THE fire which swept through Gang Mujahid Aman, Kelurahan Alalak Selatan, Kecamatan Banjar Utara, in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, in 2009 destroyed Gusti Jamhar Akbar’s house. Jamhar, a maestro of lamut, the traditional art of storytelling in Kalimantan, managed to rebuild his house with the help of local charity organizations and government, on the bank of Sungai Barito where he and his wife Ko Liang Chin and four children now live.

The fir