Monika Winarnita
From now on, we will only be featuring paid-up / subscribed members of IC so if you want to be featured, please sign up as a member 😊 This month we are featuring the fabulous Monika Winarnita, our Grants and Prizes Officer.
Tell us about yourself!
I am an Indonesian (citizen, permanent resident of Australia) born in Jakarta and who came to Australia at the age of 12 because my mum got a scholarship to do her PhD in anthropology at ANU. When mum submitted her thesis and had to go back, I was halfway through my final year of high school and my parents decided I should remain in Canberra as they thought it would be too hard for me to pass the Indonesian university entrance exam. I stayed, went to university in Canberra and completed my PhD at ANU. My eldest child was also born in Canberra. I am a mum of 4 and now a full-time continuing Lecturer in Indonesian Studies at the University of Melbourne.
I think all my life I have been in a university environment. I was even named after my Dad’s PhD thesis: my middle name is Swasti which in Sanskrit means prosperity and my last name is Winarnita from Warta or to spread, so ‘spreading prosperity’ was my Dad’s thesis which was about ‘franchising’ and how that was going to help Indonesia’s developing economy (back in the late 70s).
My parents are academics, and we lived next to Universitas Islam Negri where all the university students have their boarding houses or kos kosan. In Canberra we lived in ANU housing for postgrads. I also did end up marrying an academic, a fellow anthropologist, and we met when we were both PhD students. We even lived at several university accommodations with our kids and like me their childhood includes running around university grounds and going to university events, such as conferences.
Where does your interest in Indonesia stem from?
As an Indonesian who started university in 1997 and almost went back to enrol in Trisakti in 1998 (Asian Economic Crisis) but ended up staying in Canberra (due to the May riots in 1998), I felt compelled to learn more about Indonesian society because of what my generation went through in 1998. I ended up doing a lot of assignments at university that focused on Indonesia.
Have you ever been to an Indonesia Council Open Conference and if so, what is your fondest memory?
I have fond memories from the Deakin (Geelong campus) conference whereby I had 3 small children with me (a 6-month-old, a 5- and 7-year-old). Together with a couple of other conference attendees with kids, we took over a corner in the main area and had an impromptu childcare space throughout the 2-day session. We did childcare and networking at the same time. Interestingly it aligned with the topic of my paper at the conference, which was ‘Work-life balance for Indonesian migrant women in Australia.’
How do you think organisations like Indonesia Council can improve Australia-Indonesia relations?
I think by championing Indonesian Studies and language in particular. We need to support and encourage Indonesian language enrolment, keep pushing the message that learning Indonesian not only improves understanding between Australians and Indonesian at various levels (government, businesses and other institutions, societal and people to people), but can also provide a platform for meaningful ‘intercultural’ transformation. Also, through the biennial Indonesia Council Open Conference, Indonesia Council provides a space for postgraduates and early career academics to share their research focusing on Indonesia, build lasting connection beyond academia and foster the importance of Indonesian studies in Australia.
What are some of the challenges and opportunities in the Indonesia-Australia relationship?
I think there are many opportunities to build relationships between the two countries and the Indonesian diaspora in Australia (my research interest) have had an important role in this historically to the present day. Support for activities by diasporic associations and their involvement in fostering Indonesian studies can be an important opportunity to strengthen the relationship. More importantly the support and involvement of Australian Indonesian youth in education and cultural activities is an opportunity for building this relationship. A challenge would be to maintain this level of involvement with subsequent generations of Indonesian diasporic members in Australia, with research by my good friend Ariane Utomo, a demographer, stating Indonesian language maintenance is quite low in second and third generation.
Tell us about your favourite Indonesian food experience.
There are two equal favourite food experiences, I love oxtail soup because I had it for the first time as one of those early childhood family holiday memories up on the mountains near Malang, East Java where my mum was born and loved having this in cold weather. The other is ayam goreng kremes or fried chicken with crispy flakes because my Dad is from central Java and we had the original Ny Suharti version in Yogyakarta with my Dad’s extended family on one of those mid-year Indonesian primary school holidays.
What’s your favourite Indonesian food and why?
Ikan bakar or grilled fish with turmeric paste from the restaurant at the end of the street where my parents lived in Indonesia, because it reminds me of home and we have it for special occasions with my mom’s extended family in Jakarta. It was also my grandma’s favourite dish. Whenever I go back to visit my parents’ home, which is very rare these days once every couple of years, they would have this fish dish as it marks a special occasion.
What’s your favourite Indonesian music/song/writer?
KLA Project’s Yogyakarta because of the lyrics of the song, you can’t go past it when you are feeling nostalgic; as described in the first part of the song: pulang ke kotamu, ada setangkup haru dalam rindu, masih seperti dulu, tiap sudut menyapaku bersahabat, penuh selaksa makna or coming home to your city, the feeling of homesickness overwhelms, it is still the same, every corner greets me like a friend, full of meaning. The song was released the year before I left Indonesia for Australia (1990) so it has all that nostalgic element which makes it a favourite.
What’s your favourite Indonesian idiom?
Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya: an empty drum makes a loud sound. A professor I worked for said was their favourite idiom, to remind the students to fill their heads with knowledge.
[Last month’s PAY IT FORWARD question]:
What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen online from Indonesia? (feel free to include a link if you have one)
Drakor Pilkada Seoul is a parody on Korean Drama (Drama Korea, Drakor) but the creator made it about the Indonesian political dynasty; it’s a takeoff of the Korean Joseun dynasty drama. This one is about the recent emergency protest (peringatan darurat – see explainer above) – it has all the Indonesian political and media figures recast as Korean Drama characters. It’s funny because it’s a parody but also making fun of the Indonesian political ‘dynasty’ element.
And don’t forget to suggest a pay it forward question for next month 😊 :
What is a funny experience you had in Indonesia you would like to share?