Students of FISIP and FIB Berbakti Desa Universitas Brawijaya (FBD UB) Group 16 interviewed mina mendong craftsmen in Blayu Village, Wajak District, Malang Regency, to introduce mina mendong crafts to the outside community.
Having abundant natural resources, Blayu Village, located in Wajak District, Malang Regency, has one of the most prominent natural resources, namely mendong grass. This grass, which can grow long and has flowers on its tips, can be processed into various crafts, such as bags, mats, baskets, bird cages, and many other interesting crafts.
The lack of marketing for mina crafts has resulted in a decline in public interest in the crafts themselves. This has also had an impact on many mina mendong craftsmen who have switched to other professions because the job no longer looks attractive. The variety of mendong crafts that were initially widely found in Blayu Village has now been narrowed down to just a few, such as mats, parcel baskets, and semi-finished goods, namely slap ropes.
“Sales and enthusiasts of Mendong Crafts have begun to decline in recent years, losing out to other crafts. In terms of price, mendong crafts tend to be more expensive than other crafts. Considering that mendong crafts are made from plants, of course they need routine maintenance so that the crafts are durable and last a long time, this is one of the causes of the decline in public interest in buying mendong crafts,” said the Village Head.
In order to arouse public interest, group 16 FBD Jantra KKN UB is trying to increase the potential of mina mendong crafts by promoting them through social media. This is done by initially interviewing and documenting craftsmen with the aim of gathering information about what can be highlighted from mina mendong.
The promotional activities for mina mendong crafts are made in the form of infographics, as well as video content wrapped in interesting video narration and highlights. The videos show what mina mendong is, how the process of making mendong crafts is, and the results of mendong crafts include mats, parcel baskets, and ropes. The promotional content of mina mendong crafts produced in Blayu Village is then uploaded via the Instagram social media platform with the username @minadongcrafting.
Not only promoted in Indonesian language, the promotion of mina mendong crafts is also carried out in English. The addition of various languages in the promotion and introduction of this craft aims to reach a wider community outside.
This work program is an ongoing program that will later be continued by several local Youth Associations that have been gathered into one organization to manage social media which will later be scheduled every week to upload interesting content related to mendong crafts.
The work program for publishing mina mendong crafts through social media by group 16 FBD Universitas Brawijaya is expected to contribute to give benefits for craftsmen in Blayu Village by gaining attention from the outside community towards mina mendong crafts and inspiring people in the village to preserve this craft. (*/UB PR/ Trans. Iir).
