Organized by the Salihara Arts Center Community, the biennial festival will run from Aug. 8 to 16 at the Salihara Arts Center in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, with additional events taking place across the city. This year’s edition features more than 35 performers across 20 programs.

Among the highlights is an exhibition of the same name at the Salihara Gallery, which showcases quotes from literary figures, independence leaders and Indonesian thinkers.

“The theme was chosen as we mark 80 years of independence, but also in response to growing concern about national direction and identity, especially as expressed in recent public conversations online,” LIFEs director and literary curator Ayu Utami said. “We want to emphasize that Indonesian identity is never fixed. It must be constantly discussed."

As one of the oldest festivals in the country, LIFEs has long embraced experimentation. This year’s lineup includes Rumah dengan Selembar Tikar, an archival theater performance inspired by meeting minutes of the Committee for the Preparation for Indonesian Independence (BPUPKI), which also invites visitors to read the archives.

“We dedicate a special section to historically valuable texts, such as the BPUPKI minutes,” Ayu said. “But more importantly, we want to keep these materials alive through participation and experimentation.”

A cooking workshop by food collective Parti Gastronomi featuring recipes from Mustikarasa, a cookbook published during the era of first president Sukarno to preserve culinary traditions, will also be highlighted in the festival.

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