An Affair to Remember

for the original article, click here to go to garuda magazine

MY LIFE IN BALI

The completion of another festival. A year's hard work over in four days of uber excitement.

Highlights? There were so many but one of the highlights was, for me, Wole Soyinka. Hailing from Nigeria, Wole Soyinka is the first African to receive a Nobel Prize. He is best-known as a playwright and poet and is considered one of contemporary Africa's greatest writers. Not since Rabindranath Tagore has a Nobel Laureate visited Indonesia and I am personally thrilled that he finally accepted our invitation, via the persistence of one festival director, as he stated in the press conference. Getting Wole Soyinka into the country was not exactly straightforward but thanks to Imran Cotan (thank you Bapak!) and the team at the Department of Foreign Affairs, he landed in Denpasar without any complications or fuss; Wole's wispy and distinctive white hair showing no sign of bother. The burden of a Nigerian passport.

The festival team selected Wole Soyinka this year in light of the 2009 festival theme, Suka-Duka: Compasssion and Solidarity. Known as a political activist with a fierce commitment to individual liberty and human rights, Soyinka discussed his life and work at a literary lunch at the Four Seasons Sayan with novelist and journalist, Hari Kunzru. “I have spent my entire life fighting human injustice” said Wole. When Wole speaks, you stop and listen.

Hari Kunzru is of mixed English and Kashmiri Pandit ancestry and somewhat of an activist too. He was awarded The John Llewellyn Rhys prize for writers under 35, the second oldest literary prize in the UK but turned it down on the grounds that it was backed by the Mail on Sunday whose “hostility towards black and Asian people” he felt was unacceptable.

The lunch at the Four Seasons featured course after course of seductive flavours and Balinese finesse. The charming John O'Sullivan, General Manager of The Four Seasons in Sayan and Jimbaran, made sure that no banana leaf was unturned and that attention to detail was paramount. The lunch was an affair to remember. John is also a bit of a renaissance man, an erudite poet and gregarious artiste who is going places, literally. He has recently appeared at several international writers festivals around the globe and we all know the best is yet to come. You can view his art exhibition at the Gaya gallery in Sayan.

'Indonesia at Home' at the Maya Resort and Spa was a celebration of Indonesian voices featuring the reknowned NH Dini, Dede Oetomo, Laksmi Pamuncak, Nurhady Sirimorok and yours truly; a line-up as diverse as it was fascinating. Kath Thompson, the talented chef at the Maya worked overtime to present a menu of favourites from Fragrant Rice: from smoked duck to lawar and Balinese satay. More than anything our international guests love to hear the words of our Indonesian writers and the discussion of Indonesia's recent political history that unfolded between courses left the audience both amazed and intrigued.

The Dangerous Women literary lunch at the Alila, began with Cok Sawitri's highly political and moving monologue, called The Womb. It set the tone for a thought-provoking gathering over a superb meal. Sonya Hartnett, Lee Su Kim, Sushma Joshi and Julia Leigh added their own version of danger to the event while the audience succumbed to a sublime lunch, finishing with a seductive chocolate dessert that I still dream about. Now that's dangerous!
Sarong, the hippest restaurant on the island, became a beyond-Ubud venue for a glam evening of literature and sensational cuisine. “Slum it at Sarong” featured Vikas Swarup, of Q&A and Slumdog Millionaire fame, in conversation with the charismatic Asitha Amereskere, Sri Lankan film-maker and author. Appearing alongside Vikas was the wickedly funny Dany Laferriere, author of “How to Make Love to a Negro” and the stories behind the movie Heading South and word-poet and prankster Tom Cho. Sarong's dishy chef, Will Meyrick, excelled with an Indian-inspired menu of culinary brilliance. It was a wonderful star-studded, breezy evening featuring life's greatest pleasures; superb food, chilled wine (thanks Andrew McLatchie of O-TU) and good conversation…well, three of life's greatest pleasures that is!
In between literary lunches, were four days of gritty panel sessions, book launches, parties and special events that ran into the wee hours of the morning. Voices from the Chocolate lands in Rio Helmi's elegant Buddha-loving home was overflowing with poetry, chocolate from Chocolate Monggo and chocolate gelato by Gaya, the islands finest Italian gelato. Voices from the Coffee Lands, set in the eco-friendly lush bamboo estate of Linda Garland, matched words with coffee from the Kintamani highlands, sponsored by Five Senses coffee and Gaya gelato once again. Brazilian jazz with Murni and Riwin, filled the gaps.

Another favourite event was the jalan-jalan tour across the majestic Tjampuhan ridge with travel writer Brian Thacker. The morning stroll finished at the breath-taking Chapung Sebali in Sebali, a collection of villas that combine streamlined Danish design with Indonesian-style chic. Brian chatted about his work while the invigorated participants enjoyed on a feast of tropical fruits, cinnamon rolls and Mexican eggs that the effervescent hotel manager Pepe Kabane, whipped up.

Other inspirational and dynamic voices at his year's festival included Fatima Bhutto, Bejan Matur, Arnold Zable and Seno Gumira Ajidarma. Omar Musa, Australian slam poet champ, lead a gutsy and punchy poetry slam at Casa Pasta on Monkey forest road, baby-sister of the reknowned Dirty Duck restaurant. My good buddy and talented artist, Kerry Pendergrast won the coveted the UWRF slam prize with her clever prose. A new career is blooming, Kerry!
After a high-powered closing party at the Blanco Renaissance Museum in Ubud featuring Rio Sidik and Saharadja, the festival moved to Central Java, where the curtains were finally drawn on the sixth Ubud Writers & Readers Festival on October 13. The venue was the majestic Borobudur, one of the world's largest Buddhist monuments. Ten international writers appeared alongside Indonesian writers, reading and performing their works on a starry night.

It was the perfect ending to what has been named our finest festival to date.

I was lucky enough the stay at the glorious Amanjiwo, one of the most exceptional hotels I have ever seen. Amanjiwo gives luxury a whole new meaning and puts the A well and truly into amazing. I felt like I was suspended somewhere between heaven and earth; between a dream and the intrigue of the East. Breakfast included the finest French pastries I have eaten to date in Indonesia; melt in your mouth crisp and buttery croissants. And that's coming from someone who owns a bakery! Our room was spacious, elegant, in a word, divine. I didn't want to leave! But alas, all good things have to end.

So now I am back at my desk planning the 2010 event. But don't think I am doing this on my own. I have a truly dedicated team that work around the clock to pull this show of words together. Oh yes and not to forget, my faithful and fearless assistant director, Sarah Tooth, who sits on my festival side and my fabulous PA, Elizabeth Henzell, who sits on my business side, are the ones driving the bus. All aboard! I am merely the thorn between two roses! See you at the festival next year. Dates 6 – 10 October.

Janet DeNeefe is the owner of Casa Luna and Indus restaurants, author of Fragrant Rice, and creator of the Ubud Readers & Writers Festival. She also runs the Casa Luna Cooking School.

http://v2.garudamagazine.com/features.php?id=147