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FictionARRIVED BEFORE DEPARTING
by Faisal Oddang
The story begins in 1950 and continues until the day you read it. Betrayal, tears, torture, revenge, death, anger, and gloomy love stories are told by someone who is in a confinement room. Arrived Before Departing deals with the bissu, Sulawesi’s so called “fifth gender“. According to local beliefs, the bissu have the ability to connect the human world to God or the spiritual world. They ask for cure, for a good harvest, for marriage harmony, and many other blessings. Bissu are not allowed to have any other profession or have a family of their own - instead, the villagers provide everything the bissu needs. Various religious organisations blame the bissu to be immoral people who have no religion and try to “bring them back to God“.
