Lifes (Literature And Ideas Festival Salihara)

LIFEs (Literature and Ideas Festival Salihara) returns on August 8–16, 2025!
LIFEs 2025 invites us to explore and reflect on identity, community, and nationhood.

This year, in addition to the main program, there will also be pre- and post-festival events that you won’t want to miss.

This edition of LIFEs carries the theme "Becoming Indonesia", a topic that resonates deeply with the concerns of younger generations—some of whom have experienced moments of disillusionment, like seeing #IndonesiaGelap or feeling the urge to just "KaburAjaDulu."
We will explore both classic works and contemporary voices through book discussions, seminars, lectures, talk performances, and innovative stage performances—delving into what it means to become Indonesia, and whether that idea still matters.

Writers from Southeast Asia and Palestine will also be present to share their perspectives on what it means to be a free and independent nation.