Artivism in Maluku

Abstract

Taking Eastern Indonesia as an example, this paper analyses alternative ways to maintain peace and fight social injustices. Arts and creativity are key in transformative justice approaches in post-conflict Maluku. The emerging arts scene was turned into a means to reintegrate society and resist disruptive outside forces, in direct contrast to use of the media and the arts to solidify group boundaries during the Moluccan conflict. This paper analyses these recent developments in Indonesia's periphery and how they are embedded in broader discourses on political art in Indonesia and beyond. In environments such as Indonesia, where the public articulation of protest and intergroup tensions have been suppressed for a long time, and where scholarly engagement with activist art (or artivism) has a strong focus on Indonesia's centre, such analyses are highly relevant for learning from the periphery, promoting a culture of dialogue and triggering positive change.

Keywords:

• Arts
• Activism
• Creativity
• Transformative Justice
• Peacebuilding
• Protest
• Maluku
• Indonesia

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all Moluccan artists and activists for sharing with me their insights, experiences and art. I am also grateful for feedback on earlier versions of this article in our workshop at the 2019 Euroseas Conference in Berlin and by Barbara Hatley, Ario Seto and Sophie Mahakam Anggawi and the anonymous TAPJA reviewers.

Notes

1 Unless noted otherwise, all websites mentioned in this article were last accessed on 11 May 2021.