I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Ubud, Bali
The small and quiet town of Ubud, long known as Bali's cultural capital, will turn into a bustling metropolis next week as the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) 2007 commences its literary celebration.
Over 80 writers from 18 countries across the globe have confirmed their participation in the annual event, ensuring the gathering will be a rich tapestry of different voices, distinct styles and diverse views.
""I believe that the ability to share different thoughts, to interact with writers from various cultural and geographical origins, and to have an intimate communication amid the beautiful, refreshing atmosphere of Ubud is one of the festival's strongest charms,"" festival director Janet de Neefe said.
A successful businesswoman -- she runs some of Ubud's better known dining establishments -- a brilliant chef, and a passionate writer, de Neefe has been the primary driving force behind the festival since its inception four years ago.
""I want it to be the signature event of Ubud, the kind of thing that strengthens Ubud's position as a cultural center of excellence on the global stage,"" she said.
To some extent, the festival has met that expectation. Early this year, it was named by Harper's Bazzar U.K. magazine as one of the six best literary festivals in the world.
The accolade was the reason why, despite her hectic schedule and taxing workload in organizing the upcoming festival, de Neefe has not lose her cheerful, almost childlike bearing and infectious smile.
""Hopefully this year we will be able to present the participants and the public with a better festival; one that will stir their hearts as well as their minds,"" she said.
This year's festival will focus on the theme of Sekala-Niskala (The Seen and The Unseen), based on the Balinese religious concept, which details how the actual and factual world we live in is, in fact, merely a visible part of a larger reality that includes many invisible elements.
The impacts and influences exerted by this unseen realm toward the authors and their works will be the main thread that binds the festival's numerous events into one single, coherent narrative.
""Naturally, there will be many sessions devoted to the traditional, mystical elements of this invisible realm, such as magical creatures and esoteric teachings, but there will be also several sessions that deal with the modern twist of the forces, such as censorship,"" de Neefe pointed out.
With over 95 events, UWRF 2007, which runs from Sept. 25-30, will have no difficulty in pleasing even the most demanding of literary connoisseurs.
Its 47 main events offer enlightening discussions with topics ranging from ones as serious as global terrorism, the clash of civilizations and alternative modernities to ones as light as the art of satire and being foreign in Bali. The last topic will surely be one of the most mind-boggling ones, pairing the acutely cynical Made Wijaya -- arguably the most Balinese white man in Bali -- with the acutely gracious Diana Darling, whose knowledge on Bali is simply exceptional.
The main events will also provide participants with opportunities to join the ""In Conversation"" sessions, featuring festival guests like the program director of the Freedom Institute, Hamid Basyaib, the director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, Christopher Merrill, and Kiran Desai, the youngest woman ever to win the prestigious Booker Prize.
Indonesian writers who will appear in the festival include novelist Ahmad Tohari, poet Isbedy Stiawan ZS, activist Debra Yatim, poet Laksmi Pamuntjak and dramatist Marhalim Zaini.
""We have also invited several Balinese writers, who possess significant knowledge on the Sekala-Niskala elements of Bali ancient literary works,"" de Neefe said.
The invitees include the founder of Bajrasandhi sacred art troupe, Ida Wayan Oka Granoka, expert on Bali's ancient manuscripts, I Ketut Sumarta, and I Gusti Ngurah Harta, the founder of the esoteric martial art school of Sandhi Murti.
""Their sessions will be the perfect place for participants to get a better view of the ""unseen"" elements of Balinese culture and tradition,"" she added.
The festival also offers four cultural workshops, including on how to cook traditional Balinese delicacies, 16 adult workshops and 15 children's workshops. The children's workshops are free of charge with topics ranging from paper recycling and creating Japanese-inspired Manga artwork to setting poetry to music and an introduction to journalism.
Moreover, eight new books will be launched during the course of the festival, including The Centhini Story, the first-ever English translation of the 19th century Javanese epic of Serat Centhini. The launch will take place on the evening of Sept. 26 at the Lotus Stage of Puri Saraswati.
The festival committee has also organized six community programs, aimed at increasing the awareness and participation of the local community in the literary gathering.
""The programs include the off-Ubud seminar and poetry readings, which will be held at the Udayana University campus and the Balai Bahasa auditorium in Denpasar. We have invited high school students, teachers and local writers to participate in those events,"" the festival's community development manager, Kadek Sri Purnami, said.
""Greater community involvement has always been our top priority. We believe that at the end of the day, it is the people of Ubud, as a community, who should shoulder the responsibility of being the true custodians of this event,"" Saraswati Foundation chairman Ketut Suardana said.
The foundation has been the sole organizer of the festival since its beginning.
""The fact that this year's festival will be held at 32 venues across Ubud and that a large majority of our 100 corporate and individual sponsors come from Ubud, is an obvious sign that the festival has moved along the right path to be a community-based event,"" he said.
The community programs will be capped off by two public events in Ubud. On the night of Sept. 29, a concert will be held at the Ubud soccer field. It will feature Nanoe Biroe, arguably the most popular and most influential Balinese pop singer.
The following day, a tribute to the 13th century Persian poet, Rumi, will be held at the ARMA museum. Organized to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Rumi's birth, the event will include poetry readings from Mustofa Bisri, Sujiwo Tejo, and Iman Mersal, along with performance of Whirling Dervish devotional dances and Sufi music.
""Hopefully, UWRF 2007 will be a festive event for the writers, the readers, and, most of all, the people of Ubud,"" he said.
For more information see www.ubudwritersfestival.com or call festival manager Finley Smith on 081337098915.
