uwrf22

To celebrate the birthday of female Indonesian heroine, Raden Adjeng Kartini (1879-1904), who fought for gender equality and the right to education for all, our #UWRF22 Highlight Session will bring you a panel discussion on Women in Fiction.

Women throughout history, and even now, face discrimination in the literary world. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, writing as a profession was primarily considered unsuitable for women. Many women wrote under male pseudonyms, such as George Eliot, whose real name was Mary Ann Evans. Today, the number of women publishing fiction in the Western world has increased. This poses many questions, such as: do women still have to deal with social barriers in writing careers? What about women of colour pursuing writing careers? Do they face unique challenges because of their race?

Listen to journalist Annika Blau, Indonesian author Ramayda Akmal, novelist Diana Reid, and author Kirstin Chen discuss these issues and questions.

It is no secret that politicians wield disinformation as a political tool, to drive people apart and control them. For example, the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar was partly incited by Facebook posts. There were even conspiracy theorists who denied that the COVID-19 pandemic existed, which led to people disregarding masks, among other things. Online disinformation seems to influence peoples' public and private views on a range of issues, from politics, public health, the environment, and religion. Join Indonesian-Australian journalist, Tito Ambyo, The Conversation Indonesia Publisher and CEO, Prodita Sabarini, Lowy Institute Researcher, Lydia Khalil, and Human Rights Watch Indonesia Researcher. Andreas Harsono, tackle this issue comprehensively in conversation.

Enjoy another one of our #UWRF22 highlight episode sessions with one of the finest Southeast Asian correspondents and private diplomats of our time, Michael Vatikiotis. In a conversation moderated by Janet Steele, Vatikiotis will talk about his new book, Lives Between the Lines: A Journey In Search of the Lost Levant. 

It's a fascinating memoir, detailing the author’s Greek and Italian forebears who lived in Egypt and Palestine, respectively, that spans from the mid-1800s to the end of the Second World War in 1945—which has many echoes and lessons for today. The Middle East is understood today as a place of endless conflict. But back then, it was a bastion of tolerance and pluralism. This book highlights how European colonial projects shattered that peaceful coexistence once and for all.  

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Nikmatilah suguhan highlight episode #UWRF22 terbaru kami bersama salah satu koresponden Asia Tenggara dan juru runding terbaik pada saat ini, Michael Vatikiotis. Dalam percakapan yang dipandu oleh Janet Steele, Vatikiotis akan berbicara mengenai buku terbarunya, Lives Between the Lines: A Journey in Search of the Lost Levant. Sebuah memoir yang menarik, mengisahkan kakek-nenek dan orangtua si penulis, keturunan Yunani dan Italia, yang tinggal di Mesir dan Palestina, sejak pertengahan abad ke-19 hingga akhir Perang Dunia Kedua di 1945 – kisah yang masih membawa resonansi dan pelajaran untuk masa kini. 

Saat ini, wilayah Timur Tengah dipersepsikan sebagai wilayah konflik tak berkesudahan. Namun pada saat itu, wilayah ini pernah menjadi benteng toleransi dan pluralisme. Buku ini menekankan tentang peranan proyek kolonial Eropa dalam menghancurkan perdamaian tersebut. 

Listen to the full episode of #UWRF22 on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or watch them on YouTube: https://bit.ly/UWRF22HighlightsPlaylist 

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Today, Indonesia celebrates its National Film Day.  On March 30, 1950, legendary Indonesian filmmaker Usmar Ismail directed the country’s first full-length feature film produced by a national company. To mark this special occasion, this week’s #UWRF22 Highlight Session will bring you our Main Program discussion called “From Book to Screen”.

Adapting a book into screen can be a delicate process. Authors might take too much control in the process, and fans might be disappointed by the screen adaptation’s end result. Listen to US-based Singaporean novelist, Kirstin Chen, as well as Indonesian writer, Ahmad Fuadi, and film director, Kamila Andini, as they discuss this issue with interviewer Julia Winterflood. Both Chen and Fuadi have had their books adapted into a TV series and a film respectively, whilst Andini has directed a screen adaptation of a novel.