VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia, Rob Swartbol, ​​handed over Prince Claus 2018 Award to Eka Kurniawan at a celebration at Erasmus Huis, Jakarta, Saturday (02/16). Previously, in December 2018, Eka Kurniawan had received the award from the Kingdom of the Netherlands at an official ceremony at the Royal Palace, Amsterdam. In his remarks at the Prince Claus 2018 award celebration in Jakarta, the Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia explained the reason why the Jury chose Eka Kurniawan to be one of the recipients of the Prince Claus Award 2018.

"His writing combines elements of local tradition, oral history, magical realism, Indonesian martial arts and horror comics to illustrate the experiences of people in layers. Novels, short stories, essays, film scripts and graphic novels, break through social barriers, reach diverse audiences by entertaining with local stories that reveal terrible historical truths," said Ambassador Rob Swartbol quoting the jury. 

Prince Claus Award is annually held by Prince Claus Fund to honor an outstanding award in the field of cultural development. The awards are given to individuals, groups or organizations whose activities are given to the community. Eka Kurniawan, an Indonesian writer born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, was chosen as one of the recipients of the 2018 Prince Claus Awards in literature category along with several individuals from various countries who received awards in the fields of theater, architecture and urbanism, film, media, photography and dance. (VOI / AHM)