The spectacular Caldera of Lake Toba in North Sumatera, Indonesia has helped nurture the proud and enterprising Batak ethnic community with sub-ethnic groups of Toba, Karo. Pakpak, Simalungun, Angkola and Mandailing. Their rich culture evidenced in language, literature, architecture, art, sculpture, music, dance, cuisine, tribal customs and festivals has fascinated many over the centuries. Lake Toba has been included in UNESCO’s List of Global Geoparks and it has been named a super priority tourism destination by Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Government of Indonesia.
Kaldera Danau Toba yang spektakuler di Sumatera Utara, Indonesia telah membantu menumbuhkan komunitas etnis Batak yang bangga dan giat dengan sub-etnis Toba, Karo. Pakpak, Simalungun, Angkola dan Mandailing. Budaya mereka yang kaya dibuktikan dalam bahasa, sastra, arsitektur, seni, patung, musik, tarian, masakan, adat istiadat suku, dan festival telah memesona banyak orang selama berabad-abad. Danau Toba telah masuk dalam Daftar Geopark Global UNESCO dan dinobatkan sebagai destinasi wisata super prioritas oleh Kementerian Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif, Pemerintah Indonesia.
Lake Toba Writers Festival, a collaboration between lovers of Lake Toba, Batak Culture and Creative Writing, seeks to enhance this fascination and inspiration. Leading strategic advisory firm PT IndonesiaWISE, that has initiated many pioneering projects in Sustainability and Intercultural Capacity Building, is the prime sponsor and driver of this event. The inaugural edition will take place on 26-27 September 2023 at Rogate Beach Hotel on Samosir island at the center of the lake. It will bring together writers, readers, teachers, creative artists and culture buffs from around the province, Indonesia and the world.
Festival Penulis Toba Writers, sebuah kolaborasi pecinta Danau Toba, Budaya Batak, dan Karya Tulis Kreatif, berupaya meningkatkan daya tarik dan inspirasi ini. Perusahaan penasihat strategis terkemuka PT IndonesiaWISE, yang telah memprakarsai banyak proyek perintis di bidang Keberlanjutan dan Pembangunan Kapasitas Antarbudaya, adalah sponsor utama dan penggerak acara ini. Edisi perdana akan berlangsung pada 26-27 September 2023 di Rogate Beach Resort di pulau Samosir di tengah danau. Ini akan mempertemukan penulis, pembaca, guru, seniman kreatif dan penggemar budaya dari seluruh provinsi, Indonesia dan dunia.
Some of the prominent writers, creative artists and culture experts attending the 2023 event are Saut Poltak Tambunan, Thomson Hutasoit, Amol Titus, Jekmen Sinulingga, Martha Pardede, Jones Gultom, Robert Sibarani, Budi Hutasuhut, Sepwan Sinaga, Binoto Hutabalian and several others from around the region.
Beberapa tokoh sastrawan, seniman kreatif, dan pakar budaya terkemuka yang hadir pada acara tahun 2023 ini adalah Saut Poltak Tambunan, Thomson Hutasoit, Amol Titus, Jekmen Sinulingga, Martha Pardede, Jones Gultom, Robert Sibarani, Budi Hutasuhut, Sepwan Sinaga, Binoto Hutabalian dan beberapa lainnya dari di sekitar wilayah tersebut.
Day 1, Tuesday 26 September 2023 Agenda
- 08.30-09.00 : Registration
- 09.00-09.45 : Session 1 – Opening Ceremony, Speeches, Traditional Batak Welcome, Invocations
- 09.45-10.30 : Festival Homage to Sitor Situmorang and Nahum Situmorang
- 10.30-10.45 : Rest Break
- 10.45-12.15 : Session 2 – Lake Toba Inspirations in Literature (Budi Hutasuhut, Sepwan Sinaga)
- 12.15-13.30 : Lunch Break
- 13.30-15.00 : Session 3 – Literary Explorations of Nature vs Nurture (Thomson Hutasoit, Amol Titus)
- 15.00-15.15 : Rest Break
- 15.15-16.45 : Session 4 – Confluence of Ethnic, Regional, National and Global Identities (Martha Pardede, Jones Gultom)
- 16.45-17.00 : Closing Announcements
Daily entrance ticket is IDR 120,000- (IDR 80,000- for school/ university students and teachers) including tax and bonus Lunch Box. Payable at site.
Day 2, Wednesday 27 September 2023 Agenda
- 08.30-09.00 : Registration
- 09.00-09.30 : Festival Homage to Rabindranath Tagore and Chairil Anwar
- 09.30-10.30 : Session 5 – Challenge for Poets and Poetry in a Post-Truth World (Amol Titus)
- 10.30-10.45 : Rest Break
- 10.45-12.15 : Session 6 – Linguistic Prowess and Expertise of Asian Writers (Robert Sibarani, Binoto Hutabalian)
- 12.15-13.15 : Lunch Break
- 13.15-14.45 : Session 7 – Relevance & Revival of Batak Language and Literature (Saut Poltak Tambunan, Jekmen Sinulingga)
- 14.45-15.00 : Rest Break
- 15.00-16.30 : Session 8 – Special Batak Opera Performance (Performed by Thomson Hutasoit and Group)
- 16.30-17.00 : Closing Speeches, Acknowledgements and Commemorations
Daily entrance ticket is IDR 120,000- (IDR 80,000- for school/ university students and teachers) including tax and
bonus Lunch Box. Payable at site.
At Lake Toba Writers Festival 2023 there will be a special Festival Homage paid to Sitor Situmorang, Nahum Situmorang, Chairil Anwar and Rabindranath Tagore. Sitor Situmorang and Chairil Anwar are legendary Indonesian poets and writers while Nahum Situmorang gave voice and musicality to some of Batak culture’s most famous songs and poetry. All 3 hail from North Sumatera. Rabindranath Tagore, legendary poet, writer, educator and Nobel Laureate from India, visited Indonesia in 1927. In September 2023, Tagore’s home and university in Santiniketan, West Bengal, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Pada Festival Penulis Danau Toba 2023 akan ada Penghormatan khusus yang diberikan kepada Sitor Situmorang, Nahum Situmorang, Chairil Anwar dan Rabindranath Tagore. Sitor Situmorang dan Chairil Anwar adalah penyair dan penulis legendaris Indonesia, sedangkan Nahum Situmorang memberikan suara dan musikalitas pada lagu dan puisi budaya Batak yang paling terkenal. Ketiganya berasal dari Sumatera Utara. Rabindranath Tagore, penyair legendaris, penulis, pendidik dan Penerima Nobel dari India, mengunjungi Indonesia tahun 1927. Pada bulan September 2023, rumah dan universitas Tagore di Santiniketan, Benggala Barat, dinyatakan sebagai Situs Warisan Dunia oleh UNESCO.
A special feature of Lake Toba Writers Festival will be an endeavor to help preserve the ancient Batak Language and Opera that are in urgent need of support for their revival and outreach to a wider audience.
Fitur khusus dari Festival Penulis Danau Toba adalah upaya untuk membantu melestarikan Bahasa dan Opera Batak kuno yang sangat membutuhkan dukungan untuk kebangkitan dan jangkauan mereka ke khalayak yang lebih luas.
The festival will also seek to promote Sustainable Tourism by encouraging responsible behaviors, giving opportunities to local businesses and vendors and undertaking CSR activities like book donations for local libraries, linguistic capacity building among school and university teachers and encouragement of local and youth writers. Thus, the 4 CSR Pillars of the Festival are i. Local Community Support ii. Opera Batak Heritage Protection Support iii. Books Donation and Library Support and iv. Teacher Training Support.
Festival ini juga akan berupaya untuk mempromosikan Pariwisata Berkelanjutan dengan mendorong perilaku yang bertanggung jawab, memberikan kesempatan kepada bisnis dan vendor lokal, dan melakukan kegiatan CSR seperti sumbangan buku untuk perpustakaan lokal, peningkatan kapasitas bahasa di antara guru sekolah dan universitas, serta mendorong penulis lokal dan pemuda. Dengan demikian, 4 Pilar CSR Festival ini adalah i. Dukungan Masyarakat Lokal ii. Dukungan Pelestarian Peninggalan Opera Batak iii. Donasi Buku dan Dukungan Perpustakaan dan iv. Dukungan Pelatihan Guru.
Tetti Naibaho, Head of Department of Culture and Tourism, Samosir has proudly announced that “Lake Toba Writers Festival is a great addition to the comprehensive calendar of events aimed at promoting this unique destination that has been accorded the ‘super priority’ status. We look forward to welcoming writers, readers, culture lovers and media to Samosir.”
Tetti Naibaho, Kepala Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Samosir dengan bangga menyampaikan ini ““Festival Penulis Danau Toba merupakan tambahan yang bagus dalam kalender acara komprehensif yang bertujuan untuk mempromosikan destinasi unik yang telah diberi status ‘prioritas super’ ini. Kami menantikan kedatangan para penulis, pembaca, pecinta budaya, dan media ke Samosir. Horas!”
According to Saut Poltak Tambunan, Writer, Linguistic Expert, Educationist, “Lake Toba Writers Festival answers the long pending aspiration among writers and creative artists to have a prestigious international festival of our own. We are making a beginning with sincere intention and are confident that in the years to come this festival will become a favorite among writers and experts from Indonesia and around the world.”
Menurut Saut Poltak Tambunan, Penulis, Pakar Linguistik, Pendidik, “Festival Penulis Danau Toba menjawab aspirasi lama para penulis dan seniman kreatif untuk menyelenggarakan festival internasional yang bergengsi. Kami mengawalinya dengan niat tulus dan yakin di tahun-tahun mendatang festival ini akan menjadi favorit para penulis dan pakar dari Indonesia dan dunia. Horas!
According to Amol Titus, Writer, Poet, Educationist, Senior Strategic Advisor, “Lake Toba Writers Festival will celebrate Languages (Batak, Bahasa Indonesia, English), Literatures (Ancient, Classical, Contemporary), Creative Forms (Prose, Poetry, Opera) and Diversity (Local, National, Global) in a truly evocative and inspirational setting.”
Menurut Amol Titus, Penulis, Penyair, Pendidik, Penasihat Strategis Senior, “Festival Penulis Danau Toba akan merayakan Bahasa (Batak, Bahasa Indonesia, Inggris), Sastra (Kuno, Klasik, Kontemporer), Bentuk Kreatif (Prosa, Puisi, Opera) dan Keberagaman (Lokal, Nasional, Global) dengan cara yang benar-benar menggugah dan inspiratif. Horas!”
According to Thomson Hutasoit, Writer, Cultural Expert, Opera Director “I am very excited about the Lake Toba Writers Festival and the opportunity to perform the rare art form of Opera Batak that combines Poetry, Music, Dance and traditional Cultural Elements. Horas!”
Menurut Thomson Hutasoit, Penulis, Pegiat Budaya, Sutradara Opera “Saya sangat gembira dengan Festival Penulis Danau Toba dan kesempatan untuk menampilkan kesenian langka Opera Batak yang memadukan Puisi, Musik, Tari, dan Unsur Budaya tradisional. Horas!”
With the support of well-wishers, it is hoped that Lake Toba Writers Festival will become an annual part of the Cultural and Literary Calendar of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. We invite you to attend this unique event and look forward to greeting you with the traditional Batak greeting of Horas!
Dengan dukungan para simpatisan, Festival Penulis Danau Toba diharapkan menjadi bagian tahunan dari Kalender Budaya dan Sastra Indonesia dan Asia Tenggara. Kami mengundang Anda untuk menghadiri acara unik ini dan menantikan untuk dapat menyapa Anda dengan salam tradisional Batak Horas!
“Lake Toba Writers Festival is a great addition to the comprehensive calendar of events aimed at promoting this unique destination that has been accorded the ‘super priority’ status. We look forward to welcoming writers, readers, culture lovers and media to Samosir. Horas!”
– Tetti Naibaho, Head of Department of Culture and Tourism, Samosir
“I am very excited about the Lake Toba Writers Festival and the opportunity to perform the rare art form of Opera Batak that combines Poetry, Music, Dance and traditional Cultural Elements. Horas! ”
– Thomson Hutasoit, Writer, Cultural Expert, Opera Director
“Lake Toba Writers Festival answers the long pending aspiration among writers and creative artists to have a prestigious international festival of our own. We are making a beginning with sincere intention and are confident that in the years to come this festival will become a favorite among writers and experts from Indonesia and around the world. Horas!”
– Saut Poltak Tambunan, Writer, Linguistic Expert, Educationist
“Lake Toba Writers Festival will celebrate Languages (Batak, Bahasa Indonesia, English), Literatures (Ancient, Classical, Contemporary), Creative Forms (Prose, Poetry, Opera) and Diversity (Local, National, Global) in a truly evocative and inspirational setting. Horas! ”
– Amol Titus, Writer, Poet, Educationist, Senior Strategic Advisor
CSR Program 1 (Local Community Support)
Tuesday, 26 September 2023 (16.30-19.00)
A Crafts and Local Products Bazaar will be organized to support Lake Toba communities, self employed, small and medium businesses and village cooperatives. Tea/coffee, snacks and food during the Festival is being sourced from suppliers in Desa Unjur and Desa Huta Tinggi . In this way we hope to help promote and popularize wonderful Ulos cloths, handicrafts, spices, coffee and organic items.
CSR Program 2 (Opera Batak Heritage Preservation Support)
Wednesday, 27 September 2023 (15.00-16.30)
Opera Batak has a unique theatre style that combines ancient Batak cultural elements of language, mythology, story telling, poetry, music, traditional instruments and costumes. By incorporating a performance in the Festival that is expertly choreographed and which gives opportunities to young performers, we hope to support era Batak’s critical revival.
CSR Program 3 (Books Donation and Library Support)
Presentation during Festival Closing Ceremony
Unfortunately, in current times the habit of reading books, magazines, essays and poetry, is dying out. Books stalls are vanishing, and libraries look abandoned. Without proper reading habits and exposure to great literary and creative minds, the education of youth is incomplete. Writers assembling at the Festival will address this issue by donating sets of their books.
CSR Program 4 (Teacher Training Support)
Thursday, 28 September 2023 (10.00-12.00)
According to Encyclopedia Britannica Batak Language belongs to the Austronesian family. In 2nd -3rd century it was influenced by Indian ideas of alphabet and writing. It was further developed by six cultural communities of the Toba, Karo, Simalungun, Pak Pak, Mandailing and Angkola. Batak language experts will train teachers to help ensure that this ancient language survives.
Rogate Beach Hotel located in Desa Unjur on Samosir island in the middle of Lake Toba, is the spectacular natural setting for the Lake Toba Writers Festival. We invoke the blessings of this ancient volcanic caldera lake for the writers, creative artists and participants attending the Festival. We also commit to its environmental protection by promoting sustainable practices like ‘BYOBB’ (Bring your own Bag and Bottle), minimizing plastic and pollution, sourcing local and organic produce and conserving water and energy during the Festival.
Lake Toba Writers Festival 2023 CSR Program – Teachers Training Event at Rogate Beach Hotel, Desa Unjur, Samosir (Thursday, 28 September 2023, 10.00-12.30)
Program CSR Lake Toba Writers Festival 2023 – Acara Pelatihan Guru di Rogate Beach Hotel, Desa Unjur, Samosir (Kamis, 28 September 2023, 10.00-12.30)
Program Agenda
09.30-10.00 : Registration / Registrasi
10.00-10.15 : Opening Announcements / Pembukaan
10.15-10.30 : Introductory Speech ( Bp Jonson Gultom/ SambutanPembukaoleh Bp. Jonson Gultom, KepalaDinas Pendidikan Pemuda & OlahRaga
10.30-11.00 : Batak Language –Influences from Indian PallavaLanguage and Script (Bp Amol Titus) / Bahasa Batak –PengaruhBahasa dan
AksaraPallawaIndia (Bp Amol Titus)
11.00-11.45 : Relevance of Batak Language and Literature (Bp Saut PoltakTambunan) / RelevansiBahasa dan Sastra Batak (Bp Saut PoltakTambunan)
11.45-12.15 : Interactive Discussion on Batak Language Usage, Socialization and Challenges / DiskusiInteraktifPenggunaan, Sosialisasidan Tantangan
Bahasa Batak
12.15-12.30 : Certificates, Group Photo, Lunch and Close / Sertifikat, Foto Grup, MakanSiang dan Penutupan
Workshop Objectives / Tujuan
1. Enhance knowledge about Batak
Language Origins and Influences /
MenambahpengetahuantentangAsal
Usuldan PengaruhBahasa Batak
2. Understand about relevance of Batak
Language and Literature in the current
context / MemahamirelevansiBahasa
dan Sastra Batak dalamkonteksmasa kini
3. Discuss Ideas about enhancing Batak
Language socialization and usage among
youth and wider community / Diskusi
Gagasan tentang peningkatan sosialisasi
dan penggunaan Bahasa Batak di
kalangan pemuda dan masyarakat luas
Note : Admission is for invited teachers
only. This capacity building workshop is
made possible by the generous support
of the Lake Toba Writers Festival.
Catatan: Pendaftaran hanya untuk guru
yang diundang. Loka karya peningkatan
kapasitas ini terlaksana berkat dukungan
penuh dari Festival Penulis Danau Toba.
“Bisuksongonulok, marrohasongondarapati.” kutipan dalam Bahasa Batak yang artinya“Cerdik seperti ular, bijak seperti merpati” dalam Bahasa Indonesia “Cunning like a snake, wise like a Peacock” in English language
10 Wonderful Elements of Batak Culture
