Janet de Neefe

The woman behind southeast Asia’s most prestigious literary event When tragedy strikes in the world, whether it be through tyrannical governments, natural disasters or the acts of malevolent individuals, many of us shut down, thinking ourselves incapable of creating positive change. Today’s Oblivious Witness guest is a sparkling example of the opposite of that reaction. When the Bali bombings happened in 2002, Janet de Neefe, an Australian who had by then made Bali her home, responded by creating a human rights festival disguised as a writers festival. The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is now in its 23rd year, and next month it will provide a stage for a host of extraordinary writers and thinkers, including UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, multiple award-winning Indian author Kiran Desai, and Indonesian journalist and film-maker Dandhy Laksono. In today’s conversation, Janet tells us about her first visit to Bali as a teenager, about a later trip to the island that changed the course of her life, about navigating cultural differences, about how it is travelling the world on a green passport instead of a blue one, and about running a literary festival that gives the world’s great thinkers a platform upon which to discuss the most pressing issues of our times. And I’d love to hear your stories too If anything in this episode inspires you to see the world a little differently or to expand your own horizons in any way, I’d love to hear from you. Please drop a note in the comments or send me a message about a story you’d like to share. Every heart-squeeze and comment makes it more likely that someone else might happen upon a conversation that could just widen their world. MUSIC: Defining Life, by Bill Conn Written and produced by Michelle Neeling Oblivious Witness is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Oblivious Witness at michelleneeling.substack.com/subscribe