Festival presents women in arts
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Kartini Day, every April 21, usually evokes memories of parades of little children clad in colorful national dress or various competitions ranging from best-dressed, best-behaved, best singing, to best writing.
One wonders what they all had to do with Kartini, the 19th century Javanese woman who had supposedly sparked the first women's emancipation movement in Indonesia with her school for girls and progressive letters.
Nothing whatsoever. And therefore it is with great relief that Institut Ungu, a women's art and cultural organization, has organized Festival April 2003, showcasing the progress of Indonesian women in the field of arts and culture, in commemoration of this year's Kartini month.
"At Festival April the voices of women will be carried to the people through an interesting medium, arts and culture," Institut Ungu said in a statement.
Festival April is the first all-women festival in the country, aimed at exposing a women's perspective to the general public as well as promoting the creations of female artists and authors.
The five main themes of the festival -- which opened on April 5, 2003 at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) in Central Jakarta -- are a Women's Fine Arts Festival, Women's Film Festival, Women's Literature Festival, a public dialogue titled Seni dan Pembebasan Perempuan (Art and Women's Emancipation), and a Kartini Night.
The Women's Fine Arts Festival will showcase the work of 40 female artists like Kartika Affandi, Astari Rasyid, Dolorosa Sinaga, Sekar Ayu Asmara, Rima Melati and Rukmini Affandi, with works ranging from sculpture, photography, painting, to video and happening art.
The Women's Fine Arts Festival will be held from April 5 to April 11 at TIM's Galeri Cipta II and Galeri Cipta III. Workshops by the masters will be held at Galeri Cipta II from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and exhibitions will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Between April 10 and April 14, The Women's Film Festival will be held at TIM's Cineplex 21 and on a wide screen on the grounds of TIM.
To be screened during the festival are Indonesian films on women like Kartini, Tiga Dara (Three Women), Ibunda (Mother), Budak Nafsu (Lust Slave), and Kerikil-Kerikil Tajam (Sharp stones), as well as foreign movies such as Doesn't Believe in Tears (Russia), Rabbit Proof Fence (Iran) and To Be or Not To Be (Portugal).
The festival will also screen independent movies by or about women.
Cala Ibi, a book by Nukila Amal, will be launched at Aksara Bookstore in Kemang, South Jakarta, on April 16.
The Women's Literature Festival will continue on April 17 with a discussion of Perempuan dalam Cerita Calon Arang (Women in the Calon Arang story) by a panelists, including Gadis Arifia, Pande K. Trimayuni and Max Lane.
The discussion, held at TIM's Galeri Cipta II at 7 p.m. until 10 p.m., is based on Toeti Heraty's Calon Arang, Kisah Perempuan Korban Patriarki: Prosa Lirik (Calon Arang, A Story of a Woman Victim of Patriarchy: Lyrical Prose), and Pramoedya Ananta Toer's The King, the Witch, and the Priest.
A short story workshop for high school students will be organized on April 17 and April 18 at TIM's Galeri Cipta II with Linda Christanty at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Authors Ayu Utami, Mira W, Mariane Kattopo, NH Dini, Jenar Maesa Ayu and Helvi will be on hand at Galeri Cipta II on April 18 at 7 p.m. for a meet-the-author event.
A book bazaar and exhibition A Room of Her Own will also take place during the two-day Women's Literature Festival at Galeri Cipta II.
On April 19, a public dialogue titled Seni dan Pembebasan Perempuan (Art and Women Emancipation) will be organized at Galeri Cipta II between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Panelists will include Anang Hermansyah, Julia Surya Kusuma, Ratna Sarumpaet and Dolorosa Sinaga.
Festival April will end on the eve of Kartini Day with a cultural oration by two generation of Indonesian women -- Toeti Heraty and Dewi Lestari -- and the launch of the Women's Literary Award.
For more information call Institut Ungu, Jl Otista III, Complex II No. 89, East Jakarta 13340. Phone/fax 021-8196619.