Bringing Quality Journalism to Makassar International Writers Festival

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“Journalists help us understand an increasingly complex world and cultivate spaces for critical conversations.” 

This statement, met with applause, was delivered by Aan Mansyur, an Indonesian poet and the director of the Makassar International Writers Festival (MIWF), at the opening of the panel discussion "Caring Journalism for the Planet and the Unheard."

This discussion was organized by the independent media outlet Project Multatuli in a collaboration with the Pulitzer Center’s Southeast Asia outreach. 

This year, MIWF's theme was "M/othering," focusing on care work and spotlighting marginalized groups such as Indigenous women, queer communities, and vulnerable communities affected by extractive industries. The Pulitzer Center participated in two panel discussions, a coaching clinic, and an exhibition at the festival through its collaboration with Project Multatuli.

That evening in May, over 70 students, young community members, journalists, and activists gathered in the backyard of Rumata ArtSpace for the "Caring Journalism" session, moderated by Evi Mariani, Project Multatuli’s executive editor, to celebrate World Press Freedom Day.

Adi Renaldi, a panelist and a Pulitzer Center Our Work/Environment grantee, said, “Talking about the environment also means talking about power, business, and politics because everything is interconnected.” He shared his experience reporting on rising sea levels in Demak, Central Java, illustrating how climate change and government incompetence harm coastal communities, causing recurring flooding and loss of livelihoods.

In the coaching clinic, Detty Saluling, the Pulitzer Center's senior manager for the Environmental Investigations Unit, emphasized that the Center continues to support ambitious journalism projects addressing systemic issues. About 25 journalists from Makassar and surrounding cities attended the session. 

To achieve greater impact, the Pulitzer Center combines journalism with engagement, making sure that the stories are reaching audiences, inspiring them to take action, as shared by Intan Febriani, the Center's director of International Education and Outreach.

On Friday morning, Fort Rotterdam in the heart of Makassar was bustling with participants for various MIWF workshops. 

The Pulitzer Center supported a session that brought together storytellers and Indigenous women. It was titled "Tudang Sipulung," a local tradition of gathering to discuss and solve problems. 

All participants—journalists, researchers, poets, content creators, and Indigenous women from various parts of Indonesia—sat together in a circle on the floor, sharing their stories, hopes, and worries about deforestation, land grabbing, and unregulated extractive industries impacting their homeland.

Nopri Ismi, a Pulitzer Center Rainforest Journalism Fund grantee, shared his experience reporting on environmental degradation and its impact on communities along the Musi River in South Sumatra. 

“The knowledge that Indigenous women possess is crucial for the survival of their communities. They play an active role in fishing and deeply understand the crop cycle. Balancing their domestic roles while being key actors in maintaining community livelihoods, Indigenous women are reliable and important news sources for me as a journalist,” said Ismi.

His documentary was also featured in the exhibition titled Window to Indigenous Women, showcasing women from the Musi River voicing their concerns about environmental damage caused by converting ecosystems into industrial forests and palm oil plantations. The degradation of wetlands has led to a significant decline in freshwater fish populations, eroding women's knowledge of fishing and fish processing.

“Seeing this video makes me wonder, shouldn’t economic activities benefit both businesses and communities? How are permits and environmental assessments carried out to ensure that communities are not harmed?” Asma Mukrika, an agribusiness student who watched Ismi’s video, commented.

The partnership with Project Multatuli has connected journalism with a wider audience at MIWF. This collaboration successfully reached over 150 discussion participants and more than 1,100 exhibition visitors.