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Kota Tua Jakarta to host ASEAN Literary Festival 2017
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A visit to Kota Tua is not complete without jumping on the quarter's famous colorful bikes. (Shutterstock.com/Distinctive Shots)
F
rom August 3 through 6, Jakarta’s Kota Tua (Old Town) will welcome writers, artists and academicians from 10 ASEAN countries to participate in the fourth ASEAN Literary Festival (ALF).
The event will have participants coming from over 20 countries. This year’s ALF also marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN.
This year’s edition is themed “Beyond Imagination,” said Okky Madasari, one of the event’s founders and ASEAN Literary Festival program director, adding that the ALF has made culture and literature important elements of the ASEAN organization for the past three years.
Read also: Jakpost guide to Kota Tua
“Only culture and literature can genuinely unite us; economics and politics are only slogans of the ASEAN community, they’re just rhetoric and illusions,” Madasari said.
Freedom of expression is the main issue that will be discussed at ALF 2017, tackling topics of radicalism, terrorism and the role of social media in every-day life.
Pre-event programs will be held prior ALF 2017, including Sastra Masuk Kampung (Literature Goes to Villages), Residency and a new program called Jambore Nasional Sastra (Literary National Camp). (asw)
