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Writers try to reclaim ‘people’ during 2019 MIWF
Intan Paramaditha (A
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Intan Paramaditha (A.Kurniawan Ulung)
The word “people” is a popular one used by politicians and political parties in democratic countries such as Indonesia.
After all, the most common definition of a democracy is a government by the people, for the people and of the people.
Nevertheless, in almost every election, the word “people” has been used as nothing but a mere vote-getting instrument for elites who want to be in power. To address this issue, dozens of writers and hipsters alike will gather, dine and chat among themselves to take on “people” as a theme for the ninth edition of the annual Makassar International Writers Festival (MIWF).
Running from June 26 to 29 in Makassar, South Sulawesi, the MIWF will attract 68 writers and speakers. They will join 68 discussions spread across Fort Rotterdam and five universities in Makassar, with an expected 30,000 in attendance.
With climate change and ecological issues at the forefront in the zeitgeist, the MIWF will also adopt a zero-waste concept, where the festival’s waste will be organized and recycled so as not to end up in landfills.
According to MIWF founder and director Lily Yulianti Farid, the “people” theme was chosen in response to the recent general election that has taken over the discourse in the daily lives of Indonesians.
Lily added that the theme was already decided at last year’s festival, in which they were still imagining the process of the elections.
“We want the ‘people’ to not be reduced to the mere numbers voting. We saw the intensity of the campaigning, where regular people are reduced to whether they are able to vote for the candidates,” Lily told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Lily said they wanted to return to a broader definition of “people”. In the Indonesian language, Lily says, “people” can refer to orang (individual) and rakyat (citizen) in a democratic context.
“Here, we wanted to provide space for discussions on people that are not political in context as we have seen a while ago, but rather people that have extensively contributed to their respective fields, in this case, dedicated writers.”
One of the panelists at this year’s MIWF is author Nuril Basri, who will be speaking at the “Far from Home: Stories of Indonesian Expatriate Writers” discussion along with fellow authors Intan Paramaditha and Clarissa Goenawan.
Nuril told the Post via email on Tuesday that he was rather surprised to be invited to speak at the discussion as he was now based in Karawaci, Tangerang, Banten.
“The logic behind my invitation was probably because in the past three years I was in Malaysia, Germany and England for work and residence. For the discussion, we will be talking about our tendency to write about the country in which we live in and the people, or our hometowns,” Nuril said.
According to Nuril, the country he is currently in is not necessarily the catalyst for his stories. He points to his latest novel Rasa, about a young Indonesian woman in search of what she wants in life and ending up in London to work in eccentric jobs.
Many of Nuril’s previous titles did not see an Indonesian release, such as Love, Lies and Indomee, or received a limited release, like Not A Virgin, which can only be purchased online. Not A Virgin is currently in its eighth print edition in Malaysia and Nuril said he had received favorable responses for his books from international readers.
On this year’s theme, Nuril said that the people was essential to literature and vice versa.
“As a tragicomedy writer, the people are one of my triggers in writing,” he said.
“On the other hand, literature exposes a larger truth and ideas about people. It records their thoughts and experiences in a fictional work so that others can access it.”
Meanwhile, Intan said on Wednesday that she would share how her experience of living in four different countries in the past 14 years had shaped the way she thought about home, travel, connection and displacement.
“We develop a cosmopolitan sensibility when we travel more [...] but we are also more aware of global inequalities, access and privilege,” Intan said, noting that critical questions on travel are engaged with in her novel titled Gentayangan: Pilih Sendiri Petualangan Sepatu Merahmu (The Wandering: Choose Your Own Red Shoes Adventure).
Intan’s books often contain a feminist, gender-based slant to her perspectives. Her translated short story collection, Apple and Knife, received a warm welcome from the international audience, something she attributed to the right timing with the rise of #MeToo and Women’s March.
When asked about the MIFW, Intan said the notion of “people” was framed in the election as voters who must be influenced and utilized for political purposes, important but only within the rubrics of electoral votes.
“I think this has undermined the more complex agency of citizens as people capable of creating social change and contributing to their communities and environment,”
“I think it’s important for everyone in the arts to reclaim the word ‘people’ and think of what they can do for others in the field.”
