Okky Madasari

Apsanti Djokosujatno, an Indonesian literary critic from the University of Indonesia, stated that Madasari's works are already categorized as canon and will be considered classics.

[3] Madasari's first novel, Entrok (2010), is set during the dictatorship of Suharto's regime and details how Indonesians struggled to survive under military oppression.

It addresses an individual's struggle to break free from their limitations as well as societal restrictions, such as traditions, religion, government, and economic dominance by the rich.

In the novel, Madasari explores how digital phenomena and social media can take over people's lives and examines the risk of conflating reality and the virtual world.

[10] The stories in the collection detail themes related to the personal and private life of an individual, conflict in families, political corruption, and religious hypocrisy in Indonesia.

In the novel, Matara and her new friends try to help save the great legacies of Ternate Island, which Madasari establishes as a crucial place in world history.

She argues that publishers focus on book sales rather than content[20] and warns of the death of serious literature and the wider exposure of young Indonesians to fundamentalism.

[23] She actively combats blasphemy law in many of her writings, arguing that it legalizes and legitimizes hatred and violates basic human rights.

[24] Madasari has called upon the Indonesian government to openly address various past human rights abuses and killings, including the 1965 massacre[25] and the abduction of activists from the 1998 movement against Suharto, especially the Wiji Thukul case.

[26][27] She has demanded the revision of the national curriculum to better address the mass killings of 1965-66 and urges Indonesian authorities to officially acknowledge the massacre, and apologize to the victims.

[25] On regional issues, she believes that a true and genuine bond of people in Southeast Asia can only be achieved through cultural and literary exchanges.

[29] In several interviews and speeches, Madasari has stated that she is influenced by Karl Marx and Michel Foucault,[30] but that above all she believes in individual freedom and human creativity.

She delivered speeches about literature and society in front of Singaporean audiences at various venues, including schools, art, and community centers.

[38] In 2016, Madasari was invited by University of Warwick in United Kingdom to speak about the role of culture and literature in forging ASEAN prosperity and unity.

[41][42][43] In her commitment to freedom of expression, anti-censorship, and the protection of minorities, Madasari became an expert witness for students of University of Sumatera Utara in a recent censorship case in Sumatera Utara Administrative Court against the university's rector, who dissolved the whole editorial team of a student press, Suara USU, due to the publication of a short story.

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