2015
Survived the first day
30 October 2015
Crowds filling the three venues - mostly women of a certain age! And probably most of the actual visitors, as opposed to local expats, are Australian. But the themes are more Indonesian - especially the politics.
Two excellent short opening addresses. One from the editor of the Jakarta Post, Endy Bayuni, on the role of writing at critical points in Indonesia's nationalist movement. But his reasoned and intelligent address was outdone by the Rev. Mpho Tutu, resplendent in African robes, turban and multiple silver earrings. Her address on truth and reconciliation was an oratorial masterpiece. A worthy successor to her father! Beautiful language, and nuanced delivery in varying tones of voice. Not a word out of place. Sheer joy to listen to. Her message proposed that if the scenario of a path to reconciliation and peace were chosen after an event such as 9/11 instead of war, the outcome could be so much more beneficial to all parties. Of course she recognised that working towards this outcome is never easy compared to bringing out the guns. I could have listened to her all day.
Two excellent short opening addresses. One from the editor of the Jakarta Post, Endy Bayuni, on the role of writing at critical points in Indonesia's nationalist movement. But his reasoned and intelligent address was outdone by the Rev. Mpho Tutu, resplendent in African robes, turban and multiple silver earrings. Her address on truth and reconciliation was an oratorial masterpiece. A worthy successor to her father! Beautiful language, and nuanced delivery in varying tones of voice. Not a word out of place. Sheer joy to listen to. Her message proposed that if the scenario of a path to reconciliation and peace were chosen after an event such as 9/11 instead of war, the outcome could be so much more beneficial to all parties. Of course she recognised that working towards this outcome is never easy compared to bringing out the guns. I could have listened to her all day.
Followed by an interview with the head of Indonesia's Human Right Watch, Andreas Harsono, a Chinese Indonesian who is fearless on the issues he and HRW stand up for. You need to be fearless in this country, it seems, considering recent threats to a mild event like a writers festival!! The interviewer was careful to steer him away from focusing on 1965, but plenty of other issues to focus on like the growing religious intolerance here. Impressive man, and very human. The dysfunctional family background we heard described by the interviewer (from a story he wrote in which be interviewed a young man who turned out to be himself) should by rights have produced a very different sort of adult, but he deliberately chose a path focusing on fighting injustice and bringing parties together. I heard him speak once in Sydney too. Powerful advocate for women's rights, all the more since he has married and had a daughter.
Then a panel on satire - the Charlie Hebdo issue, and the outcry over a Jakarta Post cartoon designed to raise awareness of the violence of ISIS which depicted their flag with its Muslim statement of faith and a skull in its centre and a beheading taking place under it. But far from the cartoon's message being understood, it created a big Muslim outcry! And the Post had to retract it and issue an apology with the threat of prosecution under the blasphemy laws. A French comic book artist was on the panel and was able to give support to the time-honoured tradition of no-holds-barred satire in France. Other panelists were more on the balance between responsibility and press freedom. Throughout all the morning sessions there were constant references to "freedom of expression" without having to actually specify the current bans at the festival. Many of the references gave rise to a big audience response! The international panel on refugees by writers on the subject, including Australia's Rosemary Sayer and a Swiss woman, plus the eloquent Pakistani, Moshin Hamid, was timely, considering the situation in the world today.
In the afternoon I moved to Indus down the road (through and around the heaps of rubbish still on the footpath!) for two panels on “Why Write?” and “Behind Closed Doors.” I wanted to hear Nam Le of The Boat fame again. But he seems to have become a lot less erudite and intellectual since I heard him here 7-8 years ago. In fact he seemed to be fairly unprepared and very causal in his baseball cap. No mention that he has written any new books in the intervening years of living and teaching in the US - but The Boat has been turned into an interactive graphic novel. (Must admit to dozing a bit through that session, in the heat of the afternoon and sitting out on the fringe where I could not see any of the speakers. One needs enormous stamina for these events. My day involved six hours of sessions with only 15 minute breaks between.)
Met up with lots of festival mates - a journalist friend, Michael Vatikiotis, who is a regular panel moderator, expat locals, etc. My old mate, documentary filmmaker, Curtis Levy is here again. The two women from Victoria are thoroughly enjoying it all. And my student Jeffrey is here too. We all spent yesterday going through the program over lengthy sessions in cafes and over a long lunch-at Kamasan yet again! And ending the day at a book launch. Know the author, Pat Walsh, through Inside Indonesia magazine which he founded decades ago, and through East Timor and Oxfam connections. A life-long activist and a truly good human being - a former priest who left the priesthood and married. His wife Annie was compere at the launch. He worked in East Timor for many years on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission there. Last saw him ten years ago on a trip to Timor, at the Commission's premises - a former jail the Indonesians used to incarcerate and torture the Timorese. I remember being horribly spooked. Pat wrote this book while he was in Jakarta writing up the Timor report in English on Indonesia's war crimes for a publisher there- Chega! ("Stop/Enough!") However, as light relief from the horrors of the material he was dealing with, he would escape at times into the streets and hang out in street stalls with the locals - the result is this charming, more light-hearted book. Started reading it last night.
Then a panel on satire - the Charlie Hebdo issue, and the outcry over a Jakarta Post cartoon designed to raise awareness of the violence of ISIS which depicted their flag with its Muslim statement of faith and a skull in its centre and a beheading taking place under it. But far from the cartoon's message being understood, it created a big Muslim outcry! And the Post had to retract it and issue an apology with the threat of prosecution under the blasphemy laws. A French comic book artist was on the panel and was able to give support to the time-honoured tradition of no-holds-barred satire in France. Other panelists were more on the balance between responsibility and press freedom. Throughout all the morning sessions there were constant references to "freedom of expression" without having to actually specify the current bans at the festival. Many of the references gave rise to a big audience response! The international panel on refugees by writers on the subject, including Australia's Rosemary Sayer and a Swiss woman, plus the eloquent Pakistani, Moshin Hamid, was timely, considering the situation in the world today.
In the afternoon I moved to Indus down the road (through and around the heaps of rubbish still on the footpath!) for two panels on “Why Write?” and “Behind Closed Doors.” I wanted to hear Nam Le of The Boat fame again. But he seems to have become a lot less erudite and intellectual since I heard him here 7-8 years ago. In fact he seemed to be fairly unprepared and very causal in his baseball cap. No mention that he has written any new books in the intervening years of living and teaching in the US - but The Boat has been turned into an interactive graphic novel. (Must admit to dozing a bit through that session, in the heat of the afternoon and sitting out on the fringe where I could not see any of the speakers. One needs enormous stamina for these events. My day involved six hours of sessions with only 15 minute breaks between.)
Met up with lots of festival mates - a journalist friend, Michael Vatikiotis, who is a regular panel moderator, expat locals, etc. My old mate, documentary filmmaker, Curtis Levy is here again. The two women from Victoria are thoroughly enjoying it all. And my student Jeffrey is here too. We all spent yesterday going through the program over lengthy sessions in cafes and over a long lunch-at Kamasan yet again! And ending the day at a book launch. Know the author, Pat Walsh, through Inside Indonesia magazine which he founded decades ago, and through East Timor and Oxfam connections. A life-long activist and a truly good human being - a former priest who left the priesthood and married. His wife Annie was compere at the launch. He worked in East Timor for many years on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission there. Last saw him ten years ago on a trip to Timor, at the Commission's premises - a former jail the Indonesians used to incarcerate and torture the Timorese. I remember being horribly spooked. Pat wrote this book while he was in Jakarta writing up the Timor report in English on Indonesia's war crimes for a publisher there- Chega! ("Stop/Enough!") However, as light relief from the horrors of the material he was dealing with, he would escape at times into the streets and hang out in street stalls with the locals - the result is this charming, more light-hearted book. Started reading it last night.
Am finding I need to come home at the end of the day's sessions and can't bring myself to get back into town for evening events - films, concerts, etc., like in the early years when I was on the go till all hours. Maybe I am just learning to be sensible at last! But I must be missing all sorts of goodies! Still it is nice having dinner with Josh and Jazz and relaxing on the verandah in the dark puffing on a kretek and listening to the evening sounds from the rice fields. Then escaping into the air conditioning to write!!
At one point during the day a "stranger" came up to me and addressed me as Bu Toni! At first I didn't recognise him with his beard, curly hair and wearing shorts and thongs. And his name tag had a nickname on it, not his real name! It was Angus, one of my AFP private students from six years ago, still serving with the police attached to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. When I taught him he was always in a black suit and tie, clean-shaven and had a standard police buzz cut. And I remember him as much taller. Was so excited to see him again. So little time to chat between sessions, but hope to meet up tomorrow, or when he and his girlfriend who was with him are posted back to Sydney in December. I adored teaching him - fabulous student. His Indonesian must be excellent now.
At one point during the day a "stranger" came up to me and addressed me as Bu Toni! At first I didn't recognise him with his beard, curly hair and wearing shorts and thongs. And his name tag had a nickname on it, not his real name! It was Angus, one of my AFP private students from six years ago, still serving with the police attached to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. When I taught him he was always in a black suit and tie, clean-shaven and had a standard police buzz cut. And I remember him as much taller. Was so excited to see him again. So little time to chat between sessions, but hope to meet up tomorrow, or when he and his girlfriend who was with him are posted back to Sydney in December. I adored teaching him - fabulous student. His Indonesian must be excellent now.
Later heard Moshin Hamid again. He is the author of The Reluctant Terrorist, among many others, some of which I am determined to read now I know what a great guy he is. But listened to most of his session from the cafe area as I was badly in need of a snack and a stretch after hours of concentration. Introduced myself to an author whose brave short stories on the Indonesian occupation of East Timor Eye Witness was translated by a colleague in Australia to great acclaim over twenty years ago. I used to use some of the Indonesian versions in my university literature classes.
In the later afternoon I dropped in at a couple of sessions down at the new purpose-built site, Taman Baca ("Reading Garden/Park"). Mostly obscured by the food stalls erected in front of it.
In the later afternoon I dropped in at a couple of sessions down at the new purpose-built site, Taman Baca ("Reading Garden/Park"). Mostly obscured by the food stalls erected in front of it.
I wanted to hear Ayu Utami, fresh from Frankfurt, at a session on “Virgin and Whore” where she did a reading from her famous novel Saman in which female sexuality was openly expressed for the first time in Indonesian literature.
I did not stay after that but went next door to catch Graeme Simpsion of The Rosie Project on a panel about writers keeping their day job. He hasn't kept his! Become quite rich with the worldwide success of the two Rosie books. He gave me the impression he does too many of these festivals and they keep him away from the joyful business of writing. (And he sounded much like his main character who is "on the spectrum".) Admitted in answer to a question from me that he never sightsees on "work trips" and does not want to see anything of Bali while he is here. Crazy!
Straight to the launch event with the young Indonesian writers of the anthology I translate for. Was asked to speak on behalf of the translators, two of whom were unable to attend this year. So I hastily threw together a few points in my head about the challenges I faced and got a few laughs. Met two of my authors. As always it was a very satisfying event, not part of the mainstream program but well attended nevertheless, at the end of a long day for all. A Kenyan journalist was there and came and interviewed me for his weekly radio book program back home in Kenya!!!
I did not stay after that but went next door to catch Graeme Simpsion of The Rosie Project on a panel about writers keeping their day job. He hasn't kept his! Become quite rich with the worldwide success of the two Rosie books. He gave me the impression he does too many of these festivals and they keep him away from the joyful business of writing. (And he sounded much like his main character who is "on the spectrum".) Admitted in answer to a question from me that he never sightsees on "work trips" and does not want to see anything of Bali while he is here. Crazy!
Straight to the launch event with the young Indonesian writers of the anthology I translate for. Was asked to speak on behalf of the translators, two of whom were unable to attend this year. So I hastily threw together a few points in my head about the challenges I faced and got a few laughs. Met two of my authors. As always it was a very satisfying event, not part of the mainstream program but well attended nevertheless, at the end of a long day for all. A Kenyan journalist was there and came and interviewed me for his weekly radio book program back home in Kenya!!!