Writers receive Rancage Awards

Writers receive Rancage Awards

Two prominent Balinese writers, I Made Suarsa and I Made Taro,
were declared recipients of Rancage Literary Awards 2005.

Member of the judges panel, chaired by veteran writer Ajip
Rosidi, have given an award to Made Suarsa for his excellent
work, a poetry collection titled Ang Ah Lan Ah Ang, (wording of a
Hindu mantra) published in 2004.

I Made Taro was also selected for his significant contribution
to the development of Balinese modern literature.

Rancage Literary Awards are bestowed every year on writers and
individuals who have made a significant contribution to the
development of regional literature.

Indonesia is home to hundreds of ethnic groups, each with a
different language. The development of regional literature has
been hampered in the last few years due to a lack of support, and
the prevailing social and cultural situation.

Many, especially the young, have abandoned their mother
tongues and adopted Bahasa Indonesia as their daily spoken
language. Therefore, local artists have expressed concern at the
possibility of the extinction of ethnic languages, both spoken
and written.

The Rancage Awards, which will be presented next June in
Jakarta, are given to those who consistently promote and
preserve, as well as produce, works of ethnic literary merit. --
JP