2024 Festival Highlights | Fighting for Democracy in Myanmar

2024 Festival Highlights | Fighting for Democracy in Myanmar

Author: Ubud Writers & Readers Festival February 1, 2025 Duration: 57:20

In the past decade, liberal democracies around the world have been attacked from within, and Myanmar is no exception. The civil war in Myanmar, which began with a coup d'état exactly four years ago, has displaced millions, killed or maimed thousands more, and left the country in poverty. Even though the resistance has reached a turning point, leading to a particularly devastating year for the Myanmar military, there is still no resolution in sight.

Return to an extraordinary panel conversation recorded live from #UWRF24, featuring dissident writer and Burmese activist Ma Thida and Ben Bland, an expert on Asian geopolitics, as they discuss the stress tests and decline of democracies in Asia with a spotlight on Myanmar, which, although it may be in the middle of a bloody civil conflict, potentially stands on the precipice of a new democratic awakening, moderated by award-winning journalist Drew Ambrose.


There’s a particular energy that fills the air during the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Podcast, a feeling of being part of a vital, global conversation. Produced by the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival team, this series captures the essence of the annual gathering, preserving its most compelling dialogues for anyone who couldn’t be there in person or who wants to revisit a moment of insight. Each episode is drawn from the festival’s 2025 highlights program, featuring a rich mix of local and international voices from the worlds of literature, art, and social thought. What you’ll hear are not just interviews, but genuine, meandering conversations where ideas collide-discussions that grapple with history, dissect our current realities, and thoughtfully consider how the stories we tell influence what comes next. This podcast serves as an invitation to linger in those spaces where writing meets activism, where personal narrative intersects with culture, and where reflection sparks new understanding. It’s for anyone curious about the power of words and the people who wield them to shape our collective future. Tune in for a dose of intellectual vitality and the kind of authentic exchange that makes the Ubud festival a landmark event.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Podcast
Podcast Episodes
2024 Festival Highlights | Anton Hur: Toward Eternity - A Novel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:20
This week, we are delighted to bring you an intimate conversation recorded live at #UWRF24. Listen in as New York Times bestselling translator and Korean-to-English writer Anton Hur discusses his debut novel, Toward Eter…
2024 Festival Highlights | The Rise of Audio Storytelling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:10
Listen back to a stellar group of expert podcasters and journalists, including Maltese author Paul Caruana Galizia, award-winning Indonesian journalist and anthropologist Tito Ambyo, and Australian Walkley Award-winning…
2024 Festival Highlights | Crafting Characters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:12
The creative process of character development is one of the most crucial elements of storytelling. Revisit this one-of-a-kind meeting of literary minds between prolific Indonesian author Abi Ardianda, Irish fiction write…
2024 Festival Highlights | Maria Ressa: How to Stand Up to a Dictator [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:30
In this first episode, Nobel Prize–winning author and journalist Maria Ressa explores the impact of social media on journalism, the fight for press freedom, and the need for ethical storytelling in a fractured world, mod…
#UWRF23 Festival Highlights | Exploring Queerness in Poetry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:53
For our 2023 Festival Highlights finale, listen to unexpected stories of pride and resilience from four incredible queer poets and writers. Hear from Virginia Helzainka, Chris Tse, Norman Erikson Pasaribu, and Broede Car…
#UWRF23 Festival Highlights | Bernardine Evaristo's Writing Journey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:30
This week, get inspired by our in-depth conversation with 2019 Booker Prize–winning author Bernardine Evaristo, who discusses her radically honest memoir, Manifesto: On Never Giving Up, serving as an inspiring guide for…