Chisato Hara

Chisato Hara
The Jakarta Post/Ubud, Bali

As the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) 2005 geared up
toward the official launch on Oct. 7, a flurry of activity and an
underlying hum of energy surrounded the 20 or so festival venues
scattered through town.

Meanwhile, local police and professional security personnel
gather at street corners, along streets and other strategic
points ahead of the first public appearance of Timor Leste
President Xanana Gusmao, First Lady Kirsty Sword Gusmao and their
family.

In the midst of ongoing workshops and the mass arrival of
participating writers and local and foreign media were Indonesian
and expatriate individuals -- distinguishable by name tags
fluttering about their necks in a variety of colors - who manned
their stations, welcoming all.

These are members of the UWRF volunteer corps, and the many
shoulders upon which the festival's smooth running - and thus its
ultimate success - rests.

Managed by coordinator Peta Hanslow, an Australian national
who has recently retired in Ubud with her husband, the team of
volunteers is responsible for the organization and facilitation
of the entire festival, and from the box office to participant
registration, from guest relations to venue monitoring.

"This is my first year as a resident here, so it was a great
honor when (festival director) Janet De Neefe asked me to be
their volunteer coordinator," said Hanslow, who previously
managed up to 1,000 nursing staff at a Tasmanian hospital.

Consisting of nearly 70 individuals representing several
nationalities, including Indonesian, American, Australian, Dutch,
English, French and Swiss, the majority of volunteers hail from
Ubud and surrounding areas, and have been working since January
to put everything in place.

In addition, four Australian women who traveled to Ubud to
take part in literary workshops also offered their support.

"I'm extremely grateful for their generosity," said Hanslow,
who took it upon herself to assign them to venues featuring
Indonesian writers and literature.

"It is important for visitors to experience Indonesian
culture... we expats should be in the background," she stressed.

Keeping this in mind, Hanslow also prioritized the
participation of Indonesian volunteers, and some have come all
the way from Jakarta to offer assistance.

"Our Indonesian volunteers are... essential, not only for
their (dual) language abilities," but also as cultural
representatives of their country. "After all, (Indonesian
culture) is the face of this festival... and Janet has always
emphasized this," she said. "And if participants pick up on this,
then they'll feel they've accomplished something by coming here."

Personally screening and interviewing new volunteers - those
who were not involved in the first Ubud literary festival, in
2004 -- especially expatriate candidates, Hanslow's main
criterion was that potential volunteers had to be "a people
person".

"Our basic aim is to ensure that every guest is made to feel
extremely special... writers, participants and the media," she
said. "We want to project that we are friendly, easy-going, but
with a mind for protocol... and ethics."

Drawing upon her background in personnel management, Hanslow
implemented training workshops on basic customer service,
established a structured organization of volunteers and developed
guidelines for each specific volunteer position.

"The festival is growing and becoming known internationally,
so a professional, structured organization is an absolute must."

Venue volunteer Ariana, a resident of Banjar Batanancak in Mas
village, Ubud, has returned for the second year "because I want
to help the festival gain greater awareness from among the
public".

As for her personal motives, she said: "I hope to gain more
knowledge about literature and to attract more local people to
love reading. From my experience, local interest in reading books
is still low, even though most people have a good appreciation
for listening to stories told verbally."

"I'm excited about the launch," Ariana added."It's very
inspiring, because here in Ubud, it's usually an arts festival.
Literary events are still new."

Another volunteer, British-born Ubud resident Mary Northmore,
said: "I support and welcome all community initiatives that work
toward breaking down borders between people, and so increase
understanding of our cultures and worlds."

Northmore, who was also involved in last year's festival,
added that the experience so far had been "excellent. We had a
very good workshop yesterday, and today's are going well. (There
has been) Far less confusion than last time"; which indicated to
her that lessons were definitely learned from 2004.

"The Ubud community is absolutely brilliant regardless of the
festival," noted Hanslow. "But today, there is a definite buzz on
the streets," she continued.

Even shopkeepers have called out to her in an excited
hush,"Ibu. The festival!" On an earlier occasion, as she Hanslow
walking down the street with festival posters under her arm, a
young Balinese man on a motorcycle stopped by and offered to put
up several posters near his area. "(The Balinese) are accepting."

Ariana agrees, describing the community's contributions to the
festival in a single work: "Accommodation. From the village level
and on up... even after the bomb, they have welcomed everyone
with open arms."

"And I think one of the main reasons for this is that Janet
and (husband) Ketut are so well-respected in the community," said
Hanslow.

Indeed, the festival's theme, Between Worlds/Antar Bhuwana,
appears to permeate its very organization in the abstract, but
also personally.

According to Northmore, the theme "says it all -- we are all
in transitional states; local-global, material-spiritual,
traditional-modern".

For Ariana, it means "no borders. We are one, yet we have an
opportunity to exchange cultures through our diversity".

"I suppose you could say that I am between worlds in dealing
with expatriate and Indonesian volunteers," said Hanslow. "It has
been most rewarding for me and a real pleasure to work with our
Indonesian volunteers in particular... It's hard work, but an
absolute joy... and an honor to be part of the festival."

After a moment, she added, "I think I'm the luckiest person on
earth this week."