Road to Anxiety (ongoing)
This visual investigation seeks to address the most urgent problems of our time.
Paniai, Papua, Indonesia. 2015. Trans Papua access road project made by the government to open isolated access. The access road emptied the villages, leaving only seniors and children. The productive man go to nearby cities to be involved in modernization. Although only a few of them go to school, mostly unemployed and involved in criminal acts.
The project will explore the impacts of Trans Papua Road project along 4330 kilometres which divide the Papua, Indonesia, areas up to the borderline of Papua New Guinea. Half areas of Papua Island are Indonesia areas which has wide old forest with mangrove and peat swamp areas, and has more plants species compares to other tropical islands. It is certainly the home for various indigenous culture of Papuan.
Based on David Gaveau and Douglas Sheil research published on Biological Conservation (7 September 2021), 83% areas in Papua, Indonesia are forest areas in 2019. Those areas represent 42% of Indonesian’s forest and the biggest intact areas of old forest in Asia Pacific.
The study predicts 4,5 million hectares (Mha) or about 13% from total 34,29 Mha forest areas can be lost in 2036 as the impact of Trans Papua Road project. This situation will trigger climate change seriously as well.
In the last two decades, Trans Papua Road has benefited land-based industry like plantation, logging forest and mining. Giving impacts to deforestation which destroys indigenous Papuan livelihood, cultural heritage, and social rules. According to Wahana Lingkungan Hidup (WALHI) research, the construction of the Trans Papua Road in the period 2001-2019 resulted in the loss of natural forest cover area of 22,009 ha wide.
This ongoing project started in 2016 is an effort to collect indigenous Papuan community’s live stories which is sacrificed for the world considered developed and modern. It drives to a priority to exploitation of natural resources and the forest, as well as neglecting the lives of indigenous Papuans.
The Trans Papua mega-project route divides Papua from the west to the PNG border, along 4300 km. Source: Nusantara-atlas.org
Lani Jaya, Papua, Indonesia, 2016. The Trans Papua road is changing mountain and forest landscapes.
Jayawijaya, Papua, Indonesia, 2009. The past home of indigenous Papuans in the Baliem Valley, Wamena. Now many indigenous Papuans live in houses made by the government called the aid program.
Lani Jaya, Papua, Indonesia, 2016. The remaining traditional houses of indigenous Papuans along the Trans Papua road.
Lani Jaya, Papua, Indonesia, 2016. The Trans Papua road that connects Jayawijaya with other districts in the mountainous region.
Lani Jaya, Papua, Indonesia. 2016. The connection between villages and cities, triggers clans who own hak ulayat (customary rights) and forests to become suppliers of ready-to-use timber. They can provide chainsaws from government grants.
Jayawijaya, Papua, Indonesia, 2019. Painting at a fuel sales station belonging to migrant. Migrants in Papua dominate the distribution of fuel and other basic needs.
Paniai, Papua, Indonesia. 2009. A group of people from the Migani tribe danced and ran down the street, welcoming the new district head.
Paniai, Papua, Indonesia. 2016. Prior to the construction of the Trans Papua road, regional connectivity in Papua adjusted to the context of the natural landscape, such as lakes and rivers.
Asmat, Papua, Indonesia. 2018. Fuel queue at Agats. Politics and patterns of fuel distribution have triggered shortages in a number of areas in Papua.
Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. 2019. The bus stumbled on a road that was never completed. Corruption is a common phenomenon in infrastructure development projects.
Jayawijaya, Papua, Indonesia, 2019. Nduga refugees receive food aid. They are still displaced to this day. They have difficulty accessing food, clean water and health.
Merauke, Papua, Indonesia. 2022. Military statue built in conjunction with the road project.
Asmat, Papua, Indonesia. 2019. Papuan endemic birds are widely smuggled out of Papua.
Dogiyai, Papua, Indonesia. 2016. The indigenous Papuan performed waita, traditional dance from the mountains. This dance reflects a unity that is undivided, harmonious, straightforward and an expression of freedom. This dance always accompanied by singing and mouth-generated sounds.
Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. 2018. Imakulata Emakeparo died because she was shot by state security forces assigned to secure the company mining area. Imakulata was shot when she was about to fetch clean water from the company's facilities, because there was no clean water in her settlement. Security officers accused him of assisting the theft of gold.
Deiyai, Papua, Indonesia. 2009. The presence of security forces in welcoming district head officials in the new autonomous region. The special autonomy policy triggered the emergence of a new autonomous region in Papua.
Lani Jaya, Papua, Indonesia. 2016. The regent's office complex in the central mountainous area.
Lani Jaya, Papua, Indonesia. 2016. Regional connectivity encourages the massive presence of factory-made consumer goods in indigenous Papuan communities.
Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. 2021. Dam on the westside of the tailing disposal stream ini Otomona river. The dam is about nine meters high. Beside being used to limit the ross-sectional of tailing stream, this dam is also used as the company’s operational road from the mountain area to the cost.
Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. 2021. Boi, 32, looking for fish in the tailings disposal area in Otomona River. The depreciation of forest volume due tailing disposal stream and the increase in the number of community members, make the fish habitat narrower, and creates competition and jealousy between community members.
Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. 2021. Lia holds Anis, her third child with a disability and who is undergoing treatment fo tuberculosis. Lia gave birth to five children, two of which died when they were under one-year-old. There are many deaths of the children under the age of three occur in Lia's community.
Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. 2018. Edo goes to church in the clothes of a mining company mechanic. Edo got the shirt from an acquaintance who worked at the company. Not many people from the Kamoro Tribe work for mining companies that drastically change their lives.
Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. 2019. The iconic bridge in the capital of Papua. The construction of this bridge displaces part of the women's forest, a forest where indigenous women meet the protein and nutritional needs of their families and women's autonomous space.
Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. 2019. Indigenous Papuans who live on the coast are accustomed to using rivers as a mode of transportation. The construction of the Trans Papua Road has drastically changed the landscape of their lives.
Dogiyai, Papua, Indonesia. 2017. Indigenous Papuan women do not have the right to vote on decisions within the community/clan, including in land and forest matters. The Trans Papua Road project triggered the sale of land and forests belonging to the clan. The impact is serious for women's domestic roles who depend on land and forests.
Nabire, Papua, Indonesia. 2018. In a number of areas, the Trans Papua route uses roads that were previously made by logging companies.
Lani Jaya, Papua, Indonesia. 2016. Traditional Papuan house materials are taken from the forest.
Lani Jaya, Papua, Indonesia. 2016. A typical wooden fence in the mountainous Papuan community, the material is taken from the forest.
Boven Digul, Papua, Indonesia. 2019. Monument to mark the boundaries of the oil palm plantation area.
Manokwari, Papua, Indonesia. 2021. Oil palm plantation area of 26,429 Ha on the Trans Papua road connecting Manokwari - Sorong.
Boven Digul, Papua, Indonesia, 2019. Samela, 10, never went to school and works in an oil palm plantation with her grandmother.
Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. 2018. Dogs are important animals for indigenous Papuans who live dependent on the forest. Dogs become hunting partners and get abundant food in the forest. When deforestation drastically reduces forests, indigenous Papuans stop hunting and there is no food for dogs.
Asmat, Papua, Indonesia. 2018. Because there is no proper health service, often sick people from Asmat are referred to health services in other districts.
Jayawijaya, Papua, Indonesia, 2019. Emergency school for Nduga refugee children made of iron tarpaulin for the roof, plastic for the walls and wood.
Boven Digul, Papua, Indonesia, 2019. Tropical forest cleared for oil palm areas.
Jayawijaya, Papua, Indonesia, 2019. The Nduga refugees have to stay in the house of their relatives. Since the armed violence incident by the TPNPB/OPM led by Ekianus Kogoya that killed 16 PT Istaka Karya workers, December 2, 2018, the military operation carried out by the Joko Widodo administration has pushed thousands of Nduga residents to flee to Jayawijaya.
Nabire, Papua, Indonesia. 2018. Indigenous Papuan women walk past a logging operation road, after shopping in the city. In a number of areas that are considered to have no potential for economic value, there is no adequate infrastructure and public services.