It’s festival season here in Bali, and boy, are we feeling festive. Next up on our radar is the 13th Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, taking place in… you guessed it… Ubud from Oct. 26-30. Despite being the biggest festival of words in Southeast Asia, UWRF 2016 has plenty to offer the less literary inclined. Here we bring you the Coconuts Bali guide to nine kickass events for people who aren’t complete bookworms.
SUKI KIM: UNDERCOVER IN NORTH KOREA
Thursday Oct. 27, 10:15am – 11:15am
Still one of the least documented countries on earth, North Korea unsurprisingly makes for fascinating subject matter. On Thursday, Oct. 27, meet Suki Kim, the only writer ever to go undercover in the highly secretive nation. Posing as a missionary and a teacher, the South Korean-born investigative journalist taught the 19-year-old sons on North Korea’s ruling elite before writing her best-selling book “Without You, There Is No Us”. This is one not to be missed by anyone with an inquisitive mind and a penchant for danger.
TETHERED TRAVEL
Thursday Oct. 27, 11:30am – 12:45am
While we have all come to rely on them tremendously when avoiding disaster while trotting the globe, it could be argued that the likes of Google Maps, TripAdvisor and Facebook have robbed us of the magic and romance of travel. Such ideas will be discussed by five industry experts, including Travelfish co-founder Samantha Brown; Heather Ellis, author of “Ubuntu: One Woman’s Motorcycle Odyssey Across Africa”; and Tony Wheller, who formerly wrote for Lonely Planet but now pens his own travel books.
POETRONICA
As part of the festival’s After Dark program, Poetronica will debut a one of a kind poetry-meets-electronica night at Taman Baca. The multi-layered performance will see writers’ words turned into music live on stage by local bands Dromme and Kalawai.
ANASTASIA LIN: BEAUTY WITH PURPOSE
Friday Oct. 28, 10:30am – 11:30am
Chinese-born Canadian Anastasia Lin is not your average beauty queen. The former Miss World Canada was banned from the country of her birth and declared a persona non grata for her outspoken views on China’s human rights violations. Now an accomplished actress and human rights activist, she talks about how beauty and art can be a platform for change.
SCREEN ADDICTS
Saturday Oct 29, 14:30pm – 15:45pm
Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or Pokemon Go, there’s no denying that Indonesians are addicted to their phones. In this talk we hear from Indonesia-obsessed writers about their struggle to catch the public’s attention in a screen addicted world. Featuring Indonesian bestselling novelist Dee Lestari of the “Supernova” hexalogy fame; literary award winner Triyanto Triwikromo, known for “A Conspiracy of God-killers”, “The Serpent in The Holy Grail”, and “Upside-Down Heaven”; and British writer Elizabeth Pisani who ate dog, took tea with corpses and Sultans, and travelled 23,000 kilometers over 25 years before writing her book “Indonesia Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation”.
MAKERS MARKET
If all this education and fun has given you a thirst for some frivolous retail therapy, don’t miss the UWRF Makers Market on Thursday night. Join the After Dark crowd at Taman Baca and shop for handmade goods and one-of-a-kind treasures among the smorgasbord of local artists, crafts people and indie designers.
ART ALIVE – LIVE DRAWING WITH MONEZ
More artsy After Dark fun will go down in the same location between 7pm and 8pm as young Balinese illustrator Monez leads us through an interactive live art show. Using digital techniques, he’ll draw a story in real time about people-monsters who live in the jungle.
HELON HABILA: THE CHIBOK GIRLS
Sunday Oct. 30, 10:30am – 11:30am
On April 15, 2014, 267 girls from the Chibok Secondary School in northern Nigeria were kidnapped by Islamic extremist group Boko Haram. In his latest book, award-winning writer Helon Habila shares the personal stories of some of the girls who survived, and talks about the continued uncertainty facing the African nation. Hear him speak in person on Sunday, Oct. 30.
UWRF CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
Last, but certainly not least, you’d be mad to miss the festival’s closing party at the Blanco Renaissance Museum on Sunday night. Festival friends old and new will be cutting loose at an evening of dance, music and celebration. We’ll be particularly looking forward to a performance by The Brothahood, an Australian hip-hop ensemble that uses its music to instill faith and values into young Muslims who may be struggling with their identities.
See you there bookworms and bookbutterflies!
Coconuts Bali is media partners with Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2016.
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