Local theatre in Makassar reveals a backlash against Java-centrism

Women are now on both sides of the camera

Subversive ‘underground’ voices in Indonesian rap Michael Bodden It’s Jakarta, June 2004 and the boom box is playing a hip-hop beat. It’s a far cry from the meditative gamelan music, saccharine love songs or even the sensual dangdut one expects to hear in Java. The rapper is Xaqhala and he spins a gritty, rhythmic poem of everyday youth experience.

Indonesia’s comic scene is in a golden age but the industry remains marginal and plagued by self-doubt

Confidence crisis for Bali’s women mask dancers

In Bali, a new all-female dance-drama troupe is flouting traditional gender roles

Women and marginalised groups seize new opportunities in the arts