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Batik house empowers women in Jambi's 'drug village'
The native of Jambi said her workshop had 18 members, some of whose children or family members were involved in drug-related cases.
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Jambi native Tinah, paints batik prints on a piece of cloth in the headquarters of the local batik community in Jambi, on Feb. 5. (JP/Jon Afrizal)
I
n a yellow-painted stilt house in the heart of Jambi city, Jambi, Tinah, 42, was batik painting on a white cloth in her workshop. Around her, there were piles of batik fabrics that highlighted the traditional print patterns of Jambi as well as ready-to-wear batik attire.
The house, named Rumah Batik (Batik House) is where Tinah started her journey to empower local people in Danau Sipin village. The village was infamous as a “drug village” where drug users and sellers lived among the residents.
The house contains many stories of her efforts to provide alternative sources of income and skills for residents to take part in batik creation and business, instead of being involved in drug abuse or drug trafficking.
The native of Jambi said her workshop had 18 members, some of whose children or family members were involved in drug-related cases.
The members are all housewives who were concerned about the wellbeing of the residents and the negative image of their beloved village.
Danau Sipin village, dubbed Kampung Nebula, and its neighboring village named Pulau Pandan, which is located on the banks of the Sipin River, had been both infamous as “drug villages” since the early 2000s, Tinah said.
Tinah explained that the moniker “drug village” was given to the village as many of the residents were involved in drug offenses. She said although it was only a modest village, lines of cars, some luxurious, park on the small street into the village, allegedly to buy drugs. The local residents also allegedly provide rooms in stilt houses for drug users, complete with evacuation routes, in case they are raided by the police.
