At that time, I was in University, I got a scholarship from Victoria University, New Zealand in 2018. There was a rally by the farmers from Kendeng at the Presidential Palace. So sad.
I love gardening, so needless to say I know a thing or two about how farmers are suffering due to failed harvest, pests or endless drought. And then these farmers from Kendeng, their livelihood was threatened by the existence of a cement factory.
Seeing those female farmers from Kendeng at the television, they cemented their legs, my heart broke. What can I do?
Then this song called “Apathy” was born.
If you only receive
We still want it
If asking is wrong
Do we still want to?
If you swallow it all
Where is our share?
If the land is scarce
Where is our share?
Voice out your disappointment
Until the echo breaks
The wall between us
If this cuff doesn’t touch them
Do we still need to?
If I had no life
Are we still needed?
Sadly, this song is still very much relevant until now, and will always be so. Farmers are still suffering, especially with this erratic weather and climate change. Harvest used to be three times a year, now maybe only twice if not once. And then, the price decline too.
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I still play my music even until today, but not as intense as when I was in Banda Neira. I can say my music activity now make up 20 to 30 percent of my daily life. Last time I had a duet with my sister, Isyana Saraswati, we sang “Luruh”, but it was not a well-planned project, just a spontaneous one.
Now I would rather teach a photography workshop and think critically together with my husband, Ben Laksana. I feel happy being among young people, exploring creativity and sharpening critical thinking ability. I feel reborn all the time.
Wellington, New Zealand, I changed after I went there to study. The experience there was really an eye-opening one. Rara is not who she used to be.
In New Zealand, people live in a community spirit. Collective. Every neighbourhood has a common garden. Some planted kale, okra, tomato, others planted potatoes, and then during the harvest time, we would celebrate together. The products we harvested were put in the shelter and anyone was free to collect.
The community activities in New Zealand were varied. People had a different set of skills, and some would establish a “Repair Café” and taught others how to repair things. How to mend ripped trousers, repair a loose screw in a blender, or repair shoe sole. The goal is to teach people not to throw things away too easily and buy a new one. We also became knowledgeable about which product is meant to be disposable and which one is not. It is all to preserve the environment.
Gardening was the main activity in New Zealand. When I did the mentoring for my thesis, I always swap vegetables with my professor. Hi… I brought you kale, could you bring some tomatoes?
It was so much fun, doing gardening create a social cohesiveness. So warm and the spirit of togetherness in New Zealand reflected perfectly in the way they responded to the Christchurch incident.
I returned to Indonesia with Ben, I continued my hobby in gardening. My yard is small and full of vegetable plants. But the kale that I grew here is not as crispy as the one I had in New Zealand, I wonder why? I need to learn more. I always want to know the story behind the food that is put on my dining table.
Cooking what came from our own garden makes me happy. I often so gutted to see the price of a bowl of salad is Rp. 150,000 in a restaurant. Geez, if you plant your own vegetable or buy it from the local farmers, it would be cheaper.
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Ben and I are now requested by our village leader to manage empty plots around our housing compound in Bogor. I dream to make it like in New Zealand, I want to reenact the gardening activity and the community.
By the way, the culture of collectiveness here is far behind New Zealand. Here, collectiveness is limited to general cleaning, that’s it. It is so hard to ask the neighbours to do gardening together and actively involved in the community. I feel like a freak in my own country. I got a culture shock.
#PuanIndonesia⠀
#ceritaperempuan⠀
#WomenStory⠀
