It's deja vu for the Ubud Writers Festival which was born to rebuild the tourism economy after a crisis. Instead of cancelling, this year's festival called KEMBALI 2020: A Rebuild Bali Festival offers the event's broadest and most diverse lineup of some of the world's most celebrated writers, artists and cooks.
Janet DeNeefe is the founder and director of multiple hospitality ventures in Bali, a massive foodie and book lover. She started the Ubud Writers Festival in response to the 2002 Bali bombings and later the Ubud Food Festival in 2015.
Quotes From Episode
"I was telling staff since March that we have to go online and because I was in Italy in February, so I can see the full effect of this tidal wave coming towards me like... I just thought holy mackerel, this is bigger than I imagined. So I came back from Europe and said to the team, we have to go online (and) I think they were just in a state of shock ... But it's very exciting too because it's all, new technology."
"Another beautiful story is this weaving in Pejeng, they sort of dusted off the looms and decided to start weaving again. So we went to visit their little cottage industry and it was quite extraordinary because the age of the weavers started at about 25. I've never seen that before in 30 years, never seen young women at the looms."
-Janet DeNeefe
Don’t miss:
2:23 - Why this pandemic is completely deja vu in Bali
4:30 - How the Balinese are pivoting
5:45 - Sourdough bread adventures
9:01 - Re-imagining Bali after Covid
13:12 - Why Janet didn't cancel the festival this year
19:21 - How the program is different this time
20:53 - An unexpected Covid outcome with young Balinese weavers
31:58 - Janet's annual holiday in a pirate ship
Resources or Links Mentioned:
www.ubudwritersfestival.com
www.ubudfoodfestival.com
casalunabali.com
Connect with Upon Arrival:
Email: uponarrivalpodcast@gmail.com
