Want to Hear an Amazing Story? Butet Manurung and the Orang Rimba

Thursday, Mar 05, 2015

Want to hear an amazing story?

Make sure you are at Asia Bookroom at
6pm on Thursday March 5, 2015


 
A modern day woman from the city of Jakarta spends nine years living in the Sumatran jungle with the rainforest people and founds an NGO to share education and empowerment, winning a host of international awards and getting chased by a few bears along the way.

On March 5th Butet will be telling her story and that of the Orang Rimba, (People of the Forest) at Asia Bookroom.


TIME Magazine said:
“Butet has inspired many to follow her example and I hope the readers of this book will also hear the call.”
– Jason Tedjasukmana.

Come along and be personally inspired by Butet’s story - and be a part of the effort to support Indonesia’s indigenous people in protecting their lands and way of life from encroaching development. Butet's story has been adapted into a feature film which has been shown around the world.

When: 6pm Thursday March 5th, 2015

Where: Asia Bookroom, Unit 2, 1 - 3 Lawry Place, Macquarie. ACT

RSVP: By March 4th, either by phoning 6251 5191 or Email Us

Admission by gold coin donation to the Sokola. Literacy for Indigenous Indonesians

If you can't join us on March 5th and would like to buy a signed copy of Butet Manurang's The Jungle School, email us and we will organise this for you.


More about Butet Manurung:
Butet Manurung was born in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1972. She developed a love of the outdoors while earning her degrees in anthropology and Indonesian literature from Padjajaran University, Bandung, Indonesia. In 1999, Butet joined the conservation NGO, WARSI, to lead their educational program for the Orang Rimba, (People of the Forest) indigenous to the rainforests of Jambi. Her work in the jungle evolved into co-founding SOKOLA, a non-profit organization providing educational opportunities for marginalized people in remote areas of Indonesia. Sokola has reached dozen communities in remote places across Indonesia, bringing literacy to more than 10,000 individuals both children and adults.

As an educator and activist, Butet has received international recognition – UNESCO’s “Man and Biosphere Award” in 2001, TIME Magazine’s “Hero of Asia” in 2004, “Ashoka Fellow” in 2006, “Asia Young Leader” in 2007, “Young Global Leader” in 2009, Ernst and Young Indonesian Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 and most recently the ‘Asia Nobel Prize’ Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014

Butet graduated from Anthropology and Indonesian literature, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia in 1998. In 2011 she completed a Masters Degree in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University and in 2012 a course in Global Leadership and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, Massachusetts.

Butet is the author of book, the Jungle School. Originally published in Indonesian as Sokola Rimba. The book has been adapted into a feature film by Miles film and has screened in Indonesia and several film festivals including those held in Washington DC, Amsterdam, Australia, Singapore and Japan (won the best film by Fukuoka Audience)

As Director of SOKOLA, Butet lives mainly in Jakarta Indonesia. She is married to an Australian and they have one son. She spends part of each year in Canberra.