| Title |
Description |
Length |
 |
The Merapi Volcano |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO contextualizes her contribution with a brief description of life on the slopes of the Merapi volcano (very active). She gives the etymological roots of the word, composed of a Mero term (of Hindu origin, meaning “the Holy Mountain”) and of the Api term (meaning “the Fire”), and explains why "Merapi" thus means “the mountain with the crown of fire.” The Merapi volcano in the north of Yogyakarta (a city located at the center of Java with 2 million inhabitants) located 20 kilometers from the Indian Ocean (south of the town). She then introduces us to the characteristics of the volcanic eruptions of this area, made up of lava and volcanic clouds, which she calls ash clouds. Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO describes the consequences of the powerful volcanic eruption and the government’s reaction to this emergency situation. She explains why the presence of fertile soil left by the volcano’s lava has caused overpopulation around the mountain’s base. |
00:01:56 |
 |
The Sultan of Yogyakarta, Guardian of the Merapi Volcano |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that the guardian of the volcano, the Yogyakarta Sultan, refused to evacuate the area before the eruption, which led to the entire population’s refusal to leave. She highlights a misunderstanding between two of the key actors: the Yogyakarta Sultan, who opted to stay put in order to dialogue with the volcano, and the Indonesian government, which saw the Yogyakarta Sultan as a danger to the local population. She situates the volcanic eruption in context and explains how inhabitants were confused on May 27, 2006 when the ground trembled for fifty-six seconds at six o’clock in the morning followed by clouds of ash and streams of lava. Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO specifies that the earthquake was a tremor sparked by a larger earthquake that occurred on the coast 7 kilometers to the south. She stresses that the south of the country was affected by the disaster more than the north, contrary to what was predicted by forecast models. |
00:02:08 |
 |
Discovering Bebekan, the Village of Ducks |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO gives an overview of Bebekan and explains that it is located on a hill amidst a large plain of rice patties and has a cemetery at its center. This village, although located fifteen kilometers from the sea, was still affected by the Tsunami: thousands of people poured in from coastal regions to take refuge on the hill within the cemetery. She specifies that these people spent one night surrounded by death. Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO talks about her discovery of a village made up of “pariahs,” and stresses that this qualification is related to their place of dwelling in a cemetery. She points out that while the village of BEBEKAN conveys the image of a paradise, it is really a disaster waiting to happen. |
00:01:40 |
 |
Bebekan, a village in ruins |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO shows photographs of Bebekan in ruins while explaining that the local government offered thirty million roupis (or 2,800 euros) per person for rebuilding the destroyed houses. She explains how each of the villagers took turns photographing their destroyed homes in order to have evidence in the event of administrative problems related to paying the subvention promised by the government. She specifies that the village of Bebekan counts 400 inhabitants and 99 houses, 95 of which were destroyed by the earthquake. |
00:01:20 |
 |
The Knowledge of Bebekan |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO discusses the behavior of Bebekan villagers, who behaved like heroes (not like victims) when the earthquake refugees began pouring in from all directions. She develops her idea with a concrete example. She tells us that, during the earthquake, the Bebekan villagers were celebrating a wedding on one home’s balcony, which collapsed and killed two people. According to Islamic tradition, the dead people were quickly buried, which allowed the villagers to continue celebrating the wedding amidst the ruins. She indicates that many victims of the earthquake started to converge on Bebekan and were welcomed with leaves of palm or teak, representing a portion of the wedding feast, before returning to the cemetery for the night. |
00:01:38 |
 |
Rebuilding Bebekan One Step at a Time |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO describes the interworkings of Bebekan, which does not have any civil servants and whose villagers are tenant farmers (peasants). She explains why this isolated village has never received any international assistance. She discusses the reason she got involved in the rebuilding process and explains that it was born from a spontaneous action with no external financing. The aid proposal corresponded to a reverse economic logic that she defines as a form of improvised humanitarian aid. Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that rebuilding the village started by tearing down the damaged structures. This stage, which was eerily similar to the earthquake, was difficult for villagers. She then speaks out against NGOs, which showed up with material with little use in a village in ruins. |
00:03:43 |
 |
Humanitarian Aid in Crisis Situations: the Utility of Mini-Structures |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that the villagers formed many working groups called "rondas" (word of Portuguese origin) that enabled them to buy the material needed for rebuilding the village and feeding the workers. She points out that flexible loans and mutual respect were key elements in generating substantial improvement with very limited financial resources. She points out a model of assistance based on a system of mini-structures that is different from those adopted by NGOs. She speaks out against NGOs for not collaborating in these types of initiatives. |
00:02:38 |
 |
A Ceremonial Meal on the Ruins of Bebekan |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that Bebekan is a Muslim village without significant problems. The village organized a ceremonial meal: the women of the village received 180 euros to cook a feast for six hundred people. She then describes the atmosphere of this feast, and stresses the role played by the village’s women in local ceremonies. She gives her point of view on the NGO operation while stressing her disapproval of the NGO, Atlas, which was horrified that a feast had been organized amidst the village ruins. |
00:01:50 |
 |
Artistic Identity in a Context of a Destroyed Material Identity |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains one of Bebekan’s traditional art forms: the "Reog" trance dances. This local art form includes all the heroes (Ramayanas) and ancestors of the village. She discusses how villagers were quick to purchase the costumes and investments needed for performing the dance. She then highlights the importance of artistic identity, which, via the trance dance, uses art to bestow divine gifts. |
00:02:54 |
 |
The Trance Phenomenon in Bebekan’s Artistic Tradition |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO shares the opinions of old villagers, who accuse young dancers of entering into the trance state prematurely. She tells the story of one dancer who was unable to come out of his trance, and how a young man from another village interpreted the experience. What are the relationships between trance and identity? This is an important question to answer by observing this social context of destruction. Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO discusses how everyone in the village has a role to play during the dance: sixty dancers and musicians; food, make-up, and costume preparation, followed by costume washing so they can be lent to other tribes. |
00:02:04 |
 |
The Role of Ancestors in the Trance Dance |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that the ancestors are introduced into the dance by sowing discord and causing the war. She adds that it is a phenomenon difficult to decipher because the trance dance is based on two different logics (the "Ramayana" and the spirits of the Javanese village), both integral parts of the village’s history. |
00:00:48 |
 |
The Legend of Bebekan |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO tells us the legend of Bebekan and the story upon which its flag is based: two ducks were waddling around in a rice patty next to the village. The mallard laid magnificently beautiful eggs, which were forbidden from being sold. If they were sold, the legend claims, all ducks would cease to lay eggs.
|
00:00:57 |
 |
Humanitarian Aid Based on the Local Needs |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that her role included offering material aid as well as educational, artistic, spiritual, and health advice. She specifies that rebuilding cannot be only material and that it is important to love people through this step, i.e. to be interested in them, to listen them, to propose initiatives according to their needs unlike most NGO’s typical actions. |
00:01:04 |
 |
Human Life Organized around the Activity of the Merapi Volcano |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO discusses how the organization of human life depends on the activity of the Merapi volcano, using volcanology as a point of reference. She explains the strategies used to forecast an eruption: hearing and vision. She stresses the importance of a personal, spiritual and logistic balance in the event of crisis. She uses an example to illustrate her point: the group of "Firemen Across Borders,” who arrived on site without fire-resistant equipment because they had come merely to take survey the houses touched by lava and were unaware that the earthquake and the volcanic activity were related. She speaks out against a fault in the system caused by NGOs. |
00:04:55 |
 |
A Tale of Two Sacred Sites that were Untouched by the Lava from the Merapi Volcano |
While discussing the volcanic activity of Merapi in 2006, Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO highlights that two sacred sites were saved from the lava: the "white banyan tree" and "elephant rock". She explains that "elephant rock" was created by an ancient lava stream that ceased to run to let a pregnant woman pass. The resulting lava formation was in the shape of an elephant. The history is still believed today since she was unscathed by the lava flow in 2006.
|
00:01:59 |
 |
Traditional Practices Amidst Ruins |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO talks about the Bebekan’s “feast of ancestors” that is organized at the beginning of Ramadan. The feast includes meditating on the tombs of ancestors, which is followed by a ceremonial feast. She then discusses the characteristics of the ceremony: Javanese men go around the village distributing baskets of food from the ceremonial meal to individual households. |
00:00:52 |
 |
Two Visions of Solidarity: Local Assistance versus NGOs |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO puts the Bebekan rebuilding project in perspective and discusses how the local assistance program was set up. She points out that a project for building an arts center was converted into a house building project. She goes through the project’s steps and stages on the local level. She goes on to explain how the villagers drew up blueprints for new houses that incorporated mainly local materials, which reduced the rebuilding budget. The villagers then hired local carpenters and together they drew up a list of priorities. This assistance system is much more adapted to local needs than NGOs’ system of “cash money.” This local assistance program allowed villagers to rebuild their own houses with the salary earned by working in rice patties. This approach was promoted by the United Nations, who spoke out against NGOs and accused them of often creating disorder and conflict in villages where their teams operate. |
00:08:15 |
 |
Description of the Rebuilding Process |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that the house blueprints were send to architects who verified alongside the carpenters that the new homes had minimal levels of earthquake resistance. She discusses the work and demonstrates that the cost of a 36 square meter house was 140 euros. She goes onto talk about how the villagers “customized” their new homes. |
00:02:00 |
 |
Visit from a Spiritual Leader of the Soufi Brotherhood |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO tells us about the visit from Khaled Bentounes, chief of a Soufi brotherhood and author of a translated book entitled "The Soufi Heart of Islam." She talks about the warm welcome and Javanese songs the villagers offered the spiritual chief. She concludes this section by discussing how women had to remain in the village mosque in order to encounter the spiritual leader. |
00:01:54 |
 |
The Spiritual Value of Assistance |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO evaluates the total cost for rebuilding Bebekan at 16,000 euros and points out that the amount is what a United Expert is paid in one month to decide if aid distribution is good or bad. Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO briefly describes the multi-faceted rebuilding program based on a micro-economic approach that gets the villagers directly involved in the process. She then draws a parallel between the notion of today’s “world” which she defines as an indivisible whole and the notion of “village” where everything is interrelated. She talks about how she feels indebted to Bebekan, a village that allowed her tap qualities in her that she did not know existed, but which spontaneously surged forth in a crisis situation. |
00:02:51 |
 |
Preserving the Cultural Heritage of Bebekan |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that the rebuilding project also sought to maintain the Javanese traditional house and adds that the project was drawn up in close collaboration with villagers. She then describes the traditional décor that the rebuilding project attempted to integrate into the new construction plans. |
00:03:29 |
 |
The Pitfall of Collaborating with a Private Partner |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO talks about the problems encountered by the Carrefour group when it tried to implement a rebuilding project in Bebekan. She cites the group’s corruption and attempts to put pressure on the villagers. She adds that the Carrefour group’s teams involved in the project were unprepared for the villagers’ stern desire to actively participate in rebuilding their village. Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO reveals that she intends to compile a dossier, along with the villagers, that lists illicit behaviors of the Carrefour group. She goes on to explain that doing so will spark a debate about the initiatives to implement when a giant arrives to take over a village under the pretext of offering humanitarian aid. |
00:06:24 |
 |
Setting-up a Local Framework for Ensuring Bebekan’s Future |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO talks about the project initiatives aimed at adapting space within Bebekan to the future. She describes two other projects which are more commercial in nature and that include manufacturing local items to be sold abroad. |
00:03:27 |
 |
A Wall of Friendship around Bebekan |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO points out the importance for children to have school bags. She personally donated 250 school bags to the village of Bebekan. She also explains that a project called "A Wall of Friendship" will make it possible to give credit to the people having participated in the village’s rebuilding process.
|
00:03:43 |
 |
Making the Most out of Local Culture |
Elisabeth INANDIAK PRASETYO explains that the prime locations, such as the luxurious baths of Sultans, are reserved for key social and cultural events, which has kept them shrouded by a certain degree of mysticism. She talks about one performance the villagers organized for honorable guests, which included a performance by a famous dancer. |
00:05:45 |
Implementing an adapted humanitarian aid
