October 11, 2016 edition
In 2009, Indonesian batik was designated a 'Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity' by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Batik has flourished since the late 1800s but, until recently, only in Java. Today, however, other regions in Indonesia have begun creating their own batik motifs, applying their own distinct artistic traditions. Jimmy Afar, a designer from Papua, introduced the art of batik-making to women in Papua. Meanwhile, Nurcahaya from North Sumatra uses traditional Batak patterns in her creations. Tempo English reports on the development of the increasingly diverse batik industry, in celebration of National Batik Day on October 2.
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More Outreach articles in other editions
October 4, 2016 edition
The massacre of close to half a million people, which began after a failed coup attempt led to the killing of Army generals on September 30, 1965, is the darkest chapter in the history of modern Indonesia. To this day, there has never been an acceptable accounting for the killings, most of whom were members and suspected followers of the now-banned Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). In July, the International People's Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, concluded that the state must bear responsibility for the killings, a verdict rejected by the Indonesian government, which adamantly refuses to issue any apology, stalling reconciliation efforts at the national level. In Central Sulawesi, the mayor of Palu publicly apologized to victims living in his area and launched an ongoing public discourse on the tragedy. Meanwhile, in Bali, an exhumation of mass graves in one village and giving the bodies a proper burial was one way of reconciling with the tragic past. A Tempo English special report.
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September 27, 2016 edition
Left-behind Children
The 2004 tsunami disaster and other conflicts in Aceh caused many children to lose their parents. SOS Children's Villages helps place them with new families.
IN front of his house, Wahyu was absorbed in a card game with Farhan, a friend of similar age. Once in a while, the seven-year-old shouted, "You lost!" Farhan would respond similarly at other moments. Inside the house, their foster mother Nurjannah and her older children were preparing lunch.
"Wahyu has been here for two and a half years," said Nurjannah when Tempo visited her home three weeks ago. The 35-year-old woman is the foster mother who takes care of Wahyu and his new 'siblings'. The family came together with the support of the SOS Children's Villages foundation. Headquartered in Austria, SOS Children in Aceh has a house at Lamreung, Greater Aceh Regency.
The 2004 tsunami disaster and other conflicts in Aceh caused many children to lose their parents. SOS Children's Villages helps place them with new families.
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September 20, 2016 edition
FOR some housewives in East Nusa Tenggara, gasoline stoves can quickly turn into a fire monster that burns down their houses. "We are afraid it'll explode," said Maria Nogo Sogen in mid-August. The woman who usually goes by Mama Mia looked dead-serious. Quoting television news, she told stories of many fires due to explosions of the gas tube.
Many fires resulting from the melon bombswhat locals call the three-kilogram bright green gas tubestook place often between 2008 and 2010, when the government converted from kerosene use to gasoline. Although East Nusa Tenggara saw no occurence of such fires, the traumatic effect is deep. "We are poor. We save money little by little to build a house and after that it gets burned. Wouldn't that be a bitter experience?" Mia asked.
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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.
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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.
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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.