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Painting campaign calls for justice on climate change

Indigenous knowledge from traditional communities in developing countries, including Indonesia, has long played a significant role in helping solve problems, including ones related to climate change

Sri Wahyuni (The Jakarta Post)
Sukabumi, West Java
Sat, October 25, 2008

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Painting campaign calls for justice on climate change

Indigenous knowledge from traditional communities in developing countries, including Indonesia, has long played a significant role in helping solve problems, including ones related to climate change.

The eco-friendly traditional farming techniques, which have been practiced for hundreds of years by the kasepuhan or Ciptagelar community in the remote Sirnaresmi subdistrict village of Sukamulya, Cisolok district, serve as an example.

Believing that planting rice more than once a year will bring them bad luck, people in the kasepuhan (cultural community) plant vegetables after the one annual rice harvest.

"Alternate planting gives the soil more room to breathe, keeping it fertile longer and helping create balance in nature," said Abah (Father) Ugi, head of the kasepuhan.

It is because of such local wisdom that the kasepuhan was selected by the Jakarta office of humanitarian organization Oxfam (Great Britain) as one of the sites for its "Canvas for Climate Change" campaign program. Announced Thursday, the campaign uses paintings as a medium to raise awareness.

"Such an adaptive strategy needs recognition and support from the global world," Oxfam's campaigner Rully Prayoga said, while en route to the community.

He said the program was aimed at articulating the voice of vulnerable people, highlighting the impacts of climate change on human beings and reintroducing traditional knowledge of environmental adaptation to the international community.

The program, which is being held in 23 countries simultaneously, calls for a fair and adequate global deal regarding environmental degradation. "Our global message is, "'stop harming, start helping'", he said.

"We want the world to see that adaptive strategies of indigenous populations help the world cope with climate change. But they are not enough for global resilience, they need the support of the whole planet," he added.

Developed and industrial countries could "stop harming" by reducing their gas emissions and "start helping" by giving recognition to, or even utilizing the coping strategies already practiced in developing countries.

"Programs which give adaptation funds and technical assistance could be implemented to realize these goals," he added.

Rully said that three sites had been selected to be part of the canvas for climate change program: the traditional fishing community in Indramayu, the Ciptagelar community in Sukabumi and a group of senior high school students in Bandung.

During the program, participating artist Indra Sakti is making road trips to the three sites to observe and interact with the target communities and capture their essence in his paintings.

In Indramayu, on Oct. 15, Indra was given the chance to see how climate change has affected fishermen's lives. On Thursday he was in Ciptagelar to observe how locals there cope with the change.

In Bandung on Saturday he will interact with students in a "bike to school" event, to see how awareness of the issue can be raised among younger generations.

"The paintings he does will be exhibited during the UN climate change conference in Poznan, Poland, in December, along with the work of other artists' from the 23 participating countries," Rully said.

Commenting on his participation, Indra Sakti said, "I feel this is also part of my responsibility as an artist. I'm trying to do my bit, no matter how small it is."

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