Mutia Sukma
Country:
Indonesia
Poem 1:
Poem 2:
Poem 3:
Link:
Restless Jakarta
Soenda Kelapa
Herb seller at the Tomb
Bio
Mutia Sukma (born on May 12, 1988) writes essays, short stories, and poetry that have been published in several mainstream newspapers in Indonesia including Kompas, Tempo, Kedaulatan Rakyat, and others. Her first poetry book, Questions about the World, was among the top five in the Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2017 in the First and Second Book categories. Her second poetry book, entitled Love and Memory (2019), was in the top ten of the Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2010 in the Poetry Book category. She also wrote a travelogue titled Peeking into the Islamic Land of Wetu Telu from Behind the Ruins of an Earthquake. This book is the result of a residency from the Writer's Creation program held by the Language and Book Development Agency of the Republic of Indonesia. She is an alumna of the Department of Language and Literature at the Faculty of Language and Arts, Yogyakarta State University (Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta), and holds a Masters degree in Literary Studies from Gadjah Mada University (Universitas Gadjah Mada) in Indonesia.
What are the ecological/ social crises within your region?
Recently, I have been reading a number of Indonesian novels that focus on the exploitation of Indonesia’s natural resources during the colonial era. From these readings, I have noticed a common pattern: colonialism exploited natural resources excessively to reap as much profit as possible, while the local communities, who respected nature, only took what they needed, leaving plenty for future generations. After colonialism arrived, even the little they had was taken, leaving nothing for their descendants. What these novels observed continues to this day. The exploitation of natural resources – through excessive mining, the planting of single-species trees that kill off native habitats, and the clearing of traditional lands – has never ceased. I dream of a world that is more orderly, where humans and nature work together harmoniously, and the voices of local / traditional communities, who still hold the knowledge and spirituality of the land, are heard. I hope that day will truly come.
Translator's Bio
Ida Puspita studied English Literature at Universitas Ahmad Dahlan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, at the undergraduate level and continued her Master of Arts by Research at the School of English Literatures and Philosophy, University of Wollongong, Australia, with a thesis entitled “Women’s Identities and Resistance in Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s The Girl from the Coast and Katharine Susannah Prichard’s Coonardoo.” Since 2005, she has been a lecturer in the English Literature Study Program at the Faculty of Literature, Culture, and Communication at Universitas Ahmad Dahlan. Her interests in literature focus on topics related to comparative literature, postcolonial literature, and sociology of literature.
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Ecopoetikon aims to offer equal voice and representation to established ecopoets from around the world. Based in the School of Creative Arts at the University of Gloucestershire in the UK, Ecopoetikon is a developing research project that showcases a diverse international network of ecopoets through an online mapping project. We make available inspirational and thought-provoking work from ecopoets demonstrating commitment and creative innovation in their practice.
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