Ubud Writers and Readers Festival gets underway on the theme of 'the past, the present, and the future'
The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) gets fully underway today (Thursday) on the Indonesian island of Bali. It's the 20th UWRF.
There's a stunning list of speakers who’ll be tackling myriad subjects and there’ll be a host of special events, along with master classes, a film programme, art exhibitions, music performances, book launches, and workshops for children and adolescents.
The special events include ‘A Night in the Amazon: Tales of Magic and Wisdom’.
This year’s festival theme is 'atita, wartamana, anagata: the past, the present, and the future'. Inspiration is drawn from the profound Balinese concept of ‘Tri Semaya’, a view of time as non-linear, circular, and collective.
“The concept evokes a metaphysical representation of ‘being’ that goes beyond the life of a single individual,” the organisers say in their programme book.
“It places importance on balance and harmony that weaves a delicate thread tying humanity together across time and space. It transcends individualism for our mutual sustenance from one generation to the next.”
This year’s speakers include environmentalist Vandana Shiva; the Kurdish-Iranian human rights defender, writer, and film producer Behrouz Boochani; the renowned Balinese author and playwright Putu Wijaya; and the founder of Tempo Magazine Goenawan Mohamad, who is one of Indonesia's leading journalists, poets, and essayists, and also an artist.
Goenawan Mohamad used to write a controversial weekly column entitled ‘Catatan Pinggir (Sidelines)’ and Tempo Magazine frequently faced censorship under the Soeharto regime.
On October 21, Goenawan Mohamad will be in discussion with Cuban artist Edel Rodriguez about the ‘Potency of Political Art’.
In the evening on October 20, Rodriguez's iconic Trump illustrations will be projected during a special dance, music, spoken word, and art event at Ubud's new public market.
There’ll be a session entitled ‘The Shifting Tides of Climate Change’ on October 19; a discussion on October 20 about Indonesia’s planned new capital Nusantara, which is to be constructed on the island of Borneo; and a session entitled ‘Exploring Queerness in Poetry’ on October 21.
Also on October 21, the renowned AI expert Toby Walsh will be in discussion with journalist Antony Loewenstein. They will explore the societal, economic, and personal impacts of AI.
Vandana Shiva will be taking part in a panel discussion the same day entitled ‘Shaping Justice Through Ecofeminism and Activism’.
In a separate session, she will discuss her fifty-year fight for environmental justice with the award-winning Indonesian conservationist Farwiza Farhan.