September 13, 2016 edition
Traditional Indonesian music can barely be heard in the country's popular music scene today. Its instruments are fast being forgotten, with some in danger of disappearing altogether. Several young musicians, like Agusto Andreas Nagalang from East Nusa Tenggara and Jamaloge from East Kalimantan, are determined to make a difference: They are popularizing two string instruments from their respective regionsthe sasando and the sapek. Agusto has given sasando performances overseas, while Jamaloge encourages people in his village to preserve their musical culture. Both musicians recently performed at the Archipelago String Festival in Malang, East Java, an event to repopularize traditional string instruments. A Tempo English special report.
Read More
More Outreach articles in other editions
September 6, 2016 edition
The Sumatran tigers are the last surviving tiger subspecies in Indonesia. The two othersthe Javan and Bali tigersare already extinct. Today, the Sumatran tigers face the gravest danger. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are less than 400 tigers in their natural habitat in Sumatra, due to forest encroachment and poaching. Experts contend that conservation efforts should involve the local people, if they are to succeed. In Riau, villagers are recruited as rangers by tiger protection units, while in Jambi, members of the Talang Mamak tribe regularly patrol the forest and teach villagers about the Sumatran tigers. Tempo English reports on Sumatras big cats in commemoration of World Tiger Day in August.
Read More
August 30, 2016 edition
Money-making Mud Crabs
The people of Ohotya village in Papua, rely on mud crabs for their livelihood. The village chief works with the local fisheries agency to ensure the sustainability of the crustacean delectable.
OHOTYA village in Mimika Regency, Papua, was lively in the afternoon. Children came out to play around their stilt houses as the adults finished their daily chores. Ansalma Matnarewa, one of the villagers, just returned from the mangrove forest not far from her village. She was carrying a medium-sized noken, a traditional woven bag.
Ansalma put the bag on the floor of her kitchen and checked her catch of the day. Unprepared, she accidentally let out a large mud crab (Scylla serrata), also known as karaka in the local language. Still covered in mud, the crab walked sideways across the room, its claws up in the air ready to attack.
The people of Ohotya village in Papua, rely on mud crabs for their livelihood. The village chief works with the local fisheries agency to ensure the sustainability of the crustacean delectable.
Read More
August 23, 2016 edition
August 9, 2016 edition
Inherited Traditions of Cleanliness
Since winning the Kalpataru Award in 1995, the village of Penglipuran in Bali's Bangli Regency is now famous for being one of the three cleanest villages in the world. Village law regulates the residents' habits of hygiene.
I learned of the news the first time from reading the website boombastis.com," said I Nengah Moneng, 65, Penglipuran village tourism chief. He invited Tempo to sip the loloh cemcem, a typical drink of Penglipuran that mixes sweet, sour and salty tastes.
He talked about his village's sudden popularity on social media after being named in February one of the three cleanest villages in the world, the other two being Giethoorn in the Netherlands and Mawlynnong in India. "I was surprised. I don't know what institute did the nomination," Moneng said.
Since winning the Kalpataru Award in 1995, the village of Penglipuran in Bali's Bangli Regency is now famous for being one of the three cleanest villages in the world. Village law regulates the residents' habits of hygiene.