TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The 2016 ASEAN Literary Festival (ALF) had faced several problems before it was finally opened last night at the Jakarta Theater building, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) complex.
A group of people calling themselves the Alliance of Muslim Students and People (AM3) staged a protest in front of Taman Ismail Marzuki. They rejected the annual event from being held, out of suspicion that it promotes communism and supports the LGBT community.
The festival does plan to hold discussions about the 1965 and LGBT issues, but these discussions are not held to "provoke the public," said the festival's director Okky Madasari.
Okky had expected that the event will spark protests. She addresses the protest, saying that "as the director of this event, I am responsible for all the contents and programs that the third ALF holds."
"What we present is an effort to seek justice for the victims, and we use literature as our strength," she said. "We do not sing the march of the Indonesian Communist Party, or do any of the things that we are being accused of."
The theme of this year's ALF, 'The Story of Now', she said, can help the public understand the relevance of literature and the world's current problems.
"Tomorrow we will have the 'Remember '65' session, which will show young children visualizing the 1965 tragedy through digital stories. There will be discussions, monologues, and even a book launching event."
On the LGBT-related issues, Okky said that every human being has the rights to his and her own sexual preferences.
"Our discussions are not made to encourage the younger generation to support or promote LGBT, but as a form of freedom of expression."
This year's ASEAN Literary Festival is the third event since it was first held in 2014 in TIM. In this annual festival, visitors will be treated to literary discussions involving famous authors from Southeast Asia, including Indonesia.
In this year's festival Nobel Peace Laureate José Ramos-Horta is scheduled to speak at the opening today. Indonesian literary figures that will also speak in the event include poet Sapardi Djoko Damono, writer M. Aan Mansyur, and novelist Leila Chudori. The complete schedule of the festival's programs and guests can be found in the official website aseanliteraryfestival.com.
YOHANES PASKALIS
