In 2015 I was forced to leave Singapore when the smoke haze, mainly from fires burning on Sumatran peatlands, became so heavy it was unhealthy for me to remain. My exit was easy but the people in Sumatra and Kalimantan, particularly Central Kalimantan, were not so fortunate. All of those in affected areas were living in far … Continue reading Tackling the smoke #haze problem with alternative sustainable #peatland production
Here is an overview of my book Seen and Unseen: a century of stories from Asia & the Pacific with a selection of images reflecting aspects of the stories that unfold in its pages. Both paperback and kindle versions of the book are available through Amazon. Further background on my book is also available on it's website.
Common views of Asia and the Pacific, from the outside, often confer undue prominence to such things as typhoons, tsunami, earthquakes, malaria or even magic. While these can be confronting realities in the Asia-Pacific region beyond such differences even more remains unseen and misunderstood. Frequently unacknowledged are the influences Asian and Pacific cultures exert far beyond their borders. … Continue reading The author on “Seen and Unseen: a century of stories from #Asia and the #Pacific”
The Ubud Experience Ubud Writers' Feastival is for many the comtemporarty face of Ubud. In successfully nurturing this event from infancy to it's present global standing Janet De Neefe has added another layer to way Ubud is understood. In former times Ubud was known as a special place set on a broad ridge above the … Continue reading The #Ubud Experience: Returning to the #Village after 8 Years
A Prologue Violence and extremism are no more a recent phenomenon in Indonesia than in countries like the UK and the USA. Both Indonesia and the USA fought wars of national liberation against colonial powers. Both have constitutions and a sense of nationhood, grounded in such violent struggles. Many countries have their own uniquely violent … Continue reading My First Visit to #Bali Since the October 2002 #Bombing
Today is the Feast of the Nativity in the old Orthodox Christian calendar and last night I attended an Orthodox Liturgy celebrating Christmas at the Holy Trinity Orthodox church in Solo, Central Java. For me this has been a very special journey because I’ve returned to Indonesia, for the first time since the Bali Bombings … Continue reading Pancasila and Religious Tolerance in Contemporary #Indonesia
Yesterday I noticed high alto cumulus and cirrus clouds in Jakarta. I wondered what this meant. I know what these clouds mean in my own city but here in wet season Jakarta I was puzzled by their significance. Today dawned clear and bright, the air beautifully clear a stiff consistent monsoon breeze from the west-north-west … Continue reading A Beautiful Clear Day In #Jakarta
Jakarta is by no means the world's most beautiful city, far from it. In places it's a disturbing clutter of the informal, the speculative and the poorly built. Things have improved, it’s now difficult to find the crude plastic and packing cases structures, sometimes cantilevered over canals, that I first encountered here in the 1980s. … Continue reading My First Visit to Jakarta Since 1999
Several days ago now I was chatting with library staff at the school where I work. Boxes of books were carefully assembled on a large table as we spoke. This reminded me of the challenge I face with my own library. Vast as my library was I have managed to pare it back over the … Continue reading Educating for the Present and the Future
Russell Darnley Blog 