Literature Festival 2002 promises to be exciting
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In conjunction with the Language and Literature Month this month, the H.B. Jassin Documentation Center for Literature will organize Literature Festival 2002 over the weekend at Galeri Cipta II, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM).
Together with the Coca Cola Foundation and Lontar Foundation, the festival on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27, will include an exhibition, film screening, book sale, meet-the-author time and poetry and short-story readings by noted artists.
"Who says literature isn't fun? You don't have to be a poet or writer to enjoy it, because literature belongs to everyone," Endo Senggono, the center's manager said in a media conference here.
The weekend festival will open with a documentary screening of noted Indonesian literary figure Nh. Dini Sosok Pengarang Wanita dan Dunianya (A Figure of a Woman Writer and Her World) at 1 p.m. followed by noted director Garin Nugroho's film Puisi Tak Terkuburkan (Unburied Poetry).
Later in the day, Garin will do a poetry reading, together with famous Indonesian artists such as actresses Rieke Diah Pitaloka and Ria Irawan, poets Joko Pinurbo and Hamid Jabbar, and a short-story reading by Gus Sakai.
In the evening, Agus Nuramal PM Toh will perform an Acehnese oral literature accompanied by a Seudati dance. The day will end with a documentary by H.B. Jassin titled Yang Duduk di Kursi Imajinasi (Sit on the Imagination Chair).
The second day of the festival will open with a documentary of Toeti Heraty Potret Penyair Toeti Heraty (Figure of a Poet Toeti Heraty), followed by a documentary of Wiji Thukul Penyair dari Kampung Kalangan Solo (Dimanakah Kamu?) (Poet from Kalangan Kampong Solo [Where Are You?]), and Taufiq Ismail Tirani dan Puisi (Tyranny and Poetry).
Puppeteer Sujiwo Tejo will meet fans for his new book Dalang Edan (Mad Puppeteer), followed by poetry readings by artists Peggy Melati Sukma, Maudy Koesnaedy, and Didi Petet, a short- story reading by Hamzad Rangkuti, and poetry adapted to music by Jose Rizal Manua.
During the festival, the H.B. Jassin Documentation Center for Literature will also award former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin for his dedication and concern for the preservation of literary works.
The Lontar Foundation will also award the late H.B. Jassin and author Nh. Dini with a Life Time Achievement Award. The foundation will also launch two new translated books, winners of the 2001 Lontar Literary Award, Joko Pinurbo's Trouser Doll and Gus Sakai's The Barber and Other Short Stories.
A discussion on the existence of the H.B. Jassin Documentation Center for Literature and its role in Indonesian culture will also take place Saturday, featuring guest speakers former minister of education Fuad Hassan, Toeti Heraty and Taufiq Ismail.
The Literature Festival 2002 will be open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2002 from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2002 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. located at Galeri Cipta 2, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Jl. Cikini Raya No. 73, Central Jakarta. For more information please call Endo Senggono 021-336- 641.