Ubud-Bali, February 20th, 2022
Two years after its initial release as a book in Bahasa Indonesia, Amigdala: Perjalanan Merepresi Memori (Amygdala: A Journey in Repressing Memory) is reaching out to more readers across the globe by being published in English. Designed as the firstborn of a trilogy universe, Amigdala aimed to serve as both a storyteller and a testimony of how humans differ in processing to rise again from our downfalls. This vision has been brewing over the pandemic and made its way into a realization of being accessible for international readers.
As humans, we needed extended time on how to control the “noisiness” within our heads; on how we could repress certain parts in our own amygdala so that we would remain enabled and empowered as a whole. Amigdala is that ultimate switch that opens the door for acceptance and choices to keep on living.
Mega Arnidya –also known as Ega Mpokgaga or simply Mpokgaga– is a survivor of domestic violence and an activist of Jakarta’s underground scene. In 2020, she completed her first book titled Amigdala: Perjalanan Merepresi Memori (Amygdala: A Journey in Repressing Memory). The book is the first part of a trilogy universe that tells the life journey of its main character, Ishtar Mahesa Sumoprawiro – a domestic violence survivor.
Having spent at least three years of personal observations, Mpokgaga stumbled upon a rather absurd and disturbing phenomenon in social media. She witnessed how glorification and worshiping of mental illness as a generic term have been echoed overwhelmingly to the point it started to feel worrying. Many people could access various digital platforms –especially social media– who then “flaunted showcases” of self-diagnoses; self-concluded loosely after reading several Google search results once or twice, without having ever applied for a thorough and timely check-up with professionals.
She realized that not everyone has the privilege to access professional help or to even be able to share and tell their daily problems and internal struggles. Even with the State’s presence in helping to provide professional psychologists and psychiatrists in several Puskesmas (government’s run clinic) or Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah (regional government’s run hospitals) – focused to help cater citizens’ mental health aspects, the stigma and stereotypes upon mental illnesses have scarred too negative of an image inside people’s minds. A stigma of those who require help in maintaining mental health is automatically and wrongfully considered as people with psychiatric disorders and must be avoided.
The restlessness propelled Mpokgaga to open discussions with her own main support systems. She also exchanged thoughts with figures in professional communities and other collectives related to or working with women’s issues. This was done to exchange ideas and thoughts about possibilities of good initiatives to ignite; to at least tell her personal experiences in non-patronizing manners, while at the same time also educating people who need help in regards to their mental conditions.
Now available in English, Amigdala: Perjalanan Merepresi Memori is being reborn to greet and converse with more readers and mental health survivors alike anywhere in the world. Because life is all about getting ever ready for changes. Because in the end, life is also about how we can continue to love ourselves unconditionally and in limitless time as mortals.
The book in Bahasa Indonesia version has been made available in Google Play Books, while the English version could be accessed here.
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About Ega Mpokgaga
A woman born under the Aries zodiac sign, the eldest daughter of 9 siblings (biological and halves), she moved to Ubud, Bali, to become a full-time freelance worker in December 2020 and now currently working in an Edu-tech startup. Mpokgaga was an activist of Jakarta’s underground scene who once stepped in the boots of Business Manager for Indonesia’s legendary metal band, ROXX. Mpokgaga remains as the owner of the flawless most perfect pair of eyebrows in South Jakarta Selatan, and now Ubud, Bali (self-proclaimed, but non-debatable nonetheless).
Tweeting way too often than necessary under the Twitter handle of @mpokgaga she keeps inspiring women and mental health survivors in Instagram feed under the same account name.
Curiosities and queries can be addressed to: universe.amigdala@gmail.com
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Translation by @deanbenitez
