To Celebrate Indonesian Independence, TISI Launches Joint Bilingual Poetry Anthology “Mother Tongue, My Blood Language”
JAKARTA-JAYANEWS.COM – To celebrate the 81st anniversary of Indonesian Independence, the Indonesian Literature Inspiration Park (TISI) literary community will launch a joint bilingual poetry anthology with the theme “Mother Tongue, My Blood Language” on Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM WIB at the HB. Jassin Literary Documentation Center (PDS) Hall, Ali Sadikin Building, 4th Floor, Jakarta Arts Center (PKJ), Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Jakarta.
This was stated by Octavianus Masheka, Chair of the Indonesian Literature Inspiration Park (TISI), to reporters in Jakarta on Sunday morning (August 2, 2026).
“This literary event will open with a welcoming speech from Nasruddin Djoko Surjono, Head of the Jakarta Provincial Library and Archives Office,” he explained.
According to Bung Octa—his nickname—this 2026 literary event is the fifth in the series and will continue.
“TISI holds activities to preserve mother tongues from several regions throughout Indonesia every year by presenting anthologies of bilingual poetry,” he said.
“TISI invites regional language and Indonesian literary figures in Jakarta to attend a discussion with book and cash prizes during this month of the 81st Indonesian Independence Day,” he added.
Referring to the literary event, which is associated with the 81st Indonesian Independence Day celebrations, Octavianus Masheka—also known as a poet and writer—said that the 2026 Indonesian Independence Day celebrations also serve to inform the wider public that regional languages played a significant role in the Indonesian struggle for independence.
“Regional languages such as Javanese, Batak, Sundanese, and many other regional languages throughout Indonesia played a role in the early years of Indonesian Independence in 1945, particularly through communication during the struggle,” he said.
Poetry Readers
The launch and literary discussion of this bilingual (Indonesian-Regional) poetry anthology with the theme “Mother Tongue, My Blood Language,” moderated by Swary Utami Dewi, will feature speakers (1) Octavianus Masheka, (2) Saut Poltak Tambunan, and (3) Eva Yenita Syam.
The poetry readers will include Kurnia Effendi, Nurhayati, Hana, Indar, Boyke Sulaiman (declarator), Jose Rizal Manua (declarator), Salman Yoga S (Gayo poet), Imam Ma’arif, and Rissa Churia. (***)
Contributor: Lasman Simanjuntak
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