I remember watching the first season of Survivor back when I was in university. I didn't realize it was still going... or that there were French, Serbian or Israli versions either!? And certainly when I was watching it then, I didn't think much about the area in which the 'teams' were living, other than to think it was beautiful scenery and backdrop for the game.
Now, however, that there is a French television team shooting a Survivor Series in Raja Ampat, I am seeing things in a different light. I am seeing how oblivious foreigners are when they come to an area with a single aim.
Obviously they are here because this is such a beautiful area, rich in culture and nature. But is their presence here going to do more harm than good in the long run?
Apparently a substantial amount of money has gone into this project... fair enough... but that money was paid directly to the central government and to the government of Raja Ampat... I would wager a very very small percentage of it ever reaches any of the communities of Raja Ampat... its impact will not be felt where it could do some real good and is needed. As far as I'm concerned it is a complete lack of respect for the traditional village systems which exist in Papua.
This is Indonesia, but Papua is a special case... things don't work here exactly the way they do in the rest of Indonesia... I mean, the level of corruption is still there, or perhaps worse even, but there are two systems of law/government here that should be abided by... The 'hak wilayat' (traditional tenural system) has been in place in Papua for generations, and has worked to maintain peace as well as protect resources throughout local history. This traditional governance is the system that the local people live by, abide, and should be respected by the any visiting foreigner as well. The dualism created when the Indonesian government moved in to Papua is hard to reconcile... but possible. Papua has special autonomy, and legal respect for their traditional systems... but when foreigners come in without knowing about this, it is easy to step on toes... and the people who lose inevitably are the locals. I could write many posts on this problem, but don't want to make this blog political and get black-listed from Papua... so I won't.
On one hand, the French TV folk can't be blamed for being utterly oblivious to the appropriate manner of doing things here... they expect that things work as they do in their own country and no doubt no one from the Indonesian government told them any different... But on the other hand, if they're planning such a big and impactful investment in an area, shouldn't they do a little background research and find out the way to do things best???
Anyway, a funny story from the villages since Survivor has come to the area... the villagers in one nearby village were utterly appalled that these poor people had been left to fend for themselves without food, water or fire... so they snuck them over food! These are the Papuan hearts that I love!
