May 28, 2023 Last Updated 3:00 AM, May 26, 2023

Arts

Censorship makes a comeback

Recent book bannings mark a return to the repressive practices of the New Order

Driving under the New Order

The tumultuous events of 1965 thwarted Liong Tjie Tjong’s writing aspirations

Watching Balibo in Jakarta

Packed screenings of the controversial film about the deaths of five Australian journalists in East Timor continue, despite an official ban

Heritage and paradox

Wayang Golek is proclaimed a masterpiece, but what is its future?

W.S.Rendra (1935-2009)

The peacock is no more

'When Love Glorifies God'

Islamic film is emerging as a new genre in the Indonesian film world

Decorated for success

Photo essay: Competition leads to artistry and danger on the streets of Kupang

A second revolution?

Dangdut music continues to be a vital part of Indonesian popular culture

Gestures of power and grace

As Minang dance shows, the guiding rules of culture are often unspoken

Dancing the nation in migration

Indonesian women in Perth perform a ‘uniting’ dance

Moving with the times

An update on dance and music in the reformasi era

Surviving conflict

Aceh’s performing arts have blossomed despite the conflict and the tsunami

A hybrid popular culture

Indonesian pop music and television still have a significant influence in East Timor

Graphic resistance

Photo-essay: Dissent and struggle are persistent themes of images adorning walls across East Timor

The Indie takeover

Independent record labels give the majors a run for their money

Filming ambiguity

Young Chinese Indonesian filmmakers examine questions of Chineseness

Demonstrating diversity

Photo-essay: Yogya’s community protests against the Pornography Bill

Hot debates

A law on pornography still divides the community

Beyond the Museum

Asmat bisj-poles gain new meaning in a Papuan refugee protest in Melbourne

Arnold Ap and Theys Eluay

Political assassinations targeted West Papua’s culture and political identity

Latest Articles

Nusantara: capital gain?

May 25, 2023 - PETER WALTERS, IMAM ARDHIANTO, SONIA ROITMAN & RUSLI CAHYADI

Indigenous residents of the new capital city complain about the ‘land mafia’

Photo essay: Minangkabau pig hunting

Apr 26, 2023 - BEN GLEESON

Review: Kartini's letters in translation

Apr 03, 2023 - ILSA NELWAN

Now published in both English and Indonesian translation, the annotated collection will provide a better understanding of this Indonesian heroine

‘Tricked by a hoax’

Mar 22, 2023 - JENNY MUNRO

Truth and irrational violence in West Papua

Photo essay: Welcoming Ramadan in Yogyakarta

Mar 15, 2023 - MARK WOODWARD

In the month before the fasting period, Javanese Muslims perform a diversity of sacred rituals

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A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar