TeaTime: Nationalism in the Midst of a Pandemic
In the midst of Independence Day, a sense of nationalism is not limited to flag symbols and flag ceremonies. Expressing nationalism in the midst of a pandemic can be done by doing small and simple things, but it can be very influential, done together. This can be done by students who are often embedded as agents of change.
Herman Felani, one of the lecturers at Department of Communications at the Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) offered the meaning of nationalism at the Teatime International Program of Communication Department, UII. Guided by Muhammad Daffa Athalariq, student class 2019, Saturday, August 20, 2021, we talked casually, discussing how to fill nationalism during a pandemic.
During a pandemic like this, any nuance loses its passion. August, which is usually filled with various competitions and other celebrations, can now only be done at home. Socializing is only limited to social media or the zoom room. In this condition at least, “If you can’t feel the vibe. But, we can put up flags, put up banners. It’s symbolic. It’s a trivial thing, but it awakens the spirit of nationalism,” suggested Herman if he couldn’t do anything else that was more useful.
On a higher level, on independence day Herman advised young people to convey good things as a nation. “If we can’t get together as a nation, imagine community we still apply. We are still one community by spreading good messages during the pandemic.
At the next level, Herman said that students can do simple and trivial things, but have great benefits. Herman described that many Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have gone out of business. He gave an example of a neighbor who helps other neighbors whose sales are quiet due to the pandemic. “He helps sell his friend’s merchandise through social media accounts and online buying and selling accounts. This simple thing is not a big thing, but if many people do it, the benefits are great. It can help a lot of people,” said Herman as an example.
For Herman, nationalism is not just an independence day, a flag, or a ceremony. Nor is it about a particular geographic area, nor is it merely the hometown where I was born and raised. “Nationalism is humanity and justice. It’s not about the hometown where I was born and raised by my mother,” Herman said. Because now it is very felt that whatever happens on earth will have an effect wherever we are. Everything is connected.
