Something unique and interesting happened at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (Fisipol UGM).
Several tents were set up, and students passed by and interacted with the vendors. It looked like a pop-up market, but instead of selling vegetables or necessities, this market focused on sharing information between students and community groups.
True to its name, the SepaHAM Market was designed as a cultural strategy to highlight social inclusion and citizenship rights for marginalized groups in public spaces.
Irfanudien Ghozali, the Artistic Director of SepaHAM Market, explained that the market’s purpose was to provide a public space for marginalized people to express themselves and share their stories.
“We want to gather friends from the solidarity and inclusion community, especially in Yogyakarta, to share knowledge, interact, and network in a way that promotes the concept and idea of an inclusive world,” Ghozali explained on Monday (Oct. 21).
SepaHAM Market featured many booths set up and run by marginalized groups during the event. One such booth was Cupable, with the hashtag #becausecoffeeweareequal.
Cupable is a coffee shop initiative that collaborates with people with disabilities under the umbrella of YAKKUM.
At the Cupable booth was a barista named Eko Sugeng, a person with a disability who has been with Cupable for five years since 2018.
According to Sugeng, events like this promote inclusivity and raise public awareness, especially among students, so they become more knowledgeable about disability issues.
“I think it’s really good, and very important too. If possible, it should be scheduled again because with events like this, especially on campus, young students can become more aware. It can change their stigma, especially if they haven’t interacted with people with disabilities before. This is a place where they can learn a lot and understand,” Sugeng said.
Sugeng further added that he hopes that this event will have a lasting impact and serve as a role model for society, especially in entrepreneurship, so that business owners do not just see the limitations of people with disabilities but also their strengths as individuals.
“For this event, I hope it continues to grow and impact many people, including the communities present,” he explained.
It is worth noting that SepaHAM Market 2024 was organized through a collaboration between the Social Inclusion and Citizenship Studies Team (Sejalin) from Fisipol UGM with ‘Aisyiyah, the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI DIY), Yakkum Rehabilitation Center, and Sasana Inklusi & Gerakan Advokasi Difabel (SIGAB) Indonesia, with support from the INKLUSI Program.
Author: Hanif
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afif