My Jakarta: Khairani ‘Okka’ Barokka, Writer-Performer

Khairani Barokka, or Okka, is an inspirational example of the ‘do what you love and the rest will follow’ way of life. With her passion and love for poetry and the performing arts, she created and organized the first live-streamed spoken word event in Indonesia. The same spirit also motivates her advocacy work in inclusive arts, so that people with and without disabilities can work together and create amazing art. Last year, she became the first Indonesian writer accepted into the Vermont Studio Center, the largest international artists’ and writers’ residency program in the United States. Okka, 27, spoke with My Jakarta about spoken word, her experiences as an artist and a writer, and her work for inclusive arts.