Why Writing is Valuable in Indonesia

I still remember how it felt. My parents and I went to the famous University of Indonesia in the medical department. We sat in a lecture room, together with students from other prestigious schools. We sat there, waiting for the announcement. We were there because I submitted an essay about the danger of smoking to our health.

When I heard my name and my school being called, I went up to receive the Second Place award. I was very happy! I got a trophy, a picture with the judges, and brought home lots of satisfaction.

Back in Indonesia, there are lots of writing competition. You can write environmental essay, fiction story, informational article, traveling notes, whatever you like and people will greatly appreciate it. Why does that happen? Why does our culture value writing a lot?

Learning = Reading

I personally think majority of Indonesians still hold the norm that 'reading books broaden your views'. A lot of Indonesians are eager to learn new experiences. For example, people who want to learn English would spend time reading English novels (this is in fact, how my mother studied English back then - accompanied by a thick dictionary). A person who wonders how it feels to live abroad (well, perhaps influenced by the Korean dramas and American reality shows) will read fiction or non-fiction books about living abroad. Students who want to excel in school would spend time highlighting the textbooks they bought.

Even today, donating books are still valuable charity in Indonesia. Organizations like "1001 Buku" (1001 books), local orphanage, churches, mosques, schools in general would highly appreciates donated books.

Writing Competitions = fuel for the writing culture

There are many writing opportunities back in Indonesia. With a lot of encouragement, Indonesians feel that writing is a positive hobby. It is rewarding and the works are appreciated by the society.

Popular female magazines like Femina and Gogirl! would have writing competitions and openings for articles. Prestigious Jakarta Post newspaper also encourages young professionals to write their opinions. Finally, educational institutions like University of Indonesia and Binus University would held essay competitions for students. Below is one of the advertisement from Femina magazine back in 2012.

Information is in the web for nowadays. But Indonesian's infrastructure cannot guarantee 24/7 internet access at every city. Aside of the connection itself, we also have to look at the devices: smartphones, tablets, e-book readers. Not everyone can afford it. Many of us still have the old technology and thus rely on printed books for source of information. They are cheaper than iPhone, iPad, or Amazon Kindle.

For Technical Reasons

Final Thoughts: Why Writing is Amazing

• You can share what you experience to readers. It's one way to connect to many people.
  
• Fiction-wise, writing liberates your imagination. You can step even further and write a script for a theatrical performance.
• You can bring your personal uniqueness and cultural heritage to your characters and their backgrounds.
• Non-fiction wise, you can write articles about building a better world. This can be about national economy growth, a survey on transportation safety, education quality, and etc.
• Last but not least, your writing can be passed on down to many generations.