local cultural traditions, and regional vocabulary that remains in use today.
Beyond documenting knowledge in Indonesian, the project also contributes to the development of Sundanese-language content through article translations and pronunciation recordings by native speakers.
This approach demonstrates that regional languages can serve not only as subjects of preservation but also as active mediums for sharing knowledge with wider audiences.
Keeping Local Knowledge on the Air
The participation of the Wikimedia Bandung Community at RRI Bandung demonstrates that efforts to preserve culture and regional languages are not limited to classrooms, libraries, or limited to a particular community.
In the digital era, these initiatives can reach broader audiences through multiple channels, ranging from online encyclopedias to radio broadcasts amplified through social media platforms.
For contemporary society, cultural documentation is more than preserving the past. It is an ongoing effort to ensure that local knowledge continues to have a place in an increasingly digital world.
Can you help us translate this article?
In order for this article to reach as many people as possible we would like your help. Can you translate this article to get the message out?
