Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

(London, 26 October 2015) The decision of Indonesian
authorities to interfere with the programme of the Ubud Writers &
Readers Festival, starting on Wednesday in Ubud is deeply shocking and
should be overturned immediately, PEN International said today. The
Indonesian authorities have forced the organisers to drop three sessions
related to the 50^th anniversary of what is known as ‘the
year of living dangerously’ when anti-communist massacres followed the
mysterious killing of six army officers in a failed coup in 1965. In the
instability that followed, countless people were killed or arrested.
To remember the repression and offer a space for dialogue that could
lead to reconciliation, the festival had dedicated three panel
discussions on the topic, which they have now been forced to drop. The
screening of Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence, an art exhibition, and the launch of the book The Act of Living have also been cancelled, to ensure that the operating permit of the festival is not revoked.
Now in its 12^th year, the Ubud Festival was set up in the
aftermath of the Bali bombings of 2002 to assert the principles of
reconciliation and as a way to heal the wounds. In a statement, the
festival founder and director Janet DeNeefe said:
‘As a Festival, our mission is to create an open platform where
people can come together to discuss the issues that affect us. 1965 is
an event that has and continues to influence many Indonesians and as
such, we chose to dedicate a proportion of the program to enriching our
understanding about this, through themes of reconciliation and
remembrance.
 We hoped that these panel sessions would enable
conversations to take place that continue Indonesia on its journey of
healing, particularly for those whose lives were so severely affected.
Unfortunately, whilst we pride ourselves in bringing topical issues to
the forefront of national and International dialogue, we had to consider
the Festival’s program in its entirety and the many other important
issues which will be explored through it, including human rights,
activism, and censorship.’
 Festivals are forums where difficult conversations are
meant to take place, and by preventing these conversations, local
authorities have undermined freedom of expression and kept old wounds
buried. It also weakens the central premise of the Ubud Festival, which
was conceived as a response to a terrorist attack on the island of Bali.
‘The Indonesian massacres of 1965 were exceptional in their scale
and have had a lasting impact on ethnic relations within Indonesia,’ said Salil Tripathi, chair of PEN International’s Writers-in-Prison Committee.
‘During the 32-year rule of General Suharto, it was impossible
for many conversations to take place, and 1965 was one of them. It was
only after his removal from power that the film, The Year of Living
Dangerously, could be shown, and political prisoners were released.
Oppenheimer’s films, The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence, are
major contributions to our understanding of 1965.
 By clamping down on the Ubud Festival and refusing
permission for 1965 to be memorialized or discussed, Indonesian
authorities have tightened the lid on the country’s past and taken a
huge step backward. PEN International condemns the authorities’
decision.’ 
For further information, please contact Holly Strauss at PEN
International, Koops Mill, 162-164 Abbey Street, London, SE1 2AN, UK,
Tel.: +44 (0) 20 7405 0338, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339,
Email: Holly.strauss@pen-international.org