The Passion of Makassar to Put Literature on Stage

KOMPAS/RENY SRI AYU

The theater performance with a drama entitled "I Maddi Daeng ri Makka", was performed by theater players from the Makassar Arts Council, at the Societeit de Harmonie Building, Makassar, South Sulawesi, in 2018.

Activities related to literacy and literary works are on the increase in Makassar. What makes us proud is that many young people are actively involved in promoting literary works. It has become the marker of metropolitan civilization in eastern Indonesia.

Muhary Wahyu Nurba (48), a poet from Makassar, South Sulawesi, really enjoyed the beauty of Mount Tambora in West Nusa Tenggara last week. He visits the place quite often while completing the scripts for his website Magrib.id, which he founded and has managed himself for the past two years.

Also read: The Growing Efforts to Preserve Malang’s Mask Dance Drama

The website specializes in literary works. Muhary has a mission to put on stage poetry, short stories, essays, and various literary works, which have so far received not much attention from conventional media.

I found the people were quite enthusiastic about filling the page. Unfortunately, the page was limited

"I once managed literary pages for several local media outlets in South Sulawesi and Mataram (NTB). I found the people were quite enthusiastic about filling the page. Unfortunately, the page was limited,” he said.

For two years, Muhary used his own money to pay the fees of the writers and to finance the media operations. "This is a form of my love for literature. After all, I have other income to keep Magrib.id alive so that it would disrupt my budget for food and family needs," he said.

KOMPAS/RENY SRI AYU

A resident crosses the Losari Beach pavilion in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Wednesday (30/9/2020).

Previously, after the earthquake in Lombok and Palu in 2018, Muhary invited a number of writers to write inspirational stories for children and published them in a book titled Memetik Keberanian (Pick up the Courage). Some of the books were sent to children in refugee camps. The rest were sent to a number of libraries and literacy communities to be read by children.

Muhary has actively taken part in promoting literature in Makassar, the biggest city in eastern Indonesia. For several years, activities related to literature and literacy in South Sulawesi, especially Makassar, have continued to increase.

These activities are not only in the form of big events involving large audiences, but also in the form of a small discussion in a library and a competition. The number of literary works continues to increase as the new writers begin to take over the baton from the older generation.

Also read: Surabaya Art and Cultural Parade Makes Virtual Shift

The activities are dominated by young people. Poet Aan Mansyur and short story writer Faisal Oddang are among the few who have made achievements on the national literary stage.

Many were stunned when the film sequel Ada Apa dengan Cinta 2 (What’s up with Love 2) used poetry written by Aan Mansyur. Even Ariel, the vocalist of the band Noah said he had to ask Aan to add lyrics to his unfinished song "Kupeluk Hatimu" (Embracing Your Heart).

It was the same when Faisal Oddang\'s name suddenly became famous when he won the 2014 Kompas Short Story Competition. Faisal\'s works in literature continued and he won a number of awards from various institutions or organizations.

KOMPAS/RENY SRI AYU

The theater performance with a drama entitled "I Maddi Daeng ri Makka", was performed by theater players from the Makassar Arts Council, at the Societeit de Harmonie Building, Makassar, South Sulawesi, in 2018.

Apart from individuals, communities are also involved in literary activities in Makassar. One of them is the local branch of a national writers forum called Forum Lingkar Pena (FLP). The FLP Sulawesi is one of the most active FLP branches in the country.

The head of the FLP Sulawesi, Andi Batara Al Isra, said the Covid-19 pandemic did not dampen the enthusiasm of the local writers to work. The webinars or online training conducted by FLP during the pandemic were always enthusiastically welcomed.

Literature is a marker of civilization in a city.

Siti Mardiah (29), aka Nahla, is among the most active FLP members in South Sulawesi. Living far from Makassar, namely Enrekang regency, in 2019, the housewife won a children\'s story writing competition held by the Language Center. Having been Active in FLP since 2011, Nahla has produced hundreds of works which not only consist of short stories and poetry but also children\'s stories. Some were published in local media, and some others were published in anthologies.

Also read: Art Performances during the Outbreak Era

Another active writer is Aslan Abidin, a lecturer at the Faculty of Languages and Letters, State University of Makassar. He is also the founder of the Makassar Literature Institute (ISM), which trains people who have an interest in literature.

Outside campus, there are many groups of literary activists such as the Kata Kerja library founded by Aan Mansyur and the Ininnawa publishing company, now chaired by Anwar Jimpe Rahman, as well as Jenny\'s Bookstore.

"Literature is a marker of civilization in a city. The history of the city might be written in a good narrative. However, literature can record the history of a city in various events, such as politics, democracy and even tragedy, in a different and more humane form and perspective," said Aslan.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.