I was bored, hanging around waiting to go hunting. I figured out I could do the same thing with photojournalism, catching a story with pictures. This concept impressed me very much. However, it was hard to find the right story. Many ideas came and went. In 2000 I was working nine-to-five for a company in Jakarta. The Easter holiday was a great opportunity to take pictures. I was keen to watch a re-enactment of the ‘stations of the Cross’ in east Java. I spent three days in a quiet village and enjoyed shooting.
One picture became my favourite. I saw a worker finishing a statue of Jesus Christ. I had seen similar statues in churches, hanging on the wall above the altar. Here, a long way away from Jakarta, this statue was lying sprawled on the ground. It looked meaningless. Suddenly it reminded me of the current situation in Indonesia and I felt miserable. People don’t respect religion – it has become a political issue instead of a personal matter.
I come from a non-Catholic family, but I continued with this story in different places around Indonesia and learned more about Catholicism. I quit my nine-to-five job and became a professional photographer.
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
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