Literature has played a significant role in shaping this country’s history. 

It was through the voice of Max Havelaar, written by Eduard Douwes Dekker under the name of Multatuli, that the Indonesian youth’s spirit of nationalism was ignited, which led to the Awakening Movement in 1908. 

Max Havelaar tells the story of Batavus Droogstoppel, representing the Dutch colonial regime of the time and his treatment of Indonesian people.

Following acclaimed author Pramoedya Ananta Toer's release of the Buru tetralogy, in which he shared the dark history of the New Order regime, other writers have been inspired to write their own stories and share the truth through literature despite facing the threat of being sent to jail, kidnapped or even killed.

(Read also: Calling all writers to give voice to the voiceless through literature)

“Literature has a stalagmite effect,” said Sebastian Partogi, a journalist at a national newspaper in Indonesia who was invited to speak at a panel season during the ASEAN Literary Festival. “Writing about [sensitive issues] can create small snowflakes, which later become big.”

After being shut off and censored for more than half a decade, the chance to write about forbidden issues has finally come. Some writers use this opportunity to tell stories about the past that need to be told. Leila A. Chudori, for example, has written books about the 1965 tragedy. 

These books later lead to important discussions about sensitive matters and ideas and stories were exchanged through communities and small discussions, Although the speakers no longer have to face the same danger that activists under the New order did, the government still has the right to ban or shut down events it considers provocative or dangerous. This happened at last year's Ubud Writers and Readers Festival that had to cancel some of their panels that were going to discuss the 1965 tragedy.

Janet DeNeefe, the festival founder and director, claimed that she was surprised and felt backed into a corner with no way out when forced to cancel the sessions.

“We had never experienced any sort of program restrictions before and were always proud to be a platform for all sorts of discussions on local and global issues,” she told The Jakarta Post. “I've learned that we need to tread more carefully with sensitive issues and pay more attention to how we construct a program.”

Despite the ban, the incident silently triggered anger among Indonesians, especially the youth. Since then, more and more small group discussions have been held to discuss the 1965 tragedy, which are increasingly courageous to openly talk about it, despite facing bans and backlash from the government or hard-line organizations.

(Read also: 12 Indonesian books you should add to your reading list)

DeNeefe said that literature in Indonesia was currently moving ahead in leaps and bounds.

“The creed 'the pen is mightier than the sword' is the foundation upon which the festival was built,” said DeNeefe. “Oral history and the telling of stories are important to all cultures, all people. In times of uncertainty, literature has helped us make sense of the world and bring communities together”.

DeNeefe also emphasizes that literature is a very powerful tool to awaken the national spirit.

“There are issues to be discussed and a sense of urgency to be heard and times like these often produce the most creative work.” (kes)

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