The annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival officially opened Wednesday evening, bringing together international and local writers to exchange ideas over the four-day literary fiesta.
Under the clear sky of hilly and chilly Ubud, five dancers performing the Selat Segara, accompanied by the gamelan, opened the festival themed "Suka Duka" or compassion and solidarity.
Festival patron Warwick Purser said in his speech the event was taking place as Indonesia grieved for the hundreds dead and missing in last week's earthquake in West Sumatra.
"This is also the time when we commemorate the most horrendous bombing in Bali eight years ago," he said.
Although tourist numbers have been rising steadily since the bombings in 2002 and 2005, the Balinese say recovery has been painfully slow.
The ceremony at the Ubud Royal Palace also featured a poetry recital by Bali's Cok Sawitri and Bejan Matur from Turkey.
The event was officiated by Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika.
A discussion on compassion planned for Thursday features Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka of Nigeria, who won Africa's first Nobel for literature in 1986.
Filmmaker Dany Laferri*re is scheduled for Thursday's workshop on screen writing. Another session today on short stories will feature Singapore-born Wena Poon, first known for her anthology Lions in Winter.
With 80 writers from 23 countries taking part, the sixth festival brings "stronger Indonesian programs", said festival founder and director Janet de Neefe.
"Our mission is to expose Indonesia with its rich cultures, and hopefully it will inspire the writers more," she said.
She added the exchange of experiences and knowledge between international writers and their local counterparts would be the most important feature of the festival.
Performers from Bali's Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) closed the ceremony with a Centana dance, a creation of I Nyoman Cerita and Ni Komang Kasih.
The event, which runs from Oct. 7 to 11, will include discussions, book launches, international publishing forums and writing and editing workshops.
Sydney journalist Antony Loewenstain, a participant, said he was enthusiastic about being at the festival, which has gained prominence among international literary events.
"This is my first time to get involved in this event, and I'm curious to find out more about Indonesia," said the author of My Israel Question and The Blogging Revolution.
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|