On this episode of Southeast Asia Dispatches, Deborah Augustin speaks to Febriana Firdaus, an independent journalist based in Indonesia, and Leo Plunkett, a filmmaker and video journalist, about their recent documentary, Our Mother’s Land. The documentary looks at some of the women at the forefront of hundreds of rural communities that are in conflict with corporations seeking control of their resources. The film gives us a glimpse into how some of the women fighting against these issues have faced violence, the threat of imprisonment, and even death, as a result of their activism.
Febriana and Leo talk about their experience documenting these stories and share their thoughts on the challenges women activists face in Indonesia when it comes to environmental activism, and how environmental issues overlap with women’s activism.
The documentary can be accessed on The Gecko Project Youtube channel
For more information on how to support these women, you can reach out to the following organisations:
Women’s Cooperative of the Piondo Farmers Union, Central Sulawesi. You can reach Kastiah, the chairman at +6285696584503
Lakoat Kujawas, a local NGO in Mollo, East Nusa Tenggara. You can email them at lakota.kujawas@gmail.com
Forest, Nature, and Environment of Aceh (Leuser). You can reach them at info@haka.or.id
