Remo Teater Madura, which will be held at the Avalokitesvara temple in Pamekasan from Sept. 28 to 30, is a performing arts festival that includes dance and art performances, an art exhibition, a workshop and a discussion forum for Maduranese artists.

Remo is a Maduranese tradition of arisan (a rotating savings gathering) or social meetings where residents can discuss various issues that they are facing. With “Standing on Ground” as the main theme, the forum is set to discuss social issues through performances regarding land in its sociopolitical context.     

From Oct. 5 to 7, the Nubun Tawa Art and Culture Festival of East Flores, “Pai Taan Tou”, will take place in Lewolema. It will present performances from East Flores’ art communities, Lewolema’s natural resources, as well as performances by Papuan artist Darlene Litaay, Jakarta theater artist Ruth Marini, Japanese composer Yasuhiro Morinaga and Yogyakarta-based dancer and choreographer Iwan Dadijono. 

The festival is a new format of the East Flores Art Culture Festival, founded in 2014, and aims to preserve East Flores’ culture and diversity. “Nubun Tawa” means the birth of a young generation, and the festival is a way for the youth to preserve their culture. 

The third festival is Maumerelogia III, which will be held from Nov. 2 to 10 in Maumere. It is an annual literature, theater and performing arts festival, founded in 2016 and hosted by the Maumere-based KAHE Community.

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Last year, along with Teater Garasi, KAHE Community held the “M 7.8 SR: Exhibition, Discussion and Performance (A Reflection on Tsunami in Maumere)”. The theme was chosen to commemorate the 1992 tsunami and to focus on Maumere’s current condition. They also released an anthology of essays, short stories and poems along with theater performances and exhibitions.  

This year, the festival will include art and student theater communities in Flores and Timor, including Kupang’s Coloteme Art Movement, Sesado Theater from San Dominggo Seminary in Hokeng and Evergrande Theater from Syuradikara High School in Ende.

Garasi Performance Institute started the Performing Differences (AntarRagam) program in Madura and Flores last year, which was supported by the Ford Foundation. The program connected the troupe with artists and the younger generation outside of Java, aiming to empower the artists’ social and cultural capital as well as addressing their concerns over sociocultural changes and diversity.   

Through a series of meetings, creations and public interactions carried out by the institute’s partners in Madura, Maumere and East Flores, the Performing Differences Series were presented for the first time in November last year.

For more information visit the theater's website and its social media site. (wng)