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.