«Pak Bei» was developed by Prof. U. Kozok in cooperation with the late Masdi Sunardi (1944-2008), a renowned cartoonist from Semarang, Indonesia. In over a decade, Masdi Sunardi published more than 700 cartoons in the Sunday editions of the national daily Suara Merdeka.
Out of the hundreds of cartoons we selected 30 (so far only 18 are available, but more will added soon) which we found culturally relevant, linguistically appropriate, comprehensible, engaging, and fun.
The cartoons address issues such as religion, tradition, celebrations and holidays, nationalism, social norms and etiquette, gender-specific behaviour, inter-personal relationships, superstition, magical practices, work ethics, etc. They are, in a sense, a microcosm of the contemporary Indonesian society.
Culturally, as well as linguistically Masdi Sunardi’s cartoons are an excellent resource for any learner of the Indonesian language.
*Helen Riana Agnesia and Maren Behrend also contributed significantly to the materials.
Level: A2 to C2
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