The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Natural Disasters

Bangun! Banjir!

Seorang antropolog Belanda tinggal di permukiman kumuh di bantaran kali Jakarta untuk memahami bagaimana warga di sana hidup berdampingan dengan banjir

Religious idioms of vulnerability

Years after the tsunami, people in Aceh articulate the fragility of life through religious idioms

The Palu earthquake

Though earthquakes are common in Palu, residents underestimate the threat, and government response efforts are weak

When the deity meditates…

In ancient Indonesian manuscripts, a disaster is sometimes not a disaster, but a message from the deity.

Wake up! Flood!

A Dutch anthropologist lived in a Jakarta riverside slum to learn how residents there cope with constant flooding

Photo essay: Hope in the face of disaster

Palu after the tsunami

How vulnerable is Indonesia to future climate change?

To understand the future of Indonesian precipitation, climate scientists are looking into the distant past

Social justice by design

Architect Antonio Ismael Risianto promotes planning for the urban poor

Surviving conflict

Aceh’s performing arts have blossomed despite the conflict and the tsunami

Smoking gun

The fires were no natural disaster, says JOKO WALUYO. The smoking gun is in the hands of plantation companies.

Magic on fire

The fires are merely adding to the pressure on East Kalimantan's only national park. But ALEX RYAN also finds that nature lovers have won some battles to protect its beauty.

After the tsunami

Journal of an Aceh volunteer

Aceh's loss

Civil society mourns in the tsunami’s aftermath

After the tsunami, the free for all

International agencies need to take the time to understand local groups

Acehnese voices

As reconstruction moves into high gear, it’s time to listen to tsunami victims

Reconstruction meets resistance

NGOs and local people work together to rebuild communities, until feudalism intervenes

Aceh after the tsunami

An Australian aid worker recounts the challenge of rehabilitating a devastated society

Rebuilding lives

An Australian aid worker reflects on post-tsunami reconstruction.

Picking up the pieces

Rebuilding after an earthquake takes local initiatives as well as aid.

Facing disaster

The 27 May earthquake shook a kingdom, not just a city.

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.