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Colors brighten lives in kampung
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Proud leader: Valentinus Sutrisnanto, the community unit (RW) head of Kampung Tridi in Malang, East Java. (JP/Erlinawati Graham)
A small village in Malang, East Java, is an example of strong community development.
Trains heading west out of Malang Station slip through a dense forest of rickety houses. Rail companies usually clear land flanking the line. Not here.
If the train car windows are open, passengers can snatch fruit off of breakfast tables. They can also check out clotheslines. Safe behind tinted windows, passengers squint into bedrooms and kitchens while the occupants only notice moving metal. It is rude, but it gives outsiders a chance to observe kampung life.
Now voyeurs do not need to travel. Instead of furtive guilt-laden glances, they can see and be seen, strangers and locals discovering their similarities.
“It’s no problem, we don’t care,” said Valentinus Sutrisnanto as a tour group passes his home’s open doorway.
“We smile and they smile back. We talk. I hear most are happy to wander around and look at our murals. They certainly take many selfies.”
And leave money. Although the entrance fee is Rp 3,000 (US 21 cents), the number of visitors to Kampung Kesatrian, also known as Kampung Tridi (Three Dimension), jumps into the thousands on public holidays according to gatekeeper Habibah.
