As the first ever JakPost Connect, the event also served as an opportunity for students to learn how photography can have a powerful impact on society and history.

“A photo tells a story; a photo is a source of stories, a source of history, a source of knowledge,” said Adisti Sukma Sawitri, managing editor of the Post.

Opening the event, she showed attendees several front pages of the newspaper during its 40-year-long history, complete with photos depicting the top story of the specific day. As an established media institution, Witri said the paper had long been a witness to democracy in Indonesia and that the photos were a part of the historical narrative in Indonesia. 

Drawing comparison to front pages that were published in the past, she pointed out how many issues still persist; extremism, the tension between China and Taiwan, and a power struggle involving Russia, then known as the Soviet Union, and the West. Despite the similar issues, however, Witri stressed that there were also stories of development. 

A notable front page was one that was published in 1998, with a bold heading that read ‘I QUIT!’. The article accompanying it was about then-president Suharto’s decision to step down from his presidency after month-long anti-government demonstrations and civil unrest.

“All the small events can lead to a big impact,” said Witri. “A massive social movement will obviously change the political constellation and then society everywhere, especially in Indonesia.” As her background, a screen showed a picture of the “212” protest on the front page of a paper that was published in 2016. 

Independent documentary photographer Irene Barlian also served as a speaker for the event. Displaying her project titled “Land of the Sea”, she showed photographs she took during her trip to several cities in Java that have been gravely affected by flooding and rising sea levels in connection with climate change and global warming.

Recounting for the attendees stories from different people she met along the way, she said that community engagement had always been one of the things she applied to her work. The people she photographed include Ibu Siti, a Semarang resident whose floor is never dry; Dusun Simonet, a village in Pekalongan that used to house over 70 families, but now is only home to one; and Ibu Darini, a salt farmer in Cirebon who is struggling because her salt pan is now underwater. 

“’Land of the Sea’ is created to have a deeper understanding of what our future can be, to learn from those who are affected but resiliently survive and adapt, and also as a wake-up call that this is the time to act,” said Irene about her project. “I think documentary photography is the most suitable medium as it presents accurate imagery to visualize the impact of climate change.”

The event also drew attention to the Post’s photo competition, open to eager students and photographers. Part of the newspaper’s 40th anniversary celebrations, the Post and PannaFoto Institute is holding a contest with the theme of “A Voice for All; Capturing the Spirit of Participation”. The competition is looking for photographs that capture community involvement and social activism in Indonesia through the most beautiful way.  

“Photography is a very powerful tool. Photographs can be an agent of change if used wisely,” concluded Irene.

The winning photographs will be chosen by an esteemed panel of judges that include the Post editor-in-chief M. Taufiqurrahman, PannaFoto Institute managing director Ng Swan Ti, and Rony Zakaria, curator for the newspaper’s 40th Anniversary Photo Exhibition. 

The winning photos will be published in the Post and on its website, displayed in the aforementioned photo exhibition, and winners may be eligible for a monetary award. 

Head over to thejakartapost.com/photo-competition to learn more.

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