Lampuki

The winner of Jakarta Art’s Council’s Writing Competition in 2010 and Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2011.

Set in Aceh during the turbulent times after Soeharto’s fall, Ahmadi, a Lampuki village’s hooligan with a thick mustache, suddenly appeared leading a small army of refugee against the government. It was unsettling for the people of the Lampuki village, but when this snobby mustache man start his fiery oration on being a hero of their homeland, it provoke many hearts of the Lampuki’s citizen and provoke them to take up weapons to attack the army troops who came from the opposite island. And these helpless villagers often being a targets of army’s anger because of Ahmadi’s careless act, even though he always escaped the pursuit of people in uniform.

The story is getting more interesting with the forbidden love spices between Halimah, Ahmadi’s wife who is in charge of collecting the taxes, and Jibral, a handsome but cowardly young man who charms the village girls’ hearts. After all, What is a village without daily problems like quarrels, threats, and fights among its people?

This witty satire novel is able to describe in detail about war, social behavior, social character, culture, and human values. It is a face of a vulnerable area that is not easily seen, let alone understood by outsiders. Although it is told in a style that invites laughter, it does not eliminate sympathy for the innocent people who fall as victims. There is no black-and- white depiction sothe message goes deep and ight on target.