Saturday (02/04) in the Spasial building, at 22 Gudang Selatan street, Bandung, Dermaga Sastra (DS) in cooperation with the Percik Insani foundation (a community of parents with Special Needs children) conducted a gathering in commemorating the World Autism Day. Dermaga Sastra itself is a community, formed to facilitate literature lovers at Parahyangan Catholic University (Unpar) specifically in Bandung and Indonesia in general. This new community, established by 5 Unpar students, Norman Y. Setiawan, Bintang Lestada, Annisa Resmana, Naomi Arsyad and Alya Nursabharina on January 8, 2016, aims at providing a place for Unpar students to enjoy literature.
With the show entitled “Merayakan Autism Awareness Day 2016 bersama Sastra” (commemorating The Autism Awareness Day 2016 with Literature), DS invited children of the Percik Insani Foundation to come and give their best performances. these children with special needs displayed their ability in music such as playing piano and jimbe. There was also poetry reading by parents who are members of the Percik Insani Foundation dedicated to their children. This event was held for the purpose of providing an equal space for society in general and specifically those children with special needs. This event was also filled with an open-mic poetry reading event performed by the founders of DS, the audience, The Students Activity Unit of the Faculty of Law at Padjajaran University, Syarekat Seni Faculteit des Recht (SSFdR). Diana Sofyan (Mami Diana), the chairperson of the Percik Insani Foundation also appeared as a resource person in the talkshow.
Dermaga Sastra raised the issue of autism in connection with literature due to the unique similarities between autistic children and literature. Literature is something that is often difficult to comprehend as is the case with autistic language. Both can only be comprehended by certain people with additional interpretative ability compared to people in general. Therefore, both have equal positions among societies, special ones.
Through this event, DS hopes that the complaints and experiences of autistic children can be voiced through poetry and then produce a new awareness to those who read or listen to the poems they wrote. DS thinks that it is crucial for society in general and specifically youths to improve awareness and participations in social issues surrounding them. DS wishes to facilitate the energy and creativity of young people by raising various social issues under the auspices of literature.
Annisa Resmana, a Parahyangan Catholic University International Relations student, class of 2012, who was also the founder of DS hoped that this gathering held by her community can become a regular event by taking a variety of exploratory themes, so that it can spread to more people in the future as well as spreading the existence of the newly founded DS community.
