Hi! I am Susia from Indonesia. It is my first year as Master Student in World Heritage Studies program at Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus (BTU).

When I first studied Intangible Cultural Heritage and did some related research, I thought “This is the ‘place’ where I belong” =D

I love collecting stories and memories of Indigenous people. The stories and myths about their life as a community, about the universe from their perspectives, and all their oral histories. How they express all these aspects through dance, sacred ceremonies, woven textiles, even display it through the architecture of their traditional house always amazes me. However, I’ve found out that their stories are not always as beautiful as I imagined. In Indonesia, there are many aspects that can also threaten their existence as indigenous people as well as their efforts to preserve their cultural heritage. So, here I am, trying to figure out what can we do to address such issues.

In addition, being a part of the Dual Degree program, gaining a broader understanding of world heritage from BTU and Deakin University made me even more excited to contribute to intercultural dialogue and exploring ideas and experiences with students from different scientific backgrounds and also with the experts in the field of World Heritage.