Volunteers join hands in an inclusive community

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 30 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." -- Chisato Hara