Pramoedya's 100th Anniversary Celebration to be Launched in Blora

KBRN, Jakarta: The year 2025 marks a special moment for Indonesian literature as it celebrates the centenary of Pramoedya Ananta Toer's birth, one of Indonesia's greatest writers, through the #SeAbadPram movement.

"Pramoedya is an important figure who deserves to be remembered. His works and contributions provide relevant insights for today and Indonesia's future," said Hilmar Farid, a cultural expert at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ), during a press conference at the H.B. Jassin Literary Documentation Center in Jakarta on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, as quoted by antaranews.com.

With over 50 works translated into 42 languages, Pramoedya symbolizes hope, resistance, and courage against injustice.

This celebration is initiated by the Pramoedya Ananta Toer Foundation in collaboration with the Garuda People's Community, with a launch festival scheduled to take place in Pramoedya's birthplace, Blora, from February 6-8, 2025.

The event will include the naming of a street after Pramoedya Ananta Toer, a memorial lecture, discussions, a reprint book exhibition, film screenings, theater performances, and a music concert titled "Anak Semua Bangsa" (Children of All Nations) featuring national musicians.

"We invite all Pram enthusiasts to come to Blora and celebrate the child of Blora who has inspired the world," said Blora Regent Arief Rohman, expressing his enthusiasm.

Additionally, Pramoedya's family will actively participate in the celebration and hope that his legacy can be celebrated by the entire community.

Throughout 2025, the #SeAbadPram movement has scheduled various activities, including reprints of selected works, the launch of the seabadpram.com archive website, film and documentary festivals, a monologue performance of Bunga Penutup Abad, and a literary residency on Buru Island.

This celebration is a strategic step to honor Pramoedya as a writer, thinker, journalist, and champion of the nation. Celebrating Pram is celebrating intellectual wealth and a spirit of resistance that remains relevant today.

Throughout 2025, the #SeAbadPram movement has scheduled several events to celebrate the centenary of Pramoedya Ananta Toer, including:

1. Reprint of selected works of Pramoedya Ananta Toer,

2. Launching of the bibliography and archive repository website seabadpram.com,

3. Memorial Lecture,

4. Pramoedya Ananta Toer film and documentary festival,

5. Exhibition of sketches and face sculptures of Pramoedya Ananta Toer,

6. Monologue performance of “Bunga Penutup Abad” (The Flower that Ends a Century) with Titimangsa,

7. Dramatic reading of Pramoedya Ananta Toer's letters,

8. Exhibition of Pramoedya Ananta Toer's archives,

9. Literature residency in Buru Island,

10. Pramoedya Ananta Toer thought seminar and Pramoedya award,

11. Pramoedya Ananta Toer essay competition,

12. Pramoedya Ananta Toer reading group. ***