Literature for Brotherhood
Ama became acquainted with the world of literature, especially poetry, when he was an elementary school student. At that time, a schoolmate from Surabaya recited a work by poet Chairil Anwar, “Karawang Bekasi”.
Ama Achmad
Ama Achmad, 40, was born in Luwuk, a city without bookshops in Banggai regency, Central Sulawesi. He was familiar with the names of writers only from textbooks on the Indonesian language. Through the Babasal Mombasa Community he founded, Ama has turned literature into a bridge to foster the spirit of brotherhood in Banggai.
Ama became acquainted with the world of literature, especially poetry, when he was an elementary school student. At that time, a schoolmate from Surabaya recited a work by poet Chairil Anwar, “Karawang Bekasi”.
“When he was reciting the poem, I felt excited and moved. I asked my teacher who had written the verse, in what year, and who Chairil Anwar was,” recalled Ama when contacted on Tuesday (1/3/2022) in Banggai.
The teacher answered the few questions Ama had asked. However, that day’s event lingered in his mind. Ama was deeply impressed.
“With words, you will be immortal. With words, your [life’s] journey will leave an everlasting trace. From then on, I started writing poetry,” he said.
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Although he was fond of writing poems and short stories, his works were then only a personal endeavor. As a child who lived a long way from Jakarta and had no access to literature, he found it hard to develop his interest in ilterature. His parents had no idea how to channel Ama’s interests, either.
“Actually, my father frequently went out of town and always bought some books. There were literary works, storybooks like Lupus, or magazines,” said Ama.
Every time he finished reading a book, his father would always ask Ama to retell the story in the book. The experience helped his literary interests to grow.
The presence of bookshops in the provincial capital of South Sulawesi fulfilled his longing for literature.
Entering adulthood, Ama studied electrical engineering at the technology faculty of Indonesian Muslim University in Makassar. There, Ama increased his knowledge on poetry. The presence of bookshops in the provincial capital of South Sulawesi fulfilled his longing for literature.
Sadly, his preoccupation with his engineering studies prevented him from writing many poems. He only channeled his writing into his blog as a hobby.
His dissimilar circle of friends also distanced him from literature. After graduation, Ama even applied for a job at a state-owned company. But he did this merely to make his parents happy.
Deciding to return to Banggai, Ama began to write more works in the Notes of his Facebook account. Not long later, he switched to Twitter.
“On Twitter I found many people, many literature accounts. Then I became acquainted with them. As on Twitter one can write 140 characters with no restriction, Twitter then became my safe space for writing poetry,” said Ama.
As a result, he discovered many things. One of these was about the Emerging Writers category at literary festivals. In 2014, Ama ventured to send his poems to the Emerging Writers category of the Makassar International Writers Festival. Unexpectedly, he passed its selection. This further broadened Ama’s literary horizon.
Three Banggai features
As his father grew ill, Ama took over the madrasah for disadvantaged children his father had set up. His work in managing the madrasah went along well with his pursuit of literacy and literature.
Apart from opening a reading corner, Ama also frequently set up a similar literacy space in a park or spoke about literacy at schools and other places. Ama also wrote in local newspapers, which worried his father because his articles were about banning books, Soeharto allegedly eliminating historical records and others.
Ama Achmad
“My father was a legislator in Luwuk during the Soeharto period, so he is still very New Order-oriented. I write whatever I want to say. How can we write if we are afraid? We should be free,” he pointed out.
At the end of 2015, Ama founded the Babasal Mombasa Community. Babasal is an acronym derived from the three ethnic groups in Banggai, which are Banggai, Balantak and Saluan. Mombasa means reading.
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“We use the name because we want to embrace them all in one module,” he said.
In his view, a community like Babasal Mombasa was important because a city’s identity was defined not only by its name, but also its cultural activities.
“We started with Luwuk Poetry Night. It’s an activity held in nearly all cities in Indonesia. It began in Bali, followed by other cities. So, it’s a lively event every month,” he said. Although modest in its organization, there was encouraging response.
The community grew even more active. Young adults aged 24-26 started to join. Many of those who used to prefer hanging out and disliked books began to write. Others started reading books.
Stigma
In 2021, Ama and his community progressed even further. As initially intended, they wanted to cover the three zones of Banggai, which are Banggai regency on land, and the Banggai Islands and Marine Banggai in the sea.
Banggai people in the marine zones are often stigmatized, called sea dwellers and scorned for their different accent.
According to Ama, what the community has yet to promote by is the spirit of brotherhood among the people of the three Banggai zones that seem different because they are separated by land and sea. Banggai people in the marine zones are often stigmatized, called sea dwellers and scorned for their different accent.
“We are actually brothers. Only in cultural terms are the mainland and coastal people slightly different. So, we keep bringing up the issue that we are brothers, [we are not] different,” he said.
The community has established the virtual Banggai Literature Academy, offering a seven-month course to participants from the three regencies. Its target is to publish books. The community hopes that youths can spread the spirit of brotherhood and the enthusiasm of writing literature to the rest of the regency’s population.
Ama Achmad
Born: Luwuk, 3 Sept. 1981
Education:
- Pembina elementary school, Luwuk
- MTs Islamic junior high school, Luwuk
- SMA 2 Luwuk senior high school
- Electrical engineering, Indonesian Muslim University
Bibliography:
- Antologi Isis dan Musim-musim (Anthology of Isis and the seasons, 2014)
- Antologi 100 Perempuan Bukan Penyair (Anthology of 100 female non-poets, 2014)
- Keterampilan Membaca Laut (Skill of reading the seas, 2019)
Organizations:
- Chairman, Babasal Mombasa Foundation (2018-present)
- Chairman, Indonesian Women Art Workers Association (2021-present)
(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)
