Aceh writing school to give humanitarian award

Banda Aceh's Do Karim creative writing school, part of the Tikar Pandan cultural community network, is to present the Do Karim Award at 8 p.m. on Dec. 15 at the Do Karim bookstore on Jl. Iskandar, Banda Aceh.

The award is to be given to non-Acehnese writers who have contributed their work toward humanitarian interests during the past conflict in Aceh.

The jurors for the award are Acehnese writers and poets A.A. Manggeng, Azhari, Nezar Patria and Reza Indria.

Tikar Pandan was established in 2002 in Banda Aceh by students of Syiahkuala University and the Araniri State Islamic Institute who aspired to becoming professional writers and aimed to promote cultural and literary development in Aceh.

Currently, 15 students are enrolled at Do Karim, of which 70 percent are women writers.

Tikar Pandan has previously been supported by Jakarta-based Tifa foundation and the Netherlands' Hivos Foundation in 2003 and throughout 2005, respectively, while individual donors in Germany have pledged to support Tikar Pandan's activities for the January 2006 through July 2006 period. -- The Jakarta Post