Aceh's suffering finds vocie through Azhari
Aceh's suffering finds vocie through Azhari
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Attending events like the International Literary Biennale is
one way for young Acehnese short story writer Azhari to heal the
pain caused by the Dec. 26 tsunami.
Since about a month after the disaster, the 24-year-old has
found it difficult to stay in one place for any length of time.
"I can't stay for long in Aceh because the conditions there
makes me sick and angry," he said.
"I travel around ... I use my journey as therapy. I travel to
Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Aceh."
Before becoming known as a short story writer, Azhari, was a
writer with Titik Tolak, a biannual cultural journal in Aceh.
During his time as the journal's chief editor from 2002 until
last year, he wrote a range of short stories.
In 2004, he published his first anthology Perempuan Pala
(Nutmeg Woman), which later won the Free World Award from the
Netherlands-based Poets of All Nations (PAN) Foundation for
voicing the predicament of the oppressed.
Recently, in August, he was invited to speak to elementary
school students in Melbourne and Tasmania about Aceh and the
tsunami.
While he is sometimes far away from his province, his desire
to increase international understanding about the disaster and
the recent conflict there continues to burn.
Speaking before the biennale he says: "This is an
international event, I hope it will make the international
community remember Aceh."
Smoking cigarettes and sipping black coffee at Kedai Tempo,
the cafe in the publishing house of the well-known magazine,
Azhari shared his views about his work and the future of Aceh.
Here is an excerpt of the interview:
Question: You are known as a journalist and a short story writer.
Which one precedes the other?
Answer: My journalism activities precede my work writing short
stories and poetry.
Three years ago, my colleagues and I set up a discussion group
called Tikar Pandan. It was designed to encourage social change
(in Aceh) through a cultural approach.
We did not choose politics, because there would have been too
many hurdles.
Then we began to publish the Titik Tolak cultural journal, the
Do Karim writing school (for students, women and santri), the
Metamorfosa research group and the PM Toh story telling group.
All these things were created through our discussions every
Saturday afternoon.
After the tsunami (Dec. 26), however, the discussion group
died because many of the activists moved to other cities.
You have published an anthology of short stories titled
Perempuan Pala and it has received an award from the Poets of All
Nations. What is Perempuan Pala all about?
The story is about a village called Tapaktuan and a nutmeg
plantation. There was a political incident -- the civil war
between Acehnese nobles and ulema -- long before national
independence.
Today, the incident repeats in the form of marginalization and
oppression by the government.
You make audible the often-unheard voices of the Acehnese
through your work. Can you tell us more about these voices?
The Acehnese have been living under a state of oppression.
However, there are few reports (media coverage) or (official)
statements that ever represent their voice.
It seems that the Acehnese have lost their spokespeople.
Of course, literature does not pretend to act as a
spokesperson, unlike many politicians.
Your short stories describe the suffering and the oppression
of the Acehnese. Why did you choose short stories as your medium?
I do what I feel. Although, sometimes what I write is biased,
it should be listened to.
That is why literature cannot speak for the Acehnese people.
Perhaps, instead it can become a warning for the entire nation.
The Acehnese have lived through a lot of violence and seen
peace agreements come and go before. What do you think the future
holds?
The Aceh people have seen three peace agreements and there are
always anti-climaxes in the end -- failures. That is all because
of certain political interests.
The Acehnese people, however, will always have a wish to see
peace in their land.
What do you expect from literature?
For me, the duty of literature or journalism is to record
events and to inform the public. Whether the public reads it or
not, this is no longer my business.
There has been a long conflict in Aceh, but there is rarely a
complete account about Aceh. I think that literature can become
such an account that functions to remind us what is going on.
Incidents in Aceh, East Timor, Papua and other places should
be explained carefully for the sake of the people.
Literature or journalism is often about taking sides. Whose side
are you on?
I am always on the side of the oppressed. I always write about
oppression and suffering. I cannot distance myself from that
because it is right before my eyes.
However, in some of my writing, I try and put a distance
between myself and the story to try to see it clearly and
objectively.
There are certain times when I am very close to incidents;
that's when I make some distance to write.