Reno Halsamer (Founder of dTopeng Kingdom Foundation) through his long journey has created an animated (fictional) character by combining a mask as the face of Indonesia and the body of a lemon which is a fruit with many health benefits.
Starting from a love and pride for cultural heritage, especially masks, the face coverings of every ethnic group in Indonesia. Therefore, the name Minilemon was chosen with the hope of fostering a positive mindset in the development of children who enjoy imaginative play and providing positive benefits for Indonesian children. Minilemon hopes to become a new idol in children's entertainment by prioritizing quality and education for Indonesian children, especially across multiple platforms.
The 3D animated film Minilemon has the potential to be an effective tool for teaching tolerance. This was discussed in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) at Sunan Ampel Surabaya. The FGD addressed the integration of tolerance values into higher education curricula through engaging visual approaches.
Reno Halsamer, the founder of Minilemon Studio, emphasizes the importance of a visual approach in education, especially for children. Therefore, Minilemon is designed as an educational entertainment that is both entertaining and educational. Currently, Minilemon is also developing the Minilemon Movie Academy to develop a new generation of young animators
Minilemon has previously partnered with the University of Surabaya (Ubaya) to develop the psychological aspects of its content, as it has proven effective in depicting Indonesia's cultural diversity through its unique characters.
Minilemon also plans to collaborate with UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya to create research-based storytelling content that addresses diversity. Prof. Dr. H. Muhammad Thohir, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Education and Teaching at UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya, welcomed the collaboration. He sees significant potential in developing research-based creative content, given current trends in visual communication.
"According to him, this collaboration will make Minilemon a production partner, while UIN Sunan Ampel will contribute to the development of content and creative ideas," he explained.
Prof. Thohir also emphasized the importance of education in fostering tolerance amidst the proliferation of information that can trigger intolerance.
"The Ministry of Religion encourages diversity to be seen as a potential for building harmony, not division," he stressed.
The Rector of UIN Sunan Ampel, Prof. Akh. Muzakki, added that universities play a crucial role in building a harmonious life and supported the Minister of Religious Affairs' directive to create a curriculum that emphasizes the values of encounter and love, rather than differences.
This FGD also discussed the improvement of the competency assessment instrument for tolerant religious teachers and the integration of tolerance values into the higher education curriculum.
The FGD chair, Dr. Hanun Asrohah, emphasized the importance of ongoing discussions on tolerance in the era of technology and globalization. The issue of tolerance itself is a never-ending topic of discussion, and has recently become increasingly prominent due to technological and global developments.
As a first step, UIN Sunan Ampel has conducted a survey on the tolerance index among educators in East Java to support the Ministry of Religion's mandate to build harmony.
