The Salihara art community center is slated to run a debate competition on literature for high school students.

The community, which is known for its literary ecosystem, invites participants to showcase their knowledge by comparing the novel Lusi Lindri (1987) by Indonesian author Y.B. Mangunwijaya to Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi’s memoir Woman at Point Zero (1975).

According to a statement, the two books come from different genres but are similar in theme. Both talk about a woman facing a predicament due to their sociocultural circumstances. Reading the two books will give readers a wider perspective to understand problems that seem similar but are also different.

In the competition, one debate team should consist of three students of the same school. Schools can send more than one team and are free to choose names for the teams. 

To register, participants can fill in forms available on Salihara's website and send them to edukasi@salihara.org. Registration is open until Aug. 30.

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Afterward, the committee will send the books in digital forms and participants are expected to send a paper on the books in Indonesian by Sept. 14.

The jury will assess the papers based on the arguments and stylistics. 

The debates will be conducted online with the final stage to be held on Youth Pledge Day, Oct. 28.

More information is available on Salihara's website. (gis/wng)