Enhance Your Mind With Literature and Ideas Festival (LIFEs) 2017 – Membaca Amerika Latin:VIVA! REBORN!
This year, Salihara will host another brilliant event called Literature and Ideas Festival (LIFEs) starting from 7 to 28 October 2017 at Komunitas Salihara. The event is an evolution from previously held Salihara Literary Biennale which began its journey in 2011. How this program differs from the old one? The former program focuses on reading-related program, while LIFEs aims to put its concern around discussing idea and thoughts. This year’s theme will center around Latin America for its role as a breeding ground for various social political movements and literary sources. The tagline “Membaca Amerika Latin:VIVA! REBORN!” explores the ideas of magic-realism literary genre, traditional and socialist political movement, liberation theology, dependency theology, etc. “Latin America is always loud and bold,” writes LIFEs director and literary curator, Ayu Utami, in her curatorial introduction. In addition to its world-class literary output, Ayu Utami continues, “Latin America can also be compared to Indonesia. With regards to thehistory of colonialism, military regimes and democracy, environmental issues, and the meeting/interaction between Abrahamic faith and local beliefs.”
As many as four main programs are offered during this literary festival which span for three weeks. There is a discussion round called “Diskusi Meja Bundar” which has a purpose to connect diverse cultural actors with a focus on Latin American cultural discourse. There are also discussions onliterature, ideas and thoughts, as well as the social-political-economic practices that occur in this great sub-continent in the southern hemisphere. While “Pentas Sastra” program will showcase music concerts, performing arts theater, dinner, as well as collaboration stage between local and Latin America authors on “Pentas Malam: Sajian dari Selatan”. You can find short readings of the authors’ work, and also the latest state of third world countries and how they could solve the current problem and tackle the future together. Indonesian writers are represented by Ziggy Zezsyazioviennazabriskie and Feby Indirani, and Carmen Boullosa (Mexico) and Héctor Abad Faciolince (Colombia) will become the Latin American counterparts. Both Latin American writers voice out about feminism and the later one is part of post-El Boom generation (which defined Latin American literature in 1960s-1980s).
You could also participate on a workshop called “What’s In A Name?” in which you’d be taught how to develop narrations from a name, with mentor Sergio Cheifec from Argentina. Another program “Seruput Cerita” will allow you to elaborate connection between coffee and ficition, as facilitated by Yusi Avianto Pareanom. Supported by the Embassies of Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Cuba, and Switzerland in Indonesia, LIFEs is open to public. Dive yourself into their four-day book bazaar, a series of Latin American film screenings, and a number of collaborative performances and art exhibitions. A lecture by M. Chatib Basri and a music presentation by a Indonesian/Venezuelan duet collaboration will close out the whole festival on the 28th October. For more information regarding the festival, kindly visit their website and social media.
