VII Mentor Program Scholarship

VII Mentor Program Scholarship

| View of a group of passengers from different walks of life and with different destinations in the port district, Alexandria, Egypt, April 2, 2019. ©Fatma Fahmy for the VII Mentor Program

THEVIIFOUNDATION.ORG/VII-ACADEMY @viifoundation | @theviiacademy

| Sixteen-year-old AJ mourns at the crime scene where his neighbor Antonio Perez, a barangay worker, was shot by unidentified assailants on January 4, 2017, outside their shanty in Pasay City in the Philippines. Since the war on drugs was launched in the Philippines in 2016, thousands have been killed by unidentified men on motorcycles, which many link to death squads; many of these cases remain unsolved. ©Kimberly dela Cruz for the VII Mentor Program

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VII Mentor Program: Online mentoring followed by in-person residency for two weeks in Arles, France The VII Foundation and its academy seek support to create a unique opportunity to engage young US visual journalists with young visual journalists from the global south in an intensive hybrid mentoring and training format that will culminate in person in Arles during Les Rencontres d’Arles Professional Week. The Rencontres is the world’s most important photography festival and the biggest networking opportunity in photography and visual journalism.

This program will offer the highest-level mentoring and training in visual journalism that is available, with some of the industry’s leading practitioners. It will bring together young people from diverse backgrounds, with very different life experiences, and create friendships and alliances that will be invaluable as they build careers in visual journalism that will enable them to confront the realities of the modern world, from climate change to human rights.

| Man looking at the water level in the well. Merzouga Oasis, Morocco, April 2022. ©M’hammed Kilito/VII

The VII Foundation’s mission is to ensure that decisionmakers and citizens are equipped with the truth — that is, the facts — required to make thoughtful decisions that advance humanity in a positively sustainable manner. This mission couldn’t be more urgent at a time when beliefs and actions are increasingly out-of-sync with facts and realities.

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@viifoundation | @theviiacademy

About VII Academy VII Academy is a unique educational entity that provides training online and in person at our campuses in Arles, France, and Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina. To date, VII Academy tutors, drawn from the leading media practitioners of our time, have trained over 1,200 visual journalists, from 100 countries, in 10 languages. These photographers and filmmakers come from every inhabited continent and represent a vast new community of practitioners reporting from their own communities.

They live with the issues they investigate — be it war, human rights, climate change, or inequality and injustice — and they are trained in the new journalism skills necessary to enable them to reach a global audience in local, national and international media.

VII Academy training is structured as a pathway from the first point of contact to high-level practice: the first three levels together form the Program for Narrative and Documentary Photography, while our highest level is the VII Mentor Program. We seek support for the VII Mentor Program, which is focused on emerging new talents in the industry as well as the most accomplished students from Level 2 or Level 3. The first of its kind, the program was launched by VII Photo Agency in 2008 and is now managed by VII Academy.

| A group of Ukrainian IDPs fled Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, on March 12, 2022. This northern area of the city has seen heavy fighting and shelling. The group arrives at an area before the destroyed bridge into the city during the third week of the Russian invasion. ©Byron Smith for the VII Mentor Program

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Program The VII Mentor Program: Phase 1: Online mentoring (one year) Mentees have regular contact with the program leader (The VII Foundation’s Managing Editor, Amber Maitland) and are integrated into a structured professional learning environment with monthly expert sessions exploring critical topics like ethics, business practice, grant writing, branding, design fundamentals, story pitching, entrepreneurship, legalities, hostile environment awareness training and more. Mentees work with editors, curators, and other media professionals, and are assigned to a VII Photo contributing photographer who provides professional guidance and mentoring. Redux agency in New York represents mentees’ work for the duration of the program; mentees are also eligible for commissions through The VII Foundation.

Our tutors have spent decades working for The New York Times, The New Yorker, National Geographic, Le Monde, and the world’s leading media. Their mentorship and training have created a path for our alumni to follow in their footsteps: today our alumni are winning the highest awards and are working for the finest publications.

| Nickel mining facility of PT IWIP (Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park) as seen from Tanjung (Cape) Ulie, District of North Weda, Central Halmahera Regency, North Maluku Province, Friday, October 14, 2022. Locals are impacted by dust and smog from the mining activities, affecting their respiratory health. The coastal nickel mining facility is situated on top of reclaimed land, previously a mangrove area, limiting access to local fishermen from neighboring villages Gemaf and Sagea, among others. ©Joshua Irwandi for the VII Mentor Program

Two of our 2023-24 Mentees won awards at World Press Photo: M’hammed Kilito (Morocco) for Before It’s Gone and Kimberly de la Cruz (Philippines) for Death of a Nation, while Jackie Molloy (USA) continues to contribute to

THEVIIFOUNDATION.ORG/VII-ACADEMY @viifoundation | @theviiacademy

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The New York Times and has had her first National Geographic story published. The three women in the Leica Women Foto Project x VII Mentor Program opened an exhibition of their work (If This Isn’t Love) in September at the Leica Gallery Boston. In February, they also exhibited at Leica Gallery D.C. in Washington. Debsuddha was awarded the Images Vevey Book Award 2023/2024 and now has a year to publish a book of his work, Belonging, with Editions Images Vevey.

The VII Mentor Program: Phase 2: Residency in Arles (two weeks) In addition to the online mentorship, mentees will meet for two weeks during the professional week of the Rencontres d’Arles festival in June/July 2024. During the first week, mentees will work in a classroom environment with leading professionals from the world of writing, film, and photography, and be exposed to public panels held at the foundation’s headquarters on topics such as AI, media security and more. They will dedicate the second week to actively networking at the Les Rencontres d’Arles Professional Week where international editors and curators gather to discover new work. Arles is also the home of the French National School of Photography, the LUMA Foundation, and The VII Foundation’s HQ, which is a prominent “insiders” hub at the festival and is where many of the VII Photo contributing photographers meet day and night. For visual journalists, this is a transformational experience. | Women and children of refugee families line up to receive water and flour. ©Ebrahim Alipoor for the VII Mentor Program

THEVIIFOUNDATION.ORG/VII-ACADEMY @viifoundation | @theviiacademy

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With your donation, you are giving access to the full Mentor Program (online and residency) to: • 4 mentees from under-resourced communities in the USA. • 8 mentees from the Majority World.

Requirements: candidates for the program are identified as emerging talents in the industry with the potential to have a significant impact reporting on issues of global importance.

Capacity: 12 mentees max.

Price: $80,000 Your donation will cover everything for the 12 mentees, including tuition, flights, local transportation, lodging, a $20/day per diem, all tuition as well as networking activities, presentation to the public, administration costs, and lifetime inclusion to VII Community*. *VII Community: in the foundation’s education pathway, ongoing support for our alumni is a vital task. To this end, we created VII Community in partnership with PhotoWings: this community is open to ALL those who have completed one of our courses. VII Community today is a network that numbers more than 1,000 professionals and supports its members with connections to the profession through online discussions, presentations, reviews, in-person global meetups, and a Discord platform for regular exchanges. | A group of children celebrate Juan Manuel’s first birthday in one of the streets of Santa Cruz del Islote. The island opposite the Morrosquillo Gulf, in Departamento de Bolívar, Colombia, is approximately a hectare long, equal to two soccer fields, and is the most crowded island in the world. ©Charlie Cordero for VII Academy Fellows

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VII Mentee Feedback “The quality of the content presented was exceptional.

Renowned photographers and industry experts associated with The VII Foundation shared their extensive knowledge and experience in the field. Their presentations were thought-provoking, filled with captivating visuals, and accompanied by in-depth discussions. The seminar provided valuable insights into the art of documentary photography, storytelling techniques, and the importance of ethical storytelling practices. The content not only met but exceeded my expectations by offering practical knowledge and inspiring examples that I could apply to my own work.”

“A well balanced highly educative program.”

| My cousin, Mira, wears our grandmother’s tlaba (wool garment) to connect to her family roots and Amazigh culture, reviving the cultural heritage of the Nafusa mountains to keep it from being lost amid the chaos of fashion and imitation in Yefren, Libya. October 28, 2018. ©Nada Harib for the VII Mentor Program

“During the program, we had the privilege of delving into the art of storytelling, particularly focusing on stories that hold significance. We gained valuable insights into honing our personal narratives, mastering the technical aspects of our craft, and effectively sequencing our work.

One of the most remarkable experiences was having the opportunity to showcase our projects to highly experienced photographers. Their expertise and guidance proved invaluable as they generously shared their thoughts and constructive feedback. Their insights provided us with a clear direction on areas to improve, allowing us to strive for excellence in our photography careers. The program truly equipped us with the necessary skills and mentorship to become the best versions of ourselves in this creative field.”

THEVIIFOUNDATION.ORG/VII-ACADEMY @viifoundation | @theviiacademy

| A girl stands with her father in an alley in Tabriz, Iran, on September 18, 2015. The rising cost of living has pushed nearly 19 million Iranians into slums over the past forty years and increased the risk of child marriage and delinquency for an innumerable number of children. ©Farshid Tighehsaz for the VII Mentor Program

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1. Farshid Tighehsaz featured in 6 Mois, 2022 2. Jackie Molloy featured in National Geographic, 2023 3. Jackie Molloy featured in National Geographic, 2023

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MITAR SIMIKIC

Porträt von Mila in der Schule: Als einzige der SalihovicKinder erwartet die 18-Jährige mehr vom Leben als Heiraten und Müllsammeln. Sie geht auf eine höhere Landwirtschaftsschule, um Agrartechnikerin zu werden – doch nach dem Tod des Vaters fehlt ihr das Geld für das letzte Jahr.

DIE WELT DER FAMILIE SALIHOVIC Über Jahre begleitete der Dokumentarfotograf Mitar Simikic eine Familie im Nordosten von Bosnien und Herzegowina, die der Krieg in Armut gestürzt hat. Von den Roma lernen sie, wie man durch Müllsammeln überlebt. Doch Tochter Mila will mehr vom Leben.

Die Familie lebt in der Stadt Bijeljina Am Anfang, als ich die ersten Male zu Familie Salihovic nach Hause kam, haben in der Republika Srpska im Nordosten mich die fünf Kinder „den Astronauten“ von Bosnien und Herzegowina, dicht an genannt. Ich kam aus der Außenwelt, und der Grenze zu Serbien und nahe meinem hatte dieses Techno-Ding – nämlich die Heimatort Ugljevik. In dem Viertel sind Kamera – in der Hand. Ich war in ihrem die meisten Leute Roma. Ahmo erzählte Hinterhof gelandet wie ein Forschungs- mir, dass er schon seit 20 Jahren Dinge reisender auf einem Stern. Vermutlich aussortierte, die andere Leute wegwarfen. war „Der Astronaut“ auch leichter zu Eigentlich war er Maurer, doch dann kam merken als Mitar. Denn Mitar hätte jeder der Krieg, der von 1992 bis 1995 dauerte. heißen können. Aber nicht dieser Typ, Auch danach blieb es schwer, sein Handder sich nicht über den Müll im Hof werk auszuüben. Als die Leute ihn immer beschwerte und der sich so verhielt, als öfter nicht bezahlten und die Aufträge wäre es ganz normal neben einer Roma- weniger wurden, schaute er sich bei den Siedlung zu leben und Kupferdrähte Nachbarn ab, wie man Geld verdient.

Viele glauben deswegen, dass die auseinander zu dröseln. Mir erschien das Leben dieser Menschen, die trotz ihrer Salihovic Roma seien. Aber das stimmt Armut unerschütterlich gefasst waren, nicht. Sie sind eine muslimische Familie. spannend. Wenn ich sie fotografierte, Sie haben von den Roma lediglich gelernt, schienen sie eigentlich mich vor der Linse wie man die Kunst des Überlebens zum zu haben. Ich war ihr Ereignis. Sie der Alltag macht. Ahmo wurde ein Self-MadePlanet – ich der Astronaut.

Man. Wenn man putzen gehe, bekomme Vater Ahmo und Mutter Melvida man zwölf Euro, hat er zu seiner Frau fielen mir zum ersten Mal im Jahr 2014 gesagt, aber wenn man Abfall sammele, auf, als sie neben ein paar Mülltonnen trenne und ordne, aus etwas Gebrauchtem parkten. Zwei Wochen später sah ich sie etwas Neues mache, dann könne man in wieder. Ich kam gerade von einer Messe, der Woche hundert Euro verdienen. Mit war elegant angezogen und hatte das diesem Geld kann Melvida weiterhin Gefühl: Jetzt sprichst Du sie an. Sie sahen Burek und Pita in den Ofen schieben und mich verwundert an – was wollte dieser die Stromrechnung bezahlen.

Dieses Genügsame wollte ich erkunschicke Typ? Doch sie gaben mir ihre Adresse und Telefonnummer und drei den. Ahmo erzählte mir, dass er Metall Tage später reiste ich das erste Mal ins und Plastik sehr aufmerksam sammelt und mit viel Geduld auseinandernimmt.

Universum Salihovic.

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1. Marko Risovic featured in The New York Times Magazine, 2022 2. Joshua Irwandi featured in National Geographic, 2020 3. Mitar Simikic featured in Doctors Without Borders Magazine, 2023 4. Mitar Simikic featured in Doctors Without Borders Magazine, 2023

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Mit dieser Wand will ich den sozialen in ihrem Alter Scham empfunden habe, Rahmen zeigen. Ich möchte aber auch wie ich mich ständig fragte, wie ich auf die Fantasie anregen: Wie das Feld im andere wirke.

Sommer aussehen könnte, auf das Vater Samilas Ohrringe fotografierte ich Ahmo im Winter aus dem Fenster blickt, vor einem Spiegel – als Symbol dafür, oder wie man in der Roma-Siedlung dass wir uns reflektieren. Manchmal gleich nebenan lebt. zeichne ich die Welt aus Milas Perspektive, 2019 habe ich erneut angefangen, die von innen nach außen. Ich zeige ihre Familie Salihovic zu fotografieren – dieses rauchenden Schwestern, ihre Mutter wie Mal im Rahmen eines Stipendienpro- sie vor den gewaschenen Tüchern steht, gramms der Akademie für narrative und oder das Kätzchen in Milas Hand. Ich dokumentarische Praxis in Sarajevo. mache das alles sehr langsam, ich bin Dabei hatte ich das Gefühl, eine andere kein Reporter mehr. Ich erzähle jetzt Sichtweise finden zu müssen, um Milas dokumentarisch – man könnte fast sagen Geschichte zu erzählen. Ich wechselte auf analoge Art – obwohl meine Kamera das Format und verwende seitdem nur digital ist. noch das Quadrat. Die Informationen Mila hat als einzige unter den fünf links und rechts im Querformat sind oft Geschwistern eine höhere Schule besucht, überflüssig. eine Landwirtschaftsschule. Die anderen Mila ist ein sehr anschauliches Bei- Mädchen haben geheiratet. Als ich sie als spiel für eine Gesellschaft, in denen einige Elfjährige kennenlernte, hat sie mich mit nur wenige Chancen bekommen. Mein Fragen gelöchert, gern gelesen, geschauHintergrund in Grafikdesign hat mir spielert, Fußball gespielt. Mila hat nicht dabei geholfen, ihr Gesicht abzubilden, auf ihre Schwestern gehört, die meinten, als sie sich nicht mehr fotografieren lassen man brauche nicht mehr Bildung als die wollte. Ich suche nun nach anderen Me- Grundschule.

Für das letzte Schuljahr bräuchte sie thoden, um Einblicke in ihre Realität zu geben und zeige Details. Ich „verstecke“ nun 500 Euro. Doch weil ihr Vater Ahmo einen Teil, kann aber vielleicht gerade vor Kurzem gestorben ist, kann sich die dadurch die Vorstellung der Betrachter Familie das nicht mehr leisten. Daher öffnen. Wenn ich etwa Milas künstliche arbeitet Mila jetzt ein paar Stunden in der Wimpern fotografiere, dann zeigt das Woche für die NGO „Zora-Morgenröte“. ihre Wünsche, aber eben auch ihre Scheu. Dort unterrichtet sie Roma-Kinder in Ich kann mich gut erinnern, wie ich selbst Lesen und Mathematik.

Shaban ist das dritte Kind der Familie Salihovic. Jeden Tag geht der 19-Jährige mit seiner Mutter und seiner jüngsten Schwester Almedina zur Arbeit: Sie sammeln Abfall und gebrauchte Gegenstände, um diese anschließend zu sortieren. Als einziger Sohn übernimmt er nach dem Tod des Vaters die Verantwortung für das Familienunternehmen.

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PubDate: 03-31-2022

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Time: 03-30-2022

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People gather to play by the sea near Waladuna Mosque in Muara Baru, North Jakarta, in August, 2021. The mosque has been affected by coastal floods since 2000.

The Bridge of Sungai Manggar stretches out ahead beyond the Manggarai toll gate on the way to Nusantara. The hilly, winding route takes motorists through a pristine rain forest.

People try to escape flood waters in Jakarta in January, 2020. The most recent of several major floods to hit the city in recent decades, it resulted in an estimated loss of US$70-million.

Sibarani Sofian’s design for the new capital was selected in 2019 from 255 submissions: ‘What we need to be wary of is if we rush and do not listen to the possibility of risks.’

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Karibik einmal erleben, Kolumbiens Superlativ: die kleinste, wuseligste Insel der Welt.

Maya begrüßt die Besucher mit den Worten: „Willkommen auf der Insel mit der größten Bevölkerungsdichte. Laut dem letzten Zensus 1986 haben wir 486 Einwohner, aber es sind heute eher 700 bis 1200, je nach Saison. 65 Prozent davon Kinder und Jugendliche.“ Maya geht auf eine Universität in Cartagena, absolviert ein Vorstudium für Architektur. Sie ist nur noch drei Mal im Jahr zu Hause, etwa für den Ferienjob als Guide. Derzeit kommen so viele Besucher wie noch nie. Der Tourismus hat sich in den Friedenszeiten der vergangenen Jahre verdreifacht.

Maya erklärt den Besuchern die Geschichte und liefert die Grunddaten: Islote hat zwei Kirchen, drei Läden, aber vier große und viele kleine Häfen. 150 Kampfhähne leben hier, mehr als 200 Kinder. Es mag einer der entlegensten

JAKARTA, A SINKING CITY

THE PROMISE OF NUSANTARA

This is not the first time Indonesia’s leaders have discussed the idea of a new capital. In 1957, the country’s first president, Sukarno, proposed the idea of relocating to Palangkaraya, in Central Kalimantan.

The motivation is that Jakarta, home to more than 10 million people, is one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world. In some parts of the capital land is subsiding at rates of one to 15 centimetres every year; in others it is up to about 20 to 28 centimetres annually. The cause is primarily groundwater extraction and the load of construction from buildings, malls and apartments, which require highly compressed soil on which to stand.

At this rate, Jakarta is predicted to be submerged by 2050.

Flooding is another potent issue, with small and medium-scale floods occurring nearly every year for the past two decades. Significant floods happened in 2002, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2020, with the most recent causing an estimated loss of US$70million. According to a survey by the Jakarta government, flooding has killed 144 people over the past 20 years.

The Ciliwung River, nicknamed Kali Besar (Big River), is one of the sources of this destruction.

The 119-kilometre river is divided into many canals throughout the city, but the intricate water system and other preventive measures are still unable to stop the flooding. Pollution is one of the main factors. Illegal settlements and slums on the Ciliwung’s banks increase the amount of waste thrown into the river. The garbage takes up space, meaning the river cannot hold as much water as intended. And more water is coming to Jakarta, after forests near the Ciliwung’s source in Puncak, West Java, were cleared to make way for settlements. With the forests gone, there are no plants to retain moisture during the rainy season.

Jakarta is also faced with air-quality problems: It is routinely ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world. The most significant contributors are transportation and industry, along with crippling traffic. More than 20 million registered vehicles are in the capital, of which 80 per cent are motorbikes. Meanwhile, factories use fossil fuels, and coal-fired power plants provide electricity.

The land will be subdivided into three development parts: a “central government area” sized 6,671 hectares, a more extensive “capital region” at 56,180 hectares, and a “developmental capital area” of 199,962 hectares.

The central government area, where the new state palace will be situated, will be the first segment to be developed.

According to the Indonesian Forum for Environment, much of the land is state-owned, though with at least 154 land concessions with coal mining companies, a pulp-paper company and palm oil

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seiner Yacht, vier Kinder und eine Frau mit üppigen Silikonbrüsten an Bord.

Ein Tattoo erstreckt sich über seinen fleischigen Rücken: „Ich komme trotzdem in den Himmel.“

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viel Fantasie ahnt man, womit der sein Geld macht, sagt Adrián. Gerade deswegen aber will er ihn für Spenden zur Erhaltung der Insel gewinnen. Er versucht, dem Mann die Besonderheiten von Islote nahezubringen, etwas zum ökologischen Gleichgewicht, aber der will nur ein Foto mit dem zwei Meter langen Hai im Wasserbecken machen, die Flosse im Würgegriff seiner Arme. Der Mann steht für alles, was Adrián an den Fremden missfällt, die Arroganz der Stadt, die Oberflächlichkeit, der Hoch-

This dam in the district of Sepaku is part of the infrastructure planned to mitigate flood issues and provide water to the city of Nusantara.

Indonesia: The country’s $34.9-billion plan to replace sinking, polluted Jakarta

funktioniert. Per Boot nach Tintipán, 600 Müllsäcke auf einmal, zweimal die Woche, erklärt Maya.

Und mit dem Abwasser? Läuft direkt ins Meer. Die Toiletten auf Islote bestehen aus nicht viel mehr als Löchern im Steg, umgeben mit Bambusstangen als Sichtschutz.

Mit der Nachbarschaft? Viel Tauschwirtschaft. Der eine repariert das Dach, der andere bezahlt mit einem Huhn.

Das trägt zum Frieden bei.

Die Kolumbianer hingegen wollen vorzugsweise wissen, ob es hier wirklich keine Polizei gibt (nein), keine Gewalt (nein), keine Drogen (nur Marihuana), keine Kriminalität (zuletzt ein paar Erpressungen) – beinahe unvorstellbar im Land der Paramilitärs, Drogenkartelle und Guerilleros.

An diesem Tag hilft Adrián seiner Schwester aus. Er übernimmt eine Sonderführung. Ein reicher Kolumbianer, gekleidet nur in Badehose, legt an mit

Es ist ein Leben der Kontraste – eine Welt der Enge und dahinter der endlose Horizont Orte der Karibik sein, aber er ist so lebhaft wie kaum ein anderer Fleck der Erde. Aus jedem Haus dröhnt Musik, aus jeder Gasse Lachen oder Schreien, es ist ein Überschwang an Eindrücken, Action, Sinnlichkeit – wie auf dem Times Square in New York.

Mit jedem Meter stoßen die Besucher auf die Eigenheiten dieser Insel: Die Kinder spielen Fußball in kleinen Teams – drei gegen drei. Für mehr Spieler reicht der Platz nicht, aber dadurch sind ihre Dribbelfähigkeiten auf engem Raum besonders stark ausgeprägt.

Wenn Krankheiten kommen, werden alle zusammen krank, erzählt die Krankenschwester. Wenn einer Ehebruch begeht, wie zuletzt ein Fischer, weiß es am nächsten Tag die ganze Insel.

Die Besucher aus Europa wollen vor allem wissen, wie das mit all dem Müll

A drone image shows a housing compound in North Jakarta in September, 2021. Given the current rate at which Jakarta is sinking, it’s predicted the city will be submerged by 2050.

Die Bewohner von Islote sammeln ihren Müll und lassen ihn zur Nachbarinsel Tintipán bringen, wo er sortiert wird. Omar Berrio trägt die Säcke dann zu einem Boot, das sie nach Cartagena oder Tolú schippert, den Festlandstädten, die Tintipán am nächsten sind

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mut, mit dem sie in diese kleine Welt eindringen. Dennoch steigt Adrián ins Becken und führt ihm den Hai zu, nicht ohne einen letzten Spruch loszuwerden: „Vorsicht, dieser Hai beißt keine Schwarzen, aber dicke Weiße.“ Für einen Moment vergeht dem Städter das Grinsen.

Am späten Nachmittag ziehen die letzten Besucher ihrer Wege, und der Alltag kehrt zurück. Islote ist nun wieder die Insel der Isloteños. Das Leben

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1. Fatma Fahmy featured in Global Citizen, 2023 2. Charlie Cordero featured in GEO, 2019 3. Joshua Irwandi featured in The Globe and Mail, 2022 4. Joshua Irwandi featured in National Geographic, 2022

läuft schleppend, in gedrosselter Geschwindigkeit. Weil es keinen Auslauf gibt, weil man nirgends richtig rennen kann, stößt das Tempo automatisch an Grenzen. „Passt auf den Verkehr auf“, ruft Maya scherzhaft. Es gibt keine Autos, keine Fahrräder, nicht mal Esel, aber überall Kinder. Kinder, die mit Rochen schwimmen. Kinder, die für den Hahnenkampf trainieren und für das große Fußballspiel Insel gegen Kontinent.

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LÜCKLICHERE KINDER

als hier gibt es nicht, da sind sich Maya und Adrián einig. 200 Nachbarsfreunde mindestens, frei spielen, halbnackt herumlaufen, mit Delfinen tauchen, Motorboote steuern, ohne Grenzen – außer dem Meer.

Die Jugend auf Islote dagegen ist schwieriger, es gibt keine Geheimnisse, das Leben ist öffentlich, Privatsphäre ein leeres Wort. Jede Romanze ist ein

Versteckspiel. Mit 15 fragte sich Maya zum ersten Mal: gehen oder bleiben?

Sind die Grenzen Islotes nicht viel größer als die Freiheiten?

An den Nachmittagen trennen sich die Wege der Geschwister. Maya kleidet sich in enge Röcke und Oberteile, eine Spange im Haar, sie schreitet im Tempo der Stadt durch eines der vielen Viertel, viel zu schnell für die Insel, in 30 Sekunden ist sie durch. Ständig ist sie am Smartphone: Instagram, Facebook und

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plantations (Indonesia is the largest producer and exporter of palm oil worldwide). Ninety-four coal mine pits in the area have not undergone reclamation.

All told, a total of 260,000 hectares of industrial forest, consisting of eucalyptus and acacia trees, will be used to build Nusantara.

Despite the underlying environmental issues, Mr. Widodo vows to adhere to the green commitment and design. On a national radio broadcast in February, he said “revitalization and reforestation” will happen in the first stages of construction to ensure Nusantara meets its aims of being a smart city with zero emissions. Among the key performance indicators are the usage of 80 per cent renewable energy, reliance on 80 per cent public transport, and a reduction of the temperature by two degrees.

‘WE ARE READY TO MOVE IF WE ARE EVICTED’

Hamsah, a Dayak Paserese, and his wife Ijum Maryati live in the last house before the security entrance of Nusantara. They and their eight children are looking to relocate once the capital city is established.

Construction will force many Indigenous peoples, such as the Dayak Paser, to leave their homes.

Hamsah, 44, a Dayak Paserese, and his wife Ijum Maryati, 38, live in the last house before the security entrance to the location of Nusantara. They have three patches of land in the region, nearly all of which is used for palm oil. Each month, the couple harvests between 100 and 200 kilograms of palm fruit, which fetch the price of 1,500 rupiah – about 13 cents – a kilogram when sold at a local distributor.

While reluctant to move, Hamsah, Maryati and their eight children are looking to relocate once the capital city is established.

“We are gardeners, and truthfully we didn’t want a city. A city would be an inconvenience for us if we were to expand our gardens. But it’s the President’s wish, and we need to move forward as a country, so we are ready to move if we are evicted,” Maryati says.

Behind their home are rows of wooden houses filled with low-income families.

There is growing uncertainty for the people who occupy this area. In a letter from the Indonesian government regarding the termination of their tenancy, there is no time frame as to when they will be forced to leave and no indication of where

they are going to be moved to.

Megawati, 45, lives in a home here with her husband, Duansa, 43. “It’s hard to find work now, and it would be even harder when the capital city is here,” she says. “We can’t fight. We are poor, and we don’t get any additional support from the government.”

She is against Nusantara, and believes a new capital is not needed.

“Jobs are hard, and we have no capital to start any business.”

DESIGNING A NEW CAPITAL

Mr. Sofian, architect and owner of design firm URBAN+ based in West Jakarta, is the project’s lead designer. His environment-focused design, called Nagara Rimba Nusa – which translates as “State, Forest, Islands” – was chosen from 255 domestic and international entries in 2019.

“We hope the capital city will become a role model for other cities in Indonesia. The dream is that. We want to be the model for forest-inspired cities. To show the world that we can make a city that is out of the box that will tackle all issues of climate change,” Mr. Sofian says.

“The biggest challenge for us is how to put a manufactured city in a natural setting in the most respectful way. Because when we build cities, design cities, we already start to move away so much from the wisdom of the land, the wisdom of nature. You need to really represent how humans relate to nature in this renewed relationship. The city right now we’re living in – Jakarta – doesn’t have that kind of balance.”

Mr. Sofian’s vision is to “build the forest first before building the city”; only 30 per cent of land space will be converted into buildings and offices.

“When we began to plan, we chose the area where we saw the area was already being disturbed. We didn’t want to change the virgin forest into an urban area.”

A GREEN PALACE LIKE NO OTHER

Nyoman Nuarta is a prominent art figure in Indonesia and was part of the New Art Movement in

the 1970s. Throughout his career, he has been prolific in creating large iconic sculptures in several cities throughout the country, as well as internationally.

For Nusantara, he was hired to design a structure that would become a showpiece of the planned state palace complex.

The palace, which is estimated to cost US$104million, will become Indonesia’s most expensive state building – and one of the largest state complexes on record.

The most distinctive part of the design will be a copper structure in the shape of a garuda, a national symbol of Indonesia.

During my visit to Mr. Nuarta’s workshop in October, a polyester resin model of the new palace was set on a table next to a statue of Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president. Nearby, copper blade structures, smaller versions of those that will be used to control the building’s airflow, were being put through trials.

“I hope this will become an icon, a unique building out of the ordinary,” Mr. Nuarta says. “It’s an architectural sculpture. It functions, but also we

This scale design of the presidential office is part of the state palace complex planned for Indonesia’s new capital, created by prominent Indonesian artist Nyoman Nuarta. The palace, which is estimated to cost US$104-million, will become Indonesia’s most expensive state building.

can find our dignity from its aesthetics. It represents 260 million Indonesian population. So it’s not only for beauty or for comfort but also for our dignity as a sovereign nation. I hope it can raise our spirits.”

Like the new capital city, the palace is being designed with sustainability in mind.

“To adhere to the green design, the easiest thing to do is to plant as many trees as possible. The equator passes through the capital city, and people say the trees on the equator grow 10 times faster than land with four seasons. … My hope is that in one, two years max, everything in the capital will be green.”

IF YOU BUILD IT, WILL THEY COME?

One of Nusantara’s goals is to disperse the concentrated population in Jakarta and Java. Greater Jakarta, known locally as Jabodetabek, is the most populous metropolitan area in Indonesia and the second-most populous urban area in the world after Tokyo, with a total population of 31,240,709 in 2020. Economic disparity is starkly visible: While Central Jakarta is filled with skyscrapers, many slums are found in the suburbs. According to Statistics Indonesia, the poverty rate in Jakarta as of July, 2021, was at 4.72 per cent, the highest in 20 years.

The key is to avoid the five top problems of Jakarta: flooding, sinking, pollution, inequality and traffic. Mr. Sofian believes that his design caters to that vision, but he acknowledges that people must have an incentive to move.

“The mystery is always how to start,” he says.

“Our concept goes beyond just simply building.

One of the key parameters … is diversity, not only in biodiversity but also diversity of the society. You don’t just allow government officials to be there. If all government officials occupy the space, then it will become a government city.”

It needs to be a functional design, Mr. Sofian says. “That you cannot rush. You need the businesses to take on course.”

He adds: “We have the chance to plan this from scratch. Jakarta never had that chance.”

Special to The Globe and Mail

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