altsoundings

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An Evening with Sitok

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2002 – Sitok Srengenge live @ Bar Open – 87mins

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Leading Indonesian poet Sitok Srengenge presents his poems in bahasa Indonesia … alternating with Harry Aveling, a prolific translator of Indonesian poetry and prose, providing english readings.

One of the published poems later in the evening was translated & read by Geoff Fox … a long time friend of Sitok. This one is not for the faint hearted … however Sitok explains the context.

Before Sitok and Harry … Javant Biarujia, who did an Asialink Writer in Residence to Indonesia around the time of President Suharto’s downfall, gives a reading from one of his plays about a Dutch Indo woman’s reminiscences of living through the Japanese occupation in the early 40’s.

From 25 minutes in … to the end of the evening it’s all Sitok and Harry [& Jeff].

For some idea of the artistic and political forces which Sitok participated in / lived through during his formative student years … you could read a 1998 article from Inside Indonesia titled “Cleansing the earth”

Bar Open is a great performance venue & bar in Fitzroy Melbourne Australia.

The event was organised by the now defunct Indonesia Interest Group under the umbrella of AsiaLink.

Photo credit: Komunitas Salihara via Flikr