Saturday, November 25, 2006

Sheikh Khaled Bentounes at Ubud literary Festival

By A. Junaidi - The Jakarta Post - Jakarta, Indonesia
Sunday, September 3, 2006

The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF), now in its third year, will run from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3 in Ubud, Bali.

Themed Desa-Kala-Patra (Place-Time-Identity), the festival will feature more than 100 Indonesian and international writers in a series of discussions, book launches, writing workshops and other literary activities.

"I hope that the festival could become a springboard for Indonesian writers to meet international authors," festival director Janet de Neefe said on Wednesday.

One international author participating in UWRF 2006 is William Dalrymple, a well-known travel writer and historian who will share his story about love and romance in 18th-Century India in White Moguls.

Anita Desai (India), Shauna Singh Baldwin (Canada), Su Tong (China) and writers from Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States will also participate in the festival.

Writers from Indonesia and its ASEAN neighbors, including Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, will also join the third edition of the annual festival.

Among the featured Indonesian literary geniuses are: author-director Putu Wijaya, noted poet Sapardi Djoko Damono, as well as writers Linda Christanty and Laksmi Pamuntjak.

Several writers will launch new titles and CDs during the festival, including Australian writer-performer Jan Cornall with Take Me to Paradise, Indonesian poet Sitok Srengenge with Singing Srengenge (CD of jazz poetry) and Indonesian writer-philosopher Toety Heraty with Calon Arang-Lyrical Prose.

A special highlight this year will be a tribute to the late Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who passed away April 30. Several speakers, including director John McGlynn of the Lontar Foundation, which has translated Pram's works, will talk about the multiple-Nobel nominee and internationally acknowledged Indonesian writer.

The festival also offers children's programs, such as story-telling performances, cartoon drawing and hip-hop song writing and recording workshops.

In line with current events and issues, British author Ziauddin Sardar and Algerian-born master of Sufism Sheikh Khaled Bentounes will discuss the myths and realities of one of the most misunderstood faiths in the world, Islam.

Festival director de Neefe, an Australian restaurateur and writer who has been living in Bali for 20 years, underlined that part of the festival's objectives was to counteract the damaging effects of the 2004 and 2005 bombings in Bali.

"Through the festival, we want to diminish the negativity of the tragic incidents. We plan also to invite writers of other religions, such as Hinduism and Christianity," she said.

Woman writer Ayu Utami, who is also a festival committee member, hoped that the festival could become an alternative of spiritual and cultural tourism to Bali.

"Spiritual experiences can be found in literary events, such as this festival, not only from religions," said Ayu, whose novel Saman was awarded the Prince Claus Prize in 2000.

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Saturday, November 25, 2006

Sheikh Khaled Bentounes at Ubud literary Festival
By A. Junaidi - The Jakarta Post - Jakarta, Indonesia
Sunday, September 3, 2006

The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF), now in its third year, will run from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3 in Ubud, Bali.

Themed Desa-Kala-Patra (Place-Time-Identity), the festival will feature more than 100 Indonesian and international writers in a series of discussions, book launches, writing workshops and other literary activities.

"I hope that the festival could become a springboard for Indonesian writers to meet international authors," festival director Janet de Neefe said on Wednesday.

One international author participating in UWRF 2006 is William Dalrymple, a well-known travel writer and historian who will share his story about love and romance in 18th-Century India in White Moguls.

Anita Desai (India), Shauna Singh Baldwin (Canada), Su Tong (China) and writers from Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States will also participate in the festival.

Writers from Indonesia and its ASEAN neighbors, including Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, will also join the third edition of the annual festival.

Among the featured Indonesian literary geniuses are: author-director Putu Wijaya, noted poet Sapardi Djoko Damono, as well as writers Linda Christanty and Laksmi Pamuntjak.

Several writers will launch new titles and CDs during the festival, including Australian writer-performer Jan Cornall with Take Me to Paradise, Indonesian poet Sitok Srengenge with Singing Srengenge (CD of jazz poetry) and Indonesian writer-philosopher Toety Heraty with Calon Arang-Lyrical Prose.

A special highlight this year will be a tribute to the late Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who passed away April 30. Several speakers, including director John McGlynn of the Lontar Foundation, which has translated Pram's works, will talk about the multiple-Nobel nominee and internationally acknowledged Indonesian writer.

The festival also offers children's programs, such as story-telling performances, cartoon drawing and hip-hop song writing and recording workshops.

In line with current events and issues, British author Ziauddin Sardar and Algerian-born master of Sufism Sheikh Khaled Bentounes will discuss the myths and realities of one of the most misunderstood faiths in the world, Islam.

Festival director de Neefe, an Australian restaurateur and writer who has been living in Bali for 20 years, underlined that part of the festival's objectives was to counteract the damaging effects of the 2004 and 2005 bombings in Bali.

"Through the festival, we want to diminish the negativity of the tragic incidents. We plan also to invite writers of other religions, such as Hinduism and Christianity," she said.

Woman writer Ayu Utami, who is also a festival committee member, hoped that the festival could become an alternative of spiritual and cultural tourism to Bali.

"Spiritual experiences can be found in literary events, such as this festival, not only from religions," said Ayu, whose novel Saman was awarded the Prince Claus Prize in 2000.

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