Leila Chudori
(Indonesia, 1962) is one of the most remarkable contemporary Indonesian writers. In her short stories she exposes taboos in her country and stands up for the right to the self-determination of women. Chudori studied political science in Canada. With her stories she gets a dialogue going between tradition and modernity, whereby the macho society and Indonesian chauvinism bears the brunt. Her latest book, 9 dari Nadira, begins with Nadira's mother's suicide. Nadira dives into her mother's past, she studied in Amsterdam in the 1950s, got married and had children. Her collection of short stories Malam Terakhir of 1989 was translated into German. Leila Chudori has worked as a journalist since 1989, for among others the critical news magazine Tempo. She uses her experiences as a journalist in her short stories. In addition she writes tv and film scripts. Chudori is active on facebook (www.facebook.com/leila.s.chudori) and twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/leilaschudori).
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Archive available for: Leila Chudori
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Oxfam Novib PEN Awards
With: Bejan Matur, Hassnae Bouazza, Kader Abdolah, Leila Chudori, Lionel Veer, Tom van der Lee
With the PEN Awards, Oxfam Novib and PEN Nederland honour writers, journalists and film makers who, going against the tide and sometimes risking their own lives, search for the truth and spread it. Tom van der Lee, of Oxfam Novib, gives a brief introduction about the significance and the importance of the price. After the award presentation by Dutch human rights ambassador Veer, writers from various parts of the world talk to each other about women's rights and sexuality. Hassnae Bouazza talks to Leila Chudori, who tells about the antiporn legislation in Indonesia, and to Bejan Matur on honour killings in Turkey. Are these practices a result of increasing Islamisation or is there another cause? Can women publish about these things in their home countries? With a final word from Kader Abdolah. In English.
Hassnae Bouazza replaces Naema Tahir, who had to cancel for health reasons. -
Forgive or Forget
Can we learn from history or is humanity doomed to go on repeating the same mistakes for ever? Did the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission bring just that or did it yield anger and division? Do Indonesia and the Netherlands suffer from amnesia concerning the black pages in their history? Forgiving and Forgetting: Anil Ramdas chairs a debate between Leila Chudori (Indonesia), Kopano Matlwa (South Africa) and Adriaan van Dis - who has ties with both Indonesia and South Africa - who talk about the most effective strategy. In English.