New Research & Artist Exchange WANUA in collaboration with Makassar International Writers Festival.
Makassar International Writers Festival and Beyond Walls collaboratively join forces in WANUA: an international research and artist exchange project connecting artists, writers, and cultural practitioners from Sulawesi, the Moluccas, and the diaspora in The Netherlands. Together, they explore shared heritage through research, oral histories, knowledge exchange, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Their new artistic works will be presented at Makassar International Writers Festival, held at the historic site of Fort Rotterdam. The participating artists and researchers are Theoresia Rumthe, Hirah Sanada, Djé-Rimo Holle, Rachmat Mustamin, Tiga Batang Rumah, Safa Liron, and Louie Buana (see full bio’s below).
Participating Artists & Researchers WANUA
In the international research & Artistic Exchange project WANUA we’ll be working with incredible artists, writers, and researchers from Makassar, Ambon, and the diaspora in the Netherlands. We can’t wait to share what emerges from these powerful cross-cultural collaborations! 🌊🌿📝
Theoresia Rumthe, is a writer and poet born in Ambon, Maluku. After spending over a decade in the city of Bandung, she has now returned and settled in the city of Ambon. She writes poetry, teaches public speaking, creates music stages with Rempah Gunung, Aroma Dendang Sahaja, and manages Ruang Sajange in the yard beside her house for literary discussions. Together with her team, she manages Jazirah—Timur Labuhan Kata, the literary culture festival of the city of Ambon. Her poetry book, Kadang Rumah Tak Memberimu Pulang (Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2023), was nominated for the top 5 in Tempo's Selected Literary Books and for the 2024 Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Literary Award in the Poetry Collection category.
Hirah Sanada is a multidisciplinary artist from Makassar, South-Sulawesi, known for her music, violin performances, and art illustrations. She began her artistic journey in 2019 with the release of her debut song "Berpindah" and has since performed her progressive music on various stages. Hirah's visual art career began in 2020 with her first solo exhibition, followed by an art residency at the Makassar Biennale in 2021. In addition to her music, Hirah also expanded her work into visual arts as an illustrator, collaborating on various projects. Her interest in combining her writing and painting brought her to her first art residency at the Makassar Biennale (2021) by visualizing one of her mother’s love languages throughout Hirah’s life: alternative medicine using natural ingredients (turmeric, charcoal, rice flour, miana leaves, and garlic skin) and adapted the work into songwriting titled “Mantra”.
Djé-Rimo Holle, is a versatile writer, performer, and spoken word artist. With his powerful performances and storytelling, he appears on stages throughout the Netherlands. He has previously performed at Mensen Zeggen Dingen (People Say Things), North Sea Jazz, and was part of the sixth season of Spoken Word Sessies broadcasted by Omroep Human. In 2023, he was involved as a curator in the exhibition Wie zegt dat? (Says Who?) at Museum Van Loon in Amsterdam, where two of his poems were also showcased. He is also known as a regular radio columnist for the program Met Mandy! on Omroep ZWART, broadcasted on NPO Radio 1. His debut poetry book, Vuurvlieg (Firefly), is an important new addition to Dutch literature.
Rachmat Mustamin is a cultural activist based in Makassar, South-Sulawesi. He is a visual artist, writer, film director, and performancer. In 2019, Rachmat participated in a residency program in Germany, sponsored by the National Book Committee. He received the Connections Through Culture (2020) grant from the British Council, collaborating with Indonesian and British artists. His play, The Sketches in Heritage Gardens, won the Rawayan Award from the Jakarta Arts Council in 2022. He directed the video art installation Patience (2023), an interpretation of poems by the iconic Indonesian poet Chairil Anwar. His latest work is a cross-media performance titled Batang-Batang Rupama (2024), which explores the stories of the roads and the lives of Makassar's suburban residents.
Tiga Batang Rumah – is a tifa group of three Moluccan women from the third and fourth generations of Moluccans in the Netherlands. They are passionately and determinedly dedicated to preserving the tifa drumming tradition, an important part of Moluccan cultural heritage. Performing tifa is a way to keep the rich history and connection to their ancestors alive. The women, raised in the Netherlands, have inherited the value of their culture through generations and are striving to pass this on to their children and the wider community. They have not only learned to play the tifa but have also understood its significance and now wish to share it with others to protect it from being lost. They see it as a means to strengthen the identity of the Moluccan community, especially in a time when many traditional heritage practices are at risk of disappearing. (Photo credits: Nathalie Tamaela)
Safa Liron is an all-around artist: singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. Growing up in a musically rich Moluccan-Surinamese family, she taught herself to play multiple instruments, drawing inspiration from genres like metal-rock, soul, and R&B. Her music is influenced by icons such as Erykah Badu, Sade, and Amy Winehouse. Her career began in her own room, recording songs and covers, eventually gaining recognition on YouTube. This led to mentorship by Willem de Bruin (The Opposites) and Winston Bergwijn (Winne), as well as management by Nathan Moszkowicz. She collaborated with Candy Dulfer and amassed millions of streams, with airplay on FunX, Sublime, and BBC Radio. In 2022, she founded Studio HARIA in Rotterdam—a music studio where artists not only record music but also develop their identity and artistic vision. Safa guides them in songwriting, production, vocal techniques, and storytelling, aiming to break barriers as an independent artist and female producer.
Louie Buana is a PhD candidate at the Institute for History at Leiden University and a visiting researcher at the KITLV (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies). He studied law and colonial history, with a focus on adat (customary law), maritime networks, and the interplay between Islam and colonialism in South Sulawesi. His research centers on precolonial storytelling, language, and heritage traditions in the region. As a storyteller and founder of the Lontara Project, he is dedicated to preserving La Galigo—the world’s longest Buginese epic and part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World—and making it accessible to younger generations through new media. He also advocates for greater recognition of oral traditions and storytelling as valuable sources of knowledge within academia. In WANUA Louie will share his knowledge with the artists.
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