2014
Literary feast
3 October 2014
Will probably not get beyond three lines of this email before collapsing tonight - just back after a 12-hour day. Fantastic and stimulating as always. I am so privileged to be able to indulge in this wonderful event each year. And to catch up with so many friends, Indonesian and international, who are regulars like me. Lidwein is here, the Dutch friend I stayed with in France in May too - I met her here in Bali a couple of years ago!
Extraordinary how so many great minds and great books can be centred on this one little town - the mind boggles to think of the organisation behind it all and how smoothly it seems to run. There appears to be a couple of thousand visitors. Today and tomorrow too, the temple festival is taking a break so no traffic issues for the writers festival.
Extraordinary how so many great minds and great books can be centred on this one little town - the mind boggles to think of the organisation behind it all and how smoothly it seems to run. There appears to be a couple of thousand visitors. Today and tomorrow too, the temple festival is taking a break so no traffic issues for the writers festival.
The festival’s main program began with Indonesia's Greenpeace director giving an impassioned keynote address on the environmental issues affecting Indonesia - and of course the whole world. Followed by a panel of speakers, including the leading intellectual, poet and editor of Tempo magazine, Goenawan Mohamad, on what might lie ahead for Indonesian politics - "Destination Unknown"- all getting more and more worrying by the day with the recent passing of the law bringing back the appointment of local political leaders (provincial governors, regents, district heads, mayors, etc.) rather than the direct elections they have had for the last nine years. This would mean no one like Jokowi could ever get ahead on merit alone. And today the opposition coalition of parties headed by the defeated presidential candidate Prabowo gained control of the House. Huge threat to democracy. And to the hopes and expectations of reform under the incoming president, Jokowi. Even talk of getting rid of the direct election of the president in future. Back to the Soeharto days - terrifying thought for the millions of Indonesian who are thriving on democracy.
A break from the tension of anxiety over Indonesia's future, in an interview with Australia's eloquent and very human, Robyn Davidson who has been rocketed back into the limelight with the recent film made of her book Tracks on her epic 1975 journey across the Australian desert with camels. She must be sick of talking about it all over again but gave no sign of it - charming woman.
An interesting panel later with young Indonesian writers, (not ones I had translated) discussing the effects of the 1998 riots and Soeharto's stepping down, ending his New Order - "Nation at the Intersection". Even though they were children at the time, the events had an impact on them and have informed their future writings.
The last session I attended was a panel on liberal Islam in Indonesia "Understanding Islam” - mostly the same people as the earlier political one, with the addition of a Canadian comedian resident of Jakarta (became a Muslim on her marriage to an Indonesian) who does regular YouTube videos on “How to be Indonesian”- google her -Sacha Stevenson – hilarious and a brilliant linguist! It was mostly a serious discussion, but both Sacha and Goenawan provided a bit of wit and humour. The world needs to hear discussions like this right now!
A mad dash into town to make the Threads of Life (weaving gallery) event at 5.30 of “Stories of Cloth” - dances by superbly costumed dancers from the island of Sumba, with William giving the symbolism of the motifs of their sacred cloths. As always the Threads of Life event was a special highlight for visitors, providing the only authentic Indonesian cultural event in the very western bookish talkfest that characterises the rest of the festival! I made sure Dave and Jen, John and Ann, and Lidwein all went and they loved it.
A break from the tension of anxiety over Indonesia's future, in an interview with Australia's eloquent and very human, Robyn Davidson who has been rocketed back into the limelight with the recent film made of her book Tracks on her epic 1975 journey across the Australian desert with camels. She must be sick of talking about it all over again but gave no sign of it - charming woman.
An interesting panel later with young Indonesian writers, (not ones I had translated) discussing the effects of the 1998 riots and Soeharto's stepping down, ending his New Order - "Nation at the Intersection". Even though they were children at the time, the events had an impact on them and have informed their future writings.
The last session I attended was a panel on liberal Islam in Indonesia "Understanding Islam” - mostly the same people as the earlier political one, with the addition of a Canadian comedian resident of Jakarta (became a Muslim on her marriage to an Indonesian) who does regular YouTube videos on “How to be Indonesian”- google her -Sacha Stevenson – hilarious and a brilliant linguist! It was mostly a serious discussion, but both Sacha and Goenawan provided a bit of wit and humour. The world needs to hear discussions like this right now!
A mad dash into town to make the Threads of Life (weaving gallery) event at 5.30 of “Stories of Cloth” - dances by superbly costumed dancers from the island of Sumba, with William giving the symbolism of the motifs of their sacred cloths. As always the Threads of Life event was a special highlight for visitors, providing the only authentic Indonesian cultural event in the very western bookish talkfest that characterises the rest of the festival! I made sure Dave and Jen, John and Ann, and Lidwein all went and they loved it.
The day ended for me with, of all things, a little unscheduled classical music recital. Debra Yatim, (a fellow translator I see each year at the festival) passed round invitations to hear her daughter sing tonight. Diatra is training to be an opera singer in Germany and is home on holiday. She was accompanied by a young German lad on guitar. She sang Schubert, de Falla and Bizet among others, in four languages. It was exquisite! She will be a big name, not just in Indonesia, one day very soon! The setting was Rouge, a spacious modern cocktail lounge with red décor. Extremely comfortable after the very hot and crowded festival venues earlier. I was completely spirited out of Bali at an event such as this - quite disorientating
Going back a day, on Wednesday “Toni Tour Guide” continued her revelation of special sites to enthrall her little group of appreciative visitors to Bali. Hired a car to see the rice terraces of Tegalalang, then the magical 13th C temple of Gunung Kawi Sebatu with its fishponds and pretty gardens, nestled into a semi-circular, jungle-clad cliff.
And the Mask and Puppet Museum housed in several old wooden Javanese houses re-erected in spectacular gardens just out of Ubud. Everyone was blown away by both places.
And the Mask and Puppet Museum housed in several old wooden Javanese houses re-erected in spectacular gardens just out of Ubud. Everyone was blown away by both places.
Our driver, my good friend Ketut Yogi, found us an out-of-the-way restaurant right on the rice fields for a simple but superb spicy lunch. Home to Ubud in gridlock traffic with another procession, so Ketut and I dropped off the others to walk the rest of their way back to the hotel while we headed in the opposite direction to collect Jasmin and Roman from school. We took a huge detour involving going south, then west and finally north to avoid Ubud altogether in order to get home. Once home I could not get back into Ubud for any of the pre-festival evening events, which was probably not a bad thing as I was forced to take it easy - a quiet evening with the family before the big day today. I have come down with a sudden cold too and am not feeling as chipper as I'd like to be, considering how much is going on!