Australian Talent Abundant at 2010 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

This year’s Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) features a range of leading Australians including fiction and non-fiction writers, hip hop and electronic music artists, arts managers and academics all under the theme: ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika : Harmony in Diversity’.

The Australian Government is proud of its long history as a supporter and sponsor of the festival since the inaugural event in 2003, and views the Australian talent who attend as a valuable and practical means of strengthening mutual cultural understanding between Australia and Indonesia.

Through the event, and due to the hard work of Australian-born Festival Director Janet De Neefe and her team, Australia continues to further promote Australian literature among Indonesian writers, critics and readers so Indonesian audiences are able to experience at firsthand literary art and talent uniquely Australian. The Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the Australian Consulate-General in Bali will tomorrow jointly host a reception in Ubud for the Australian writers, bringing together a wide range of readers and writers from both countries.

Julie Clark, an Australian arts manager and journalist who was awarded an Australian Government funded Asialink Arts residency to assist with the organisation of the festival and later establish an Indonesian-Australian exchange for writers and poets, was welcomed to the festival in September. Clarke has had 20 years experience in the creative industries in Australia and the UK. The Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII), established by the Australian Government, has also supported, through the Walkley Foundation, two of Australia’s most prominent journalists, Paul Ham and Gerard Ryle. They will discuss the role of contemporary journalism and their own award-winning works at the festival.

The Australian Embassy is also proud to present other prominent Australian talent at the festival, including performances by rapper and poet Omar Musa, hip hop Muslim artists The Brothahood, and Indigenous hip hop trio The Last Kinection, As part of the Australian Embassy’s month-long cultural festival OzFest 2010 (from 17 September to 17 October 2010), they will also travel from Ubud to Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Jakarta for performances with local communities.

These visits to Indonesia have been funded by the Australian Government, through the Australia International Cultural Council (AICC) - Australia’s key cultural diplomacy body in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the AII and Asialink, also sponsored by the AII and Arts NSW.

Media Enquiries:
Sanchi Davis, First Secretary (Cultural) mob. 0811 936 302