Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Penulis Bicara Soal Garis Batas

Seperti halnya oksigen dan gravitasi bumi, garis batas tidak terlihat, tetapi ia memengaruhi setiap aspek hidup kita. Mulai dari garis batas fisik sampai ke kewarganegaraan, etnik, agama, bahasa, warna kulit, ideologi… garis batas ada di mana-mana. Garis batas menempatkan orang dalam kotak yang berbeda-beda, dan telah menyebabkan begitu banyak penderitaan sejak awal peradaban kita. Tetapi, apakah kita benar-benar bisa terbebas dari semua garis batas itu dan hidup dalam sebuah dunia yang tanpa batas? Pada ajang literasi internasional tahunan yang di gelar di Ubud, Bali, tahun ini saya diundang untuk berbicara dalam sejumlah sesi yang berhubungan dengan garis batas. Kebetulan, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) 2016 ini mengangkat slogan Tat Tvam Asi, yang diterjemahkan sebagai: I am You, You are Me. Ini adalah sebuah kalimat suci dalam bahasa Sanskerta, yang melambangkan tentang Kebenaran Hakiki yang ada di dalam diri setiap manusia. Tetapi kalimat ini juga bisa diartikan sebagai dukungan terhadap keberagaman: bahwa semua manusia, walaupun berbeda-beda, pada hakikatnya adalah satu. Bagi saya pribadi, slogan Tat Tvam Asi beresonansi sangat kuat. Sebagai minoritas, saya dibesarkan dengan konsep garis batas yang terpatri di benak. Perjalanan saya berkeliling Asia dengan menembus berbagai garis batas negeri pun sesungguhnya berawal dari kegelisahan saya akan garis [...]

November 3, 2016 // 6 Comments

Dari Frankfurt ke Ubud—Jalan Panjang Kebebasan Sastra Indonesia

Hanya beberapa pekan silam, dunia sastra dan perbukuan Indonesia merayakan sebuah momen bersejarah: Indonesia didapuk menjadi tamu kehormatan Frankfurt Book Fair 2015. Ini adalah ajang pameran buku tertua dan terbesar di dunia. Pidato Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Indonesia Anies Baswedan pada pembukaan pameran itu, 13 Oktober 2015, jelas menyiratkan optimisme atas keberhasilan yang telah dicapai Indonesia, terutama dalam hal demokrasi dan “memanajemen perbedaan”. “Inilah negeri dengan 17.000 pulau, 800 bahasa, 300 tradisi lokal,” kata Anies, “Berabad-abad, melalui perdagangan atau diplomasi, perang atau damai, keanerakagaman itu belajar untuk hidup bersama.” Karena itu, dia mewakili Indonesia “mengajak Eropa dan Dunia ke dalam sebuah percakapan yang lebih luas. Terutama di masa ini, ketika Eropa menemukan apa yang di Indonesia kami sebut sebagai “ke-bhineka-an”, keanekaragaman ekspresi dan cara hidup.” Sementara pada hari yang sama, ribuan kilometer jauhnya di Jakarta, puluhan massa justru menggelar unjuk rasa di depan Kementerian yang dipimpin Anies. Mereka menuding adanya agenda gelap yang dibawa Anies dalam ajang Frankfurt Book Fair, karena delegasi yang dibawa disusupi pembahasan dan pameran peristiwa kasus G30S/PKI 1965. Frankfurt Book Fair adalah ajang bisnis perbukuan terbesar di dunia Leila Chudori bicara di The Blue Sofa Sejumlah penulis dalam rombongan besar delegasi yang dibawa Indonesia ke Frankfurt [...]

October 30, 2015 // 9 Comments

[Audio] UWRF13: Reflections of Afghanistan

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2013 Reflections of Afghanistan : Ben Quilty, Agustinus Wibowo & Michael Vatikiotis Forgotten wars & forgotten people. Hear from two individuals who have made the journey to Afghanistan to record the lives of the people there through their images. What does it look like through their eyes? Indus, 15 October 2013 http://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/audio/reflections-of-afghanistan-ben-quilty-agustinus-wibowo-michael-vatikiotis/ Featuring: Ben Quilty Ben Quilty has been widely recognised for his artwork. Quilty’s paintings of his Holden Torana produced a sell-out show in 2002 and since then his work has been seen in many exhibits and art fairs. Some of his work can be seen at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Quilty won the Doug Moran Portrait Prize in 2009 for his painting Jimmy Barnes, ‘There but for the Grace of God Go I, no.2′. In the same year Quilty was named runner up in the Archibald Prize for this portrait. He then won the Archibald Prize two years later for his portrait of fellow artist Margaret Olley. Find out more about Ben Quilty Michael Vatikiotis Michael Vatikiotis is a writer and novelist who has lived in Southeast Asia since 1987. He has [...]

December 5, 2013 // 0 Comments

[Audio] UWRF2013: Travellers

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2013 Travellers : Trinity, Don George, Tony Wheelers, Agustinus Wibowo & Lisa Dempster Travel – from the beginning of Lonely Planet to today, we track the journey of travel writing. Who are the travel writers these days, does what they say still have an impact or have we all become travel writers? Neka, 13 October 2014 http://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/audio/travellers-trinity-don-george-tony-wheelers-agustinus-wibowo-lisa-dempster/ Featuring: Agustinus Wibowo Agustinus Wibowo is an Indonesian travel writer whose travel experiences have taken him through Asia to the Middle East. He is fascinated by cultures and traditions and is curious about how the world works as one when it is constantly divided by history and culture. He prefers to travel overland when he can and once entered Tibet by pretending to be a Chinese citizen. He also volunteered to help victims of a natural disaster in Kashmir, before deciding on a career in photojournalism and taking on an assignment in war-torn Afghanistan. His first book, considered a masterpiece by many, was Selimut Debu (A Blanket of Dust) and chronicles his journey in Afghanistan. It was followed by Garis Batas (Borderlines: A Journey Through Central Asia), which examines issues of borderlines across ex-Soviet republics, including psychological [...]

December 5, 2013 // 0 Comments

[Audio] UWRF2013: Memoir

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2013 Memoir : Bernice Chauly, Salena Godden, Agustinus Wibowo & Janet Steele In life there are short stories, big stories, stories that end well & ones that don’t. Would you share them all, or put a shiny & more exciting glaze over them? How do these writers go about writing their memoir – how much is truth & how much is fiction? Left Bank, 13 October 2013 http://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/audio/memoir-bernice-chauly-salena-godden-agustinus-wibowo-janet-steele/ Featuring: Bernice Chauly Bernice Chauly is a Malaysian writer, poet and teacher. Born in George Town, Penang, to Chinese-Punjabi teachers, she read Education and English Literature in Canada as a government scholar. For over 20 years, she has worked extensively in the creative industries as a writer, photographer, actor and film maker and has won multiple awards for her work and her contribution to the arts. In 1998, she began organising literary events and, in 2005, founded Readings and CeritAku, which continue to be important platforms for established and emerging writers and poets in Kuala Lumpur. In 2011, she was Festival Director for the Writers Unlimited Tour Kuala Lumpur/Makassar and invited to be Festival Curator of the George Town Literary Festival in Penang, now in its [...]

December 5, 2013 // 0 Comments

Travel and Escape (2013): Are Travel Writers Obsolete?

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/11/are-travel-writers-obsolete/ Not too long ago, travellers communicated with home via letters and the beloved blue-paper aerogram. Nowadays we text, email and update social media from even some of the farthest reaches of the world. It’s easy to tell our stories and the internet is flooded with blogs, Facebook updates and reviews from travellers worldwide. With this new information-sharing culture, are traditional travel writers and their stories going to become obsolete?This was the question asked of travel writing experts—Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet, Don George, editor of National Geographic Traveller, and Agustinus Wibowo, a leading Indonesian travel writer—at the 2013 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali. Here are their responses:Credit: Victoria Watts Tony Wheeler: I don’t think travel writers will become obsolete. People are still going to want information in a trusted fashion. However, the way we get that information is changing. We read as many words as we ever did, we just don’t always read them on paper—we read them on screen, on our phones and through the internet. But we still read those words, so the demand for information is still there. Agustinus Wibowo: The world is constantly changing, the way we travel is changing [...]

November 27, 2013 // 0 Comments

National Geographic (2013): Literary Magic in Bali

http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/12/literary-magic-in-bali/ Literary Magic in Bali Posted by Don George of National Geographic Traveler in Travel with Heart on November 12, 2013 Last month I had the opportunity to participate for the second year in a row in the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival on the Indonesian island of Bali. At the six-day festival, I taught two travel writing workshops, spoke on a panel about the evolution of the genre, and hosted a luncheon conversation with the co-founders of Lonely Planet, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, this year’s fest was the biggest gathering yet, with more than 200 authors, musicians, and performers from more than 20 countries participating, and many hundreds of literature-lovers from around the Pacific Rim, Southeast Asia, and beyond attending. As with last year, I was exhilarated to encounter in panels and dinners and performances acclaimed and groundbreaking journalists, novelists, poets, and nonfiction writers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Egypt, Syria, Germany, France, Ireland, and England, as well as bright-eyed, book-hugging readers inspired by what these writers create. One of the festival’s highlights was the aforementioned travel writing panel, facilitated by Lisa Dempster, director of the Melbourne Writers Festival. [...]

November 12, 2013 // 0 Comments

DailySylvia (2013): Yang Tersisa dari Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

http://www.dailysylvia.com/2013/10/23/yang-tersisa-dari-ubud-writers-readers-festival/ Yang Tersisa Dari Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 23 Oct 2013 agustinus wibowo, daniel ziv, goenawan mohamad, laksmi pamuntjak, ubud, uwrf 2013 by oldy Merayakan “Buku, pesta dan cinta” di tanah dewata. Sejak berdomisili di Ubud beberapa tahun terakhir, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) masuk dalam agenda wajib tahunan dan paling saya nantikan. Tema UWRF 2013 sama dengan UWRF yang digelar pertama kalinya pada 2004 silam, ‘Through Darkness to Light’ (Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang), sebagai tema perayaan 10 tahun festival yang dilaksanakan pada 11 – 15 Oktober 2013 lalu. Seperti di UWRF sebelumnya, tahun ini saya melompat dari satu sesi ke sesi lain. Mayoritas diskusi panel yang saya hadiri sangat baik – terorganisir, moderator proaktif, panelis yang tampil pun komprehensif dan alur diskusi sejalan dengan tema. Tetapi beberapa sesi diskusi masih perlu perbaikan, baik dari segi tema maupun panelis yang berpartisipasi. Saatnya Wanita Angkat Bicara Sesi ‘Women in Ancient Text’ yang dipimpin Laksmi Pamuntjak menampilkan Helen Creese – profesor bahasa dan penulis, dan I Nyoman Darma Putra – dosen sastra Indonesia di Universitas Udayana, dengan tema perempuan dan perannya dalam sastra lama. Helen memberi rangkuman tentang bagaimana cara perempuan berpikir, merasa dan menempatkan diri di masa [...]

October 23, 2013 // 0 Comments

Speak Without Interruption (2013): Give Afghanistan back to the Afghans

http://www.speakwithoutinterruption.com/site/2013/10/ubud-encounters-give-afghanistan-back-to-the-afghans/ October 20, 2013 Ubud encounters: Give Afghanistan back to the Afghans Posted by Muhammad Cohen in: Art, Asia, Books, China, Faith, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Islam, Journalism, Military, Religion, Sociology, Terrorism, Travel, War, Women’s Rights, World Issues Australian painter Ben Quilty and Indonesian writer Agustinus Wibowo told the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali how they each reached Afghanistan by different routes for different reasons. But following their stays, they both also reached the same conclusion: after a dozen years and thousands of casualties, it’s time for Afghanistan to solve its problems without foreign help. Wibowo came to Afghanistan for the first time as a curious and footloose traveler. In Afghanistan as well as Pakistan, Wibowo said that since he came from Indonesia, people assumed he was Muslim. Telling them he was an ethic Chinese raised in the Buddhist tradition would either provoke suspicion or pointless debate, including attempts to convert him. “But I found the perfect answer,” Wibowo revealed. “When people asked if I was Muslim, I’d say, ‘Insy’allah’ [God willing].” Later, Wibowo said he found an even better answer from Afghan imam. “He told me he was a member of the highest religion of all: humanity.” Wibowo [...]

October 20, 2013 // 1 Comment

Appearance in Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2011

http://ubudwritersfestival.com/writer/agustinus-wibowo Agustinus Wibowo is an Indonesian travel writer, travelled overland from Beijing to Central Asia and Middle East. He traveled extensively and settled in Afghanistan as journalist for three years. His works include Selimut Debu (A Blanket of Dust) and Garis Batas (Borderlines). Festival Appearances Time travel Saturday, 8 October 2011 10:45 Left Bank Lounge What is the future of travel writing and how do travellers utilise the genre? Has it all been said and done? Brian Thacker, Fiona Caulfield, Trinity, Agustinus Wibowo Chair: Peta Mathias Ticketed A blanket of dust… Saturday, 8 October 2011 13:45 Left Bank Lounge Standing at the cutting edge of Indonesian literature, this modern day wanderer has travelled to the ends of the earth, living in Afghanistan for three years. Wander with him in this intimate session. Agustinus Wibowo with Jamie James Worlds, in words: making language work Saturday, 8 October 2011 16:00 Neka Museum How language can transport us on colourful journeys to exotic lands, Agustinus Wibowo, DBC Pierre, Ida Ahdiah, Trevor Shearston Chair: Rosemary Saye Boundary riders Sunday, 9 October 2011 09:15 Left Bank Lounge Boundaries can be both geographical and intellectual. Crossing borders real and imaginary, exploring new ground, writing new territory. [...]

September 23, 2011 // 0 Comments