From human rights and politics in Asia to the role of activism and art, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2016 (UWRF16) traversed five days of enthralling panel discussions, dynamic performances, readings, film, poetry, exhibitions, workshops and food, cementing its position as Southeast Asia’s leading festival of words and ideas.

In its 13^th year, the UWRF again saw strong attendance figures of over 30,000, and significantly greater diversity in ticket sales, with Indonesian audience numbers up by 31.5% from 2015. Eminent historian and Festival stalwart Ian Burnett remarked during the Festival: “There is no country more diverse – culturally, ethnically, linguistically – than Indonesia.” The following is a wrap-up of the many Indonesia-focused UWRF16 highlights.

Guests arrive at the UWRF Gala Opening at Antonio Blanco Museum. Photo: Anggara Mahendra, UWRF

Indonesian literary luminaries Seno Gumira Adjidarma, Dewi Lestari and Eka Kurniawan delighted fans and snared the attention of unfamiliar listeners. Fearless environmental and human rights activists Agustinus Wibowo (East Java), Emmanuela Shinta (East Kalimantan), Bayu Wirayudha (Bali) and Shandra Woworuntu (West Sumatra) shook audiences to the core. The remarkable resilience of human trafficking survivor Shandra Woworuntu, whose organisation Mentari helps fellow survivors reintegrate into the community and find meaningful work, brought many to tears. After her in-conversation with revered journalist Janet Steele, an audience member tweeted: “Incredible session, a heartbreaking and inspiring story that needs to be heard.”

Shandra Woworuntu. Photo: Wirasathya Darmaja, UWRF

The 16 Emerging Indonesian Writers selected from 894 entrants to be included in the Festival’s annual Bilingual Anthology – a treasure trove of Indonesian writing and essential Festival souvenir – were a prominent force throughout. Many of these rising stars lauded the linguistic diversity of Indonesia – and the urgency to preserve it – writing and speaking in Minang, Madurese and Balinese. Emerging Writer Deasy Tirayoh said at the launch of the Anthology, “Ubud Writers & Readers Festival shows us that Indonesian writers can rightly stand alongside the global greats.”

Emerging Indonesian Writers at the launch of the annual UWRF Bilingual Anthology of Emerging Indonesia Writing. Photo: Anggara Mahendra, UWRF

Dalam Bahasa Indonesia was an extremely engaging panel for speakers, and learners, of Indonesian. Moderated by writer, actor and musician Ketut Yuliarsa, it featured much-loved Indonesia commentator Elizabeth Pisani, esteemed literary and academic translator Jennifer Lindsay (the long-time translator of Goenawan Mohamad’s essays), and Gemi Mohawk, a poet from Palembang, and one of the Indonesian Emerging Writers.

The panelists discussed the origin and rapid evolution of Indonesian, with Jennifer Lindsay addressing the marked increase in the number of Indonesians whose first language, or co-first language, is Bahasa Indonesia, rather than the local language of their mother or father. “There is a depth to Indonesian that wasn’t there in the ‘70s,” she remarked.

Elizabeth Pisani and Jennifer Lindsay. Photo: Keyza Widiatmika, UWRF

Indonesians’ rampant device and social media addiction was unraveled in the panel Screen Addicts. Moderated by writer and journalist Michael Vatikiotis, it also featured Pisani alongside Dewi Lestari and Triyanto Triwikromo, the 2015 Tokoh Seni Pilihan Tempo. Triwikromo was decisively negative about social media, claiming “We are entering a different kind of war. A war of thoughts, of ideas. It’s virtual but we take it literally.”

Dewi Lestari declared that Indonesians’ screen addiction is a “national problem”, lamenting sadly, “I don’t look at the trees and sky anymore. My screen keeps occupying me. It has become the everyday scenery.” She did, however, speak at length about the huge benefits of social media marketing for her books, and that she has witnessed “a lot of positive social communities arising from social media”, even comparing her Twitter communities to arisan [a neighbourhood lottery gathering].

Screen Addicts panel: Dewi Lestari, Michael Vatikiotis, Triyanto Triwikromo and interpreter, and Elizabeth Pisani. Photo: Wirasathya Darmaja, UWRF

Audience members take notes during Screen Addicts. Photo: Wirasathya Darmaja, UWRF

Intrepid and incisive independent Indonesian cinema has long been a pillar of UWRF. As well as the Film Program, which was a mini Indonesian film festival in its own right, there were two panel discussions devoted to it – Camera Obscura, which analysed Indonesia’s film industry, and Cinematic Indonesia, addressing cinema’s role in shaping and narrating Indonesian identity. The film screenings and both panels attracted major audiences.

Bringing celebrity status to the Festival were firebrand Indonesian auteurs Slamet Rahardjo, Djenar Maesa Ayu, Richard Oh and Joko Anwar, along with wunderkind filmmaker Wregas Bhanuteja. At just 23 Wregas received the Leica Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film at Cannes for Prenjak (In the Year of Monkey). Wregas was a firm Festival favourite – the showcase of his short films was packed and over the course of the Festival he probably snapped at least 100 selfies with adoring fans!

Capacity crowd at indie cinema Betelnut for the showcase of Wregas Bhanuteja’s award-winning short films. Photo: Wirasathya Darmaja

Wregas meets fans after the screening. Photo: Wirasathya Darmaja, UWRF

No UWRF wrap-up would be complete without a special mention of the veritable army of 300 volunteers working tirelessly across all areas of the Festival – as MCs, photographers, venue supervisors, technical support and as writers’ liaisons. The vast majority of them hail from across the archipelago, and many return year after year having formed lasting friendships.

UWRF16 volunteers. Photo: Anggara Mahendra, UWRF

At the closing night ceremony Janet DeNeefe noted that the UWRF – at 13 years old – is now a teenager. “It has truly found its feet in the international literary festival environment,” said DeNeefe, “while staying strong to its commitment of raising up regional voices alongside recognised names. This is evident in the increased audience diversity which, in line with the wider goals of Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati, to which the UWRF belongs, we’re incredibly proud of, and we look forward to building on this in the future.”

DeNeefe continued, “I applaud the brave artists and speakers who joined us this year, and the audience – from young Indonesian students to our UWRF stalwarts – who helped create the powerful, magical space for which the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival has become famous.”

Be sure to keep an eye on the AIYA Blog in the lead-up to UWRF 2017 for special discounts on UWRF tickets for AIYA members, or perhaps you’d even like to volunteer! For more info about the Festival head to the website. 

The winners of ModCon, the Australian Embassy digital art competition, were recently announced to be Hasanuddin University student Anisa Shabrina Yunus from Makassar, Sulawesi, and University of Western Australia student Alannah Scorer from Perth, Western Australia. Their artworks received the most number of votes on the Embassy’s Instagram account (@KedubesAustralia). After meeting Anisa last week, this week we hear from Alannah Scorer about what she hopes to convey with her intriguing, multifaceted work Different, and how she feels competitions like ModCon strengthen cultural ties.

Different by Alannah Scorer. Image: Australian Embassy, Jakarta

Congratulations Alannah on being the Australian winner of ModCon! Where in Australia are you from? How does this place influence your art?

Thanks so much! I am from Perth, Western Australia. Perth is a place waiting to be discovered, from the beautiful beaches, urban cityscapes and rural bushlands (a few hours out). I would say that Perth has influenced my art as over the years we as individuals learn to view suburbia with a unique eye, to see what makes my town different from the next. Everything, even small ‘boring’ suburbs can be beautiful with the right mindset and outlook on life.

Your artwork is an intriguing composition of many items, at the forefront of which is the phrase ‘Anti-socialite’. What does this collection of items represent about you as a person? What message in particular were you hoping to convey to viewers about the artist behind the artwork?

This artwork was sporadically placed in such a way that represented where my head can sometimes be at as a student. Focusing on everything from love to assignments, and everything in between can be excruciatingly hard work. ‘Anti-socialite’ is a visual representation of ‘dream-like’ and ‘uneasy’ feelings that I wanted to convey, about how I personally handle those daily tasks. As an artist, I wanted the viewers to study each item individually, and then look back at the image, as a whole, and search for their own interpretation.

How did you hear about the ModCon competition, and what prompted you to enter?

I heard about ModCon though an online notice by my University tutor. At first, I did not want to enter, worrying about putting more pressure on myself, but then after persuasion from family members and personal motivation, I thought ‘why not? What’s the worst that can happen?’ …and I’m so glad I did!

What do you hope to gain from your time in Indonesia? What are you most excited about?

I have visited Indonesia (Bali) once before and loved the strong culture and friendly locals. I am hoping to gain some hands-on advice on how to better my digital art from international professionals.

What are your goals or aspirations for when you return from Indonesia?

My goals/aspirations for my return would be to come back with a new mindset about producing digital art. I would love to return to my country with a certain drive to get straight into creating more artworks and producing what I love (with better skills and more knowledge).

How do you feel about the relationship between Australia and Indonesia, and what do you think creative exchanges such as ModCon can bring to the relationship?

I believe the relationship between Indonesia and Australia is extremely strong. I think the Australian Embassy is doing such a cool and innovative new thing, which should definitely be experienced by students who are interested in digital art/filmmaking. As an Australian, I believe creative exchanges such as ModCon bring the Australian and Indonesian ties closer together, as ModCon enables winning entrants to explore and learn in a whole new place (a place that they might not be able to experience otherwise).

View all shortlisted entries on the Embassy website. To learn more about ModCon head here, and if you’re a digital artist make sure you remember it for next year! Alannah is on Instagram: @laniscorer.

Three years ago I was selected to be a part of the AIYEP family. Eighteen brilliant young people from eighteen different provinces in Indonesia met eighteen great young people from Australia for two months of unforgettable experiences. In December 2013, we met the Australians in Sydney to learn about each other, conduct meetings, arrange planning and organize the programs that would be implemented when we got to Indonesia. In Indonesia we went to Koto Sani in Sumatra for the first month, and Bukittinggi for the second month.

Rahmah before a cultural performance. Photo: Rahmah Eka Saputri

The first month in Koto Sani was an unforgettable experience. Koto Sani is a small village located 40km from the capital city of West Sumatra, Padang. It is a refreshingly natural place to live. There are rice fields for farming and fishponds to grow fish. Since most people work as farmers, fish breeders and traditional artists, this place is also renown as the center for high quality rice, fresh fish and also for learning traditional dance.

It was amazing when the 36 of us were first welcomed into the community. They performed the traditional dance of West Sumatra, tari piring, which involves the use of plates. The plate dance is a dangerous dance as performers dance on and balance plates on their hands.

At the end of performance, a group of dancers dropped the plates on the floor, smashing them and jumping on them with a big smile. We were shocked that they could still smile while stepping on harmful glass. While it appears harmful, it actually does not harm them at all. The dance is a way for the West Sumatran people to welcome their guests, provide traditional food and show their guests that they are grateful for their presence.

The group after completing a water irrigation project in Koto Sani. Photo: Rahmah Eka Saputri

During one month in Koto Sani, we undertook a community development project where we worked with the community and the participants to increase the quality of the society and bring about developmental changes. The participants lived with host families in different houses and parts of the village. This was a great way of directly understanding how West Sumatran people socialize and interact with their family members, and they treated us as not only guests, but as their family as well.

Koto Sani is renown for their rice trade and we discussed with village leaders about what the needs of the community were. They had irrigation issues and needed to fix a broken pipe located at the top of a hill that was used to provide fresh water to the rice fields. A large group of us climbed to the hill to find the broken pipes, and after sourcing the material to fix the problem, the participants and the village community worked together to carry the heavy pipes into the forest to repair the pipes and construct new ones. For me, this was a very special moment, seeing Koto Sani’s local community working with the Indonesian and Australian youth to climb through the forest and fix the problem together. The mission was accomplished when we enabled the water to flow again.

Rahmah and the group in Sydney. Photo: Rahmah Eka Saputri

At the end of the village experience we arranged a farewell party with the community. To show respect, we had learned and prepared a traditional dance from West Sumatra to perform at the farewell party. We practiced the dance every night and had training with Uda, a local dance teacher in Koto Sani. Uda understood that the movements of the dance were difficult to learn, so he was patient with us until we were ready to perform it. On the day of the farewell party we performed the dance in front of all of the villagers. In return, they performed the Randai dance and the plate dance to say thank you.

It was an incredibly rewarding and memorable experience, and I learnt many great things.

This article is part of a series of reflections from alumni of Australia-Indonesia student exchange programs. Read the experiences of other AIYEP participants here. The editors of the AIYA Blog would also like to thank Samantha Howard for her assistance in commissioning and editing these articles. You can find her solo and collaborative blog and journal writing here and here.

ModCon, the Australian Embassy digital art prize, was awarded to Hasanuddin University student Anisa Shabrina Yunus from Makassar, Sulawesi, and to University of Western Australia student Alannah Scorer from Perth, after their artworks received the most number of votes on the Embassy’s Instagram account (@KedubesAustralia). This week we spoke to Anisa about the inspiration behind her gentle, rich and beautiful artwork The Current Face of Indonesia, and what she’s most looking forward to on her professional development adventure in Australia. We’ll meet Alannah next week.

The Current Face of Indonesia by Anisa Shabrina Yunus. Image: Australian Embassy Jakarta

Congratulations Anisa on being the Indonesian winner of ModCon! Where in Indonesia are you from? How does this place influence your art?

Anisa Shabrina Yunus. Photo: Australian Embassy, Jakarta

I was born and raised in Makassar, South Sulawesi, which is the largest city in Sulawesi. It is mostly known because of the great landscapes, traditional foods, cultural heritage, and so on. I look at this city as a repository of society’s collective memories which I can always be inspired by. Other than the places that influence me in making artwork, it is the people that matter because they keep me going on. The local community and the city atmosphere is what influence my art the most.

Your winning artwork is a beautiful and gentle composition of some iconic Indonesian elements, traditional and modern. What were you hoping to convey to viewers about your country?

I was trying to point out the interesting points of Indonesia, either the traditional values or the contemporary ones. So I made a number of lists that contain key points such as technology, mobility, youth activities, landscapes, hang-out places, culture, faith, and natural resources – those key points then being connected to the current phenomenon of the digital era. I would like to convey the society activities nowadays regarding to what is up today. I finally came up with an idea to combine all those key points in my artwork.

The first one I aim to convey is the traditional values that strongly remain in my country through the presence of public transportation and street vendors. Their presence was combined with contemporary values such as app-based transportation due to technology development. I also added youth activities such as music and visual art as a symbol of the contemporary era in which each individual has the opportunity to express themselves. And the last one I tried to describe is the natural attraction which is the thing Indonesia is mostly known for. After all, I am willing to show the current look of Indonesia, in a genuinely good way through several aspects.

How did you hear about the ModCon competition, and what prompted you to enter?

I stumbled upon the Australian Embassy twitter account and found this information about the digital art competition. I usually use my spare time to look for any learning opportunities such as scholarship programs, youth forums, competitions, and so on. I felt the urge to join this competition since the very first day. I thought this is what I am capable of and moreover, I have always been wanting to go to Australia for study because they have an outstanding rank in the field of art and design. I can say that I kinda felt like this is a golden opportunity for me to develop self-capability.

What do you hope to gain from your time in Australia? What are you most excited about?

Other than a very valuable experience, I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge, developing communication skills, building a wider network on an international level that will eventually have an impact on my career development. I am so excited about meeting new people that have the same passion as mine, and going to some artsy places, and getting involved in the international exhibition. I can’t wait to be faced with another reality where it can train my self-reliance and endurance in facing the situation which is completely new, so there will be a greater awareness of the relationship between people from different countries.

What are your goals or aspirations for when you return from Australia?

As soon as I return, I am looking forward to holding an exhibition and workshop in my hometown as a follow-up to my program in Australia. I hope my trip there will broaden my vision about the making of visual artwork and add my references in the field of art and design so that I can learn from them and share them straight through the ModCon program.

How do you feel about the relationship between Australia and Indonesia, and what do you think creative exchanges such as ModCon can bring to the relationship? 

Australia and Indonesia has a well-maintained relationship since both countries lead each other to mutual cultural understanding through government collaborative programs. I can see that from the presence of the embassies in both nations that actively work to build stronger relationships. There are a lot of things that this kind of exchange program can bring to this case, like a broader network of between each country’s local communities, a greater understanding and tolerance of other cultures, and a sustainable connection between both nations in the field of art and design that will possibly lead to collaborative works, and the sharing of links.

To learn more about ModCon head here, and if you’re a digital artist make sure you remember it for next year! Anisa is on Twitter: @nichasy and Instagram: @nichasy.

The Best Semester Abroad program sponsors 20 young people from ten countries to live and study in Queensland, and is conducted by the State of Queensland through Trade and Investment Queensland. We spoke to the two winners from Indonesia, Fitri Suci Puspita Sari from Palembang and Alfian Mahardika from Jakarta, about their plans for life in Queensland and what the competition opportunity means for them.

Photo: Fitri Suci Puspita Sari

Fitri, tell us about your home in Indonesia.

I am from Palembang, an hour’s flight from Jakarta. Palembang is a river city located in South Sumatra province. Palembang is popular due to its beautiful Musi River. One of the main delicacies is called pempek, the main ingredient of which is fish. We also have a traditional cloth called songket Palembang, which is woven from golden thread.

How did you find out about Best Semester Abroad?

I knew about the Best Semester Abroad program from a non-profit organisation based in Palembang called Blue Sparkle, which focuses on contributing through education within the communities of South Sumatra.

Why were you interested in studying in Queensland?

I wanted to study in Queensland due to its quality of education. The knowledge that I will gain in Queensland will strongly support the developments currently needed in communities in Palembang.

Where will you be studying?

I will be studying Early Childhood Education at Charlton Brown in Brisbane, because there is a need for early childhood education training for the under privileged children I have been teaching at a non-profit organization in Indonesia called Save Street Child Palembang.

How do you think studying in Australia will benefit you?

Studying in Australia will definitely be very beneficial for me. It will help me to find appropriate teaching strategies, leadership skills and networking procedures that I may be able to apply in my voluntary work.

How do you feel about the Australia-Indonesia relationship?

I believe that Indonesia and Australia have a strong, positive relationship and have the same commitment in collaboration through education. Indonesia and Australia’s relationship is growing and a bright future will come.

Alfian with Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson (left). Photo: Trade and Investment Queensland

Alfian, where are you from in Indonesia? 

I’m from Jakarta, a third year student at the University of Al Azhar Indonesia.

How did you find out about Best Semester Abroad? 

I often attend seminars and exhibitions on education abroad. Exactly a year ago, in the Education World Expo event organised by My Study World at Balai Kartini in Jakarta, I tried the lucky draw with prizes to Singapore but failed. Then I got an email from them to try to win a five-month study program in Queensland. I sincerely and confidently hoped to win it.

Why do you want to study in Queensland?

Because it would be my first time out of Indonesia and my dream from childhood was to be an International Student. I was inspired by former President B.J. Habibie. I want to be the next Habibie of my generation. Additionally, there are many Queensland universities which rank among the top 100 universities of the world.

Which university will you be studying at?

I will be studying at TAFE Queensland on the Gold Coast where I will major in IELTS preparation. I chose to prepare for my future to continue postgraduate studies with a target IELTS 8 per band.

How do you think studying in Australia will benefit you? 

Students in Australia have a very multicultural mindset. People from more than 200 countries currently study in Queensland, and this will open wide the opportunity to network and co-operate with others for my future career.

How do you feel about the relationship between Australia and Indonesia? 

Australia-Indonesia relations are very close. Before I left for Queensland, The Australian Embassy in Jakarta held a Best Semester Abroad ceremony that was fantastic. This was in collaboration with Trade and Investment Queensland and also Fostrust Education Services. Incidentally, Paul Grigson (Australian Ambassador) has family in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, so we got a lot of advice from him. He said, “The first month may be difficult with the language, the culture, and the different systems and you may find it very hard but if you persevere the rest of the time should be easier and will run smoothly.”

As an international student ambassador for Indonesia, among ten other international student ambassadors, I am very proud of Indonesia in the eyes of the world.

Find more information about the Best Semester Abroad competition on their website.

The future of Australia-Indonesia relations is in safe hands with secondary students in Canberra demonstrating a keen interest in their language studies.

The annual Indonesia Day event run by the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association – ACT Chapter (AIYA ACT) has again proved to be a massive success for the third successive year with attendance by 170 students.

High school and college students from across the ACT studying Indonesian came to ANU where they had the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of cultural, linguistic and history workshops.

The workshops gave students an insight into the diversity of Indonesian culture across the archipelago.

School students enjoy the musical delights of the angklung workshop. Photo: Floranesia Lantang

University student volunteers had the opportunity to showcase their skills to students as well as the wide variety of opportunities that are available to students who speak Indonesian.

Australian students who studied the Indonesian martial art pencak silat and the traditional Acehnese dance Saman were able to showcase the opportunities that they had to learn these skills in-country through programs such as the Australia-Indonesian Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) and in-country university study.

Indonesian university students showcased their skills to students in various areas of Indonesian culture, such as the bamboo instrument angklung, getting an opportunity to share their culture to young Australians.

Education is vital to a healthy relationship and it is important that we foster students’ keen interest in Indonesia from a young age whether that be in language or other.

Students enjoying one of the more lively aspects of Indonesia studies. Photo: Kirrilly McKenzie

Language classes battle with ‘more fun’ subjects in the elective part of the curriculum in later secondary school, damaging the progression language skills making programs like this vital to demonstrating the importance of learning languages.

Canberra students choosing to study Indonesian have the added difficulty of the continuation of their studies as the schools from primary to high school, and finally college, may not offer Indonesian.

Indonesia from Canberra can feel like a whole world away, but with growing interest in the region and Indonesians making up 2.5 per cent of Canberra tourism, it will become increasingly important for the ACT to make themselves more open to engagement with Indonesia.

Read about various past Canberra and ANU events hosted by AIYA ACT here. The team also regularly organises Language Exchange events, which you can keep up to date about on their Facebook page.

Since 2012, the AIYA website has been at the forefront of AIYA’s online efforts to connect, inform and inspire Australian and Indonesian youth, and the AIYA Blog has played a proud role in the process. Contributors and readers like you from both countries have supported the growth of the Blog, and we would like to thank you for that support!

Today, we celebrate 500 posts on the AIYA Blog with a review of the most popular articles and pages from the past four years (and we also make a call for new contributions!).

From Humble Beginnings

But before that, let’s take a moment to reflect on where it all began. You can learn of the origins of AIYA’s online presence by reading the very first post on the AIYA website in January 2012 here: Media Release: ANU Students and Alumni Deepen the Australia-Indonesia Relationship.

Our weekly review of job opportunities, news and recently-published blog posts, AIYA Links, continues to prove popular with readers in its Friday mailout. Check out the first ever AIYA Links, published in February 2013, here, then jump forward to last Friday’s review here.

Our Most Popular Posts

When it comes to most popular blog posts, there are a few stand-out articles that have really attracted the attention of readers. One of them is Brahm Marjadi’s fascinating overview of culture, customs and traditional greetings in Indonesia, published in January 2015. He provides some practical and insightful tips on handshakes, religious ceremonies and Western faux pas.

Stories of cultural diversity and personal struggle are also a favourite for many of our readers. Marsita Riandini revealed the uniqueness of the traditional betangas sauna of West Kalimantan in January 2015, and just this month Jane Ahlstrand related Rikayanti Desy’s inspiring story of resilience during the 2004 tsunami.

How about simply scrolling down the page and seeing what takes your fancy – there’s likely something there to pique your interest.

Jobs and Opportunities

Job openings and professional opportunities relevant to our bilateral audience were originally posted on the same page as media releases and blog articles – but the information grew so popular it is now housed on a special page of its own, which is regularly updated with the latest opportunities.

Resources focusing on the Indonesia work and holiday visa and general tips for working in Indonesia continue to prove a big hit, and more and more opportunities for an Indonesian audience are being uploaded to the page. Indeed, one of our most popular blog articles is Albert Christian Soewongsono’s top tips and tricks for applying for the LPDP scholarship in this two–part article.

Elsewhere, permanent pages on the website detailing where and why one should learn Indonesian could provide another useful resource for Australians.

Contribute to the Blog!

Reflecting on our progress up until this point is also a prime opportunity to look ahead – so that’s why we’re making a call for contributions to the Blog.

If you have a penchant for writing or commentary, or would like to impart helpful insights to fellow Australian and Indonesian youth, then we would like to hear from you. We highly value contributions focusing on job and study experiences and opportunities, because we know that’s what many of you like reading most! Articles written in Indonesian are brilliant too.

We’re open to ideas and suggestions – the emphasis is on producing content that is relevant and interesting for a bilateral audience. If you’re intrigued, feel free to have a read of our Writing for AIYA Guide and get in touch.

Thank you all for your continued support of the AIYA Blog, and we hope to be publishing your pieces soon!

Rikayanti Desy is a young Acehnese woman and an Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS) recipient, currently studying a Masters of Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control at Griffith University. Today Rika shares her story of growing up in Aceh, surviving the conflict between Gerakan Aceh Merdeka and the Indonesian government, and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Tell me about your childhood, Rika?

I grew up in the 80s in the provincial capital of Aceh, Banda Aceh. I could say that I had a very happy childhood. I was raised to be independent and work hard to achieve my goals.

Rika with her parents in Banda Aceh. Photo: Rikayanti Desy

What about the 90s when the conflict started?

In the 90s the Acehnese separatist movement emerged, known as Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM). By 1999, Aceh was no longer safe. Thousands of Indonesian soldiers were sent to secure the situation. As things got worse, interpersonal conflict mixed with the political and when someone went missing or was killed, it was hard to know the reason. A 9pm curfew was enforced and a number of no-go zones were established.

We lived in the middle of the city. Although this area wasn’t a main hotspot, bombs were sometimes set off to destabilise the situation. Our house also became a target. Around 7.30pm one evening, my aunt saw a man put something in our front yard. She actually thought it might have been a baby given how carefully he placed it on the ground. I was the first person to inspect it. What I discovered wasn’t a baby at all but a package neatly wrapped in plastic: a time bomb. We immediately contacted the police and army. They worked hard to disarm it, but at 9pm sharp, it detonated. Luckily, the officer working on it escaped with his life, losing only three fingers. The windows of our house were shattered.

The conflict continued into the early 2000s. By then, I was a university student majoring in Civil Engineering. In order to get to campus from home, I had to cross a long bridge. One evening at around 6pm, just after finishing my final exam, I crossed that bridge on my motorbike. When I reached the middle, I heard several gunshots coming from multiple directions under the bridge. In the crossfire, I spun my bike around and raced back to campus. I couldn’t return home that night. I remember then feeling so sad, thinking how our lives didn’t matter if anyone could get their hands on guns and shoot whoever they wanted. Thankfully, since the peace agreement, the situation has improved.

I have another hard question for you, Rika. Where were you when the tsunami struck?

On Sunday 26 December 2004, after a sleep over at my friend’s house, I awoke to a clear blue sky. At 8am, an earthquake struck. While we were used to earthquakes in Aceh, this one felt very different to the others. The earth moved unevenly in different directions and the quake grew in strength to 8.9 on the Richter scale. No one could sit, stand or even hold onto the trees.

When the earthquake passed, I tried to call my mum but found the phone lines and electricity were cut. People stepped outside to inspect the ruins. Some even headed down to the beach to catch the fish that were stranded on the sand as the tide suddenly receded. Unbeknownst to them, the tsunami was already on its way.

Ten minutes later, a wall of water over ten metres in height came crashing down on all those on the shoreline and then headed inland.

I saw people running from the city in our direction. People were shouting, “Water! Water’s coming!” and telling everyone to run. I wondered, “Water? From where? It couldn’t be a flood. Could it be a tsunami?” Panicked, I immediately headed for home. Just as I got close, a black wave came towards me. I fled with the crowd.

I then tried again to find my way home. As I waded through the water and climbed over rubble, I passed rivers filled with debris, garbage and human corpses, stripped of all their clothing and some with limbs missing. I finally arrived and found our home still standing among the ruins. The first floor was underwater and I had to climb the stairs to reach the second floor. Thankfully, I found all my family gathered there, safe.

From one coastal city to the next, Rika explores Sydney in the modern day. Photo: Rikayanti Desy

What about Aceh now?

After the tsunami, it took some time for life to return to normal. When I graduated university, I became a civil engineering consultant for various NGOs working to rebuild the area. I had to be tough to ensure that the builders didn’t cut corners. It was people’s safety at stake! Eventually, the rebuilding efforts paid off. When I return to Aceh, I hope to contribute more to the development of my province.

Aceh really is a beautiful place with brilliant sea views, delicious food and coffee shops serving export quality coffee. At the beach, we can enjoy a fresh young coconut, and go surfing, snorkelling and diving. There are also dozens of offshore islands to visit.