WGII Brings Indigenous Voices to Synchronize Festival 2025

Jakarta, (October 4-5, 2025) — Amidst the vibrant music stage and thousands of young people flocking to Synchronize Festival 2025, the Working Group ICCAs Indonesia (WGII) appeared with a different hue. Located at "Rumah Ruru"—a special area at Synchronize Fest 2025 organized by the art community Ruangrupa—WGII, along with the Indigenous Community of Kasepuhan Pasir Eurih, emphasized the importance of conveying a message about the relationship between humans, nature, and culture in facing the climate crisis. 

This message was packaged in a storytelling performance titled "Tutur Pasir Eurih: The Answer is Us" performed by Siti Sopariah, an indigenous youth from Kasepuhan Pasir Eurih, affectionately known as Teh Opah.

"In my village, the ancestors passed down customs, one of which is through storytelling. This time I want to tell about the customs and local wisdom of Kasepuhan Pasir Eurih to those present here," said Siti Sopariah. 

The Tutur Pasir Eurih performance opened with the playing of the celempung, a traditional musical instrument from Kasepuhan Pasir Eurih, which led the audience into the world of storytelling and allegory. In her story, Teh Opah narrated the story of indigenous people striving to uphold traditional values and conservation practices to protect the universe—about Seren Taun as a form of gratitude to nature, about the nandur arrangement for simultaneous harvests to avoid pests, to the forest area division system (Leuweung tutupan, titipan, cawisan). 

What is conveyed is not just a story, but a legacy of memory—a chain of storytelling passed down from mother to child, generation to generation. The warm atmosphere of the relationship between humans, customs, and nature is reinforced not only by the presence of the Celempung sound but also through video screenings, creating a calm and reflective atmosphere amidst the festival's hustle and bustle. 

Through this momentum, WGII expands the campaign regarding Indigenous Peoples and Local Community Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCA) while introducing the culture and wisdom of indigenous communities packaged in a fresher and more interactive way with the audience present—penetrating popular spaces so that the message of conservation and sustainability can resonate more widely. 

"Because maintaining the earth's sustainability should not only be the task of the indigenous people of Pasir Eurih. We indeed have local wisdom and traditions that are deeply rooted in protecting the forest and ancestral lands, but this responsibility should be a shared awareness. The climate crisis we feel today knows no territorial or specific customs boundaries; it affects everyone, from small villages to big cities. Because the earth is the mother, the sky is the father, and we are all their children," Teh Opah concluded the performance. 

Not stopping on stage, on this golden opportunity, WGII also presents interactive and educational activities by inviting visitors to actively engage and directly connect visitors with conservation practices and local knowledge of indigenous communities. 

Through the eco-printing workshop, visitors are invited to make tote bags with eco-printing techniques—learning about natural dyes from nature while understanding the sustainability behind it. Equally interesting, WGII also presents weavers from the Baduy Indigenous Community who demonstrate the process of weaving fabric directly, inviting the audience to touch, see, and feel how this living tradition is maintained. 

In the same space, WGII also showcases a photo exhibition documenting ICCA (Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conserved Areas and Territories) in various regions of Indonesia. Each photo tells the story of the struggle, resilience, and ways indigenous people maintain the balance between humans and nature. 

Through WGII's presence at Synchronize Festival 2025, WGII proves that the issue of climate change for indigenous people is an important issue and a concern for all of us, especially the younger generation, the nation's successors, amidst the excitement of the younger generation who are more interested in music, modern art. The campaign "The Answer is Us" emphasizes that the solution to the climate crisis does not come from outside. The answer lies within all of us—in the way we listen, learn, respect, and preserve the knowledge that has long safeguarded this earth. **rayutariEditor: AN