Arts

The struggle over history

Pramoedya Ananta Toer questions the dominant understanding of Indonesia’s historical path

17 August 1945

The revolution begun in 1945 must be completed

Dangdut trendy

Is it techno? Is it traditional? No, it’s techno hybrid ethnic house music

Singing for life

Music is still a potent source of cultural resistance in West Papua

Zakir's demise

Protest poetry lives on in post-Suharto Indonesia

More than just sex

Three women authors take the Indonesian literary world by storm

Semsar Siahaan (1952-2005)

An outsider to all establishments, even artistic ones, Semsar Siahaan is yet to be accorded his rightful place among the ranks of great Indonesian artists

Mochtar Lubis

Always controversial, Mochtar Lubis was one of Indonesia’s most respected journalists and best-known authors for over four decades.

Writing back

Local theatre in Makassar reveals a backlash against Java-centrism

Film revolution?

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.

Comic heyday!

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

Crossing male boundaries

Confidence crisis for Bali’s women mask dancers

Woman power

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

More voices

Women and marginalised groups seize new opportunities in the arts

Generation 98

Djenar Maesa Ayu – one of Indonesia’s exciting new female authors

Speaking of sex

Ignoring teen sexuality only increases health risks

Homicide and hip-hop

Bandung’s outspoken rap group

Girl culture on the big screen

No longer misfits, but far from gender warriors

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

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