Eklin Amtor de Fretes, 28, a victim of the conflict, appeals to children and teenagers to penetrate barriers of segregation through the stories of peace he has been telling.
By
Frans Pati Herin
·5 minutes read
The religiously nuanced social conflict that disrupted Maluku about two decades ago has caused many people to develop segregated environments and outlooks. Eklin Amtor de Fretes, 28, a victim of the conflict, appeals to children and teenagers to penetrate barriers of segregation through the stories of peace he has been telling.
When social conflict was rampant in 1999, Eklin was seven years old. With his family, he was forced to leave the house where he was born in Masohi, Central Maluku regency. They were seeking a secure place to take refuge and start a new life as it was impossible to return home.
Children born after the conflict period even often hear stories of antagonism. They still do up to the present
The conflict robbed him of his childhood, separating him from his peers and compelling him to live in a segregated milieu.
Growing up in a homogenous environment and frequently hearing accounts of conflict filled children with hatred and resentment. There was the tendency to label other groups negatively. “Children born after the conflict period even often hear stories of antagonism. They still do up to the present,” said Eklin in Ambon on Monday (23/11/2020).
He had the chance to meet peers of different faiths when he studied at SMP 2 Amahai state junior high school and later at SMA 1 Masohi state senior high school. Through such contacts the young people had conversations that led to the conclusion that they had been victims of religious provocation. The provocations were organized, systematic and conducted en masse to achieve certain aims.
Eklin took even more determined moves to get out of the walls of segregation when he studied theology at the Indonesian Christian University in Ambon. As a student, he was frequently engaged in activities involving interfaith youth, including discussions, camping and staying with residents who had other beliefs.
He also helped launch several communities and programs organized around the theme of tolerance, such as Komunitas Jalan Merawat Perdamaian (peace-keeping community) and Kemah Damai Pemuda Lintas Iman (interfaith youth peace camp). In 2017, for instance, community members stayed for several days in the largely Christian Latuhalat village as well as in the largely Muslim Tulehu village and Air Besar complex. The villages are on Ambon Island, which saw the worst of the conflict.
Choosing Dodi
It was through such activities that Eklin resolved to keep propagating peace, and he chose to focus on children and teenagers. This group is very vulnerable as many of its members are fed gloomy stories they never experienced. For Eklin, they belong to the future generation that must be rescued from segregation.
Then, he chose to tell stories by using a dummy named Dodi, an acronym for dongeng damai (stories of peace). According to him, storytelling with the dummy attracts children. Stories are considered an effective medium to convey messages, including the appeal to maintain peace.
He taught himself the art of storytelling through various videos on Youtube, learning about compiling contextual substance to be easily understood by young people. He learned how to direct the dummy’s movements and talk without moving his lips – the art of ventriloquism. After practicing for two weeks and becoming convinced of his capability, Eklin made his debut on Jan. 2, 2018.
Since then, he has been telling stories from one village to another in Maluku. In 2018, when Indonesia celebrated its 73rd year of independence, he set a target of telling stories in 73 locations. He exceeded the target. So far, he has toured hundreds of places on a number of islands, such as Ambon, Seram, the Aru Archipelago and Southwest Maluku.
Outside Maluku, he has performed in Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java. Whenever he travels, he always carries the dummy so that he can tell stories if the opportunity arises.
Nonetheless, Eklin’s storytelling journey was not free from rejection. He was once prohibited from performing in a traditional kampung on Seram Island. The kampung’s community adheres to a local belief. Eklin was rejected because they were worried he was on a religious mission. “I was thought to be wanting to advocate for a religion because I’m referred to as a church minister,” he said.
Regeneration
Eklin doesn’t want to be the sole storyteller in these communities. He has begun to teach many children, teenagers and adults the art. He has a headquarters called Rumah Dongeng (house of stories). It’s a building measuring 4 meters by 3 meters constructed on his grandfather’s cemetery.
He also invites volunteers to teach storytelling students English and German with the aim of diversifying the languages for narration. One of the volunteers is Tri Ambarwaty Basyir, Miss Maritime Maluku 2018.
The young woman, who wears a head scarf, has been teaching in Rumah Dongeng since 2019. “The house of stories of peace gives a feeling of security, comfort and peace amid the segregation of zones in Maluku,” she said.
Thanks to the campaign for peace through storytelling, Eklin won the Satu Indonesia Award, organized by PT Astra International Tbk, in the category of education. The stories narrated by Eklin keep spreading, mushrooming and penetrating the barriers of segregation for the sake of creating eternal peace, rather than a partial peace.
Eklin Amtor de Fretes
Born: Masohi, Nov. 19, 1992
Education: Faculty of Theology, Indonesian Christian University Maluku