Pramoedya commemoration in Jakarta

The Goethe Institute in Sam Ratulangi Street, Jakarta was packed out as at least 400 people gathered to commemorate the life and work of Pramoedya Ananta Toer on the occasion of 100 days since his passing away. The event was organized by Yayasan Penelitian Korban Politik 1965 (YPKP – Foundation for Research into the Political Victims of 1965) of which Pramoedya was a member. The commemoration, which was held in the evening, followed an extended discussion in the afternoon of a new book by Pramoedya’s brother, Koesalah Soebagyo Toer, Pramoedya Ananta Toer – from very close up. The discussion was an occasion for people to exchange reminiscences and assessments of Pramoedya as they knew him. There was a dynamic mix of people there: from the old pre-1965 Left, communists and Soekarnoists; activists from the contemporary Left, the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD), the Institute for Global Justice (IGJ), Praxis and a range of others – probably more than I recognized, There was also just a mix of people who had read Pram, his readers, a steadily growing constituency from all kinds of backgrounds, young and old, rich and poor. The reach of Pramoedya’s works grows steadily and the size of gatherings of his readers are only held back by the limited funds to advertise events.