The Wind of Solidarity Blows from the City of ‘Anging Mammiri’

Name: The Wind of Solidarity Blows from the City of ‘Anging Mammiri’
Uploaded: 2021-01-23T04:11:33Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: The long history of struggle and the principles of life passed down from generation to generation have established a strong sense of solidarity in Makassar city.

The long history of struggle and the principles of life passed down from generation to generation have established a strong sense of solidarity in Makassar city.

By Saiful Rijal Yunus

· 5 minutes read

The long history of struggle and the principles of life passed down from generation to generation have established a strong sense of solidarity in Makassar city. Helping in disasters is one of the activities through which people from the land of "Anging Mammiri" express their solidarity.

In the rain, six women were unloading spinach, eggs, water spinach, tofu, chicken and cooking oil from the trunk of a car at the Matutu Inang social home in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday (21/1/2021) morning. Attendants at the social home run by the South Sulawesi provincial government helped lift these items.

The food was provided by the Celebes Cooking and Baking Community (CCBC), 90 percent of whose members are housewives. They donated the food for people evacuated during a recent earthquake in West Sulawesi, which is part of Makassar.

"Last night, we got information about items needed by the refugees, and luckily, there was some money left. In the morning, we went shopping in the market,” said Susanti (43), the chairperson of the CCBC.

After shopping, they gathered and handed over the food to the social home. CCBC treasurer Maxwell Tumanggor said the cooking community had spent about Rp 2 million to buy the food.

Also read: Search for Victims Temporarily Suspended

Two days after the earthquake, the cooking community had also distributed logistical assistance worth about Rp 10 million for the survivors. The funds were raised from the community’s 200 members and distributed through humanitarian organization Aksi Cepat Tanggap.

It was not the first time for the community to help disaster victims. Since, the Lombok earthquake in 2018, the CCBC has routinely sent assistance to survivors of natural disasters in the country, such as the earthquake in Palu, Central Sulawesi, in 2018 and flash floods in Masamba, South Sulawesi, in 2020.

"During the Palu earthquake, for two weeks we helped prepare food at an evacuation site in the Sudiang Hajj Dormitory. We are actually a community that like to eat and cook, but we also have a social mission,” said Maxwell, who is of Batak descent.

They worked in teams and cooked a meatball and chicken dish called palekko, which they filled into small plastic bags and packed into white boxes.

Like the CCBC, other communities, including a number of agencies, organizations and student groups, also felt moved to distribute aid to earthquake victims in West Sulawesi. At the School of Animal Husbandry of Hasanuddin University (Unhas), students and lecturers also busily packed food for the quake victims on Sunday afternoon (17/1). They worked in teams and cooked a meatball and chicken dish called palekko, which they filled into small plastic bags and packed into white boxes.

The cooking smell filled the room. Laughter and jokes livened up the atmosphere amid the pouring rain. Lellah Rahim, the dean of the School of Animal Husbandry at Unhas, helped with the packaging and preparation before the food was distributed. A least one ton of ready-to-eat food was packed, then immediately brought to Majene and Mamuju, the areas affected by the earthquake. They had swung into similar action during the Masamba flash flood. They hoped their aid would help reduce the suffering of the survivors, many of whom had lost their houses and livelihoods.

Flows of aid

The earthquake struck with a magnitude of 6.2 at about 2 a.m. on Friday (15/1), shaking Majene and Mamuju most of all. Several buildings were badly damaged, including the South Sulawesi gubernatorial office. Landslides also cut off several roads to the two regencies. Ninety-one residents were killed and thousands displaced.

Also read: Bringing Hope in Humanity to Majene

Since the earthquake hit, the aid has not stopped flowing. In Makassar, fundraising is carried out by students at almost every intersection in the city. Two campuses, namely Unhas and Makassar State University, have decided to waive tuition fees for the current semester for students affected by the earthquake.

The South Sulawesi provincial government also distributed, among other things, 10 tons of rice, 3,000 blankets, sardines and sugar for the earthquake victims.

Ery Iswari, a cultural observer from Unhas, said social solidarity was an integral part of the Bugis-Makassar culture. Helping others was an obligation, be it in terms of grief or joy. Disasters strengthened the sense of solidarity in the community.

The solidarity arises from the historical roots of siri\' and the pacce of the people in this region, where siri\' means self-esteem and pacce means empathy for one another. Since a long time ago, these cultural values have been part of people’s daily life.

"Not only in the event of disaster. When the people build houses, neighbors will immediately help," said Ery.

Unhas sociologist Rahmat Muhammad said the Bugis-Makassar people adopted the values of sipakatau (helping each other), sipakainge (reminding each other) and sipakalebbi (mutual respect). Mutual respect and helping others are also manifested in mutual solidarity when there is a disaster or a threat.

The value of struggle from the ancestors, according to him, is also a stimulus. Since a long time ago, the Bugis-Makassar people were known to be resilient in the oceans, in war and when in foreign countries. There is a mentality of heroism to help others, especially in an emergency situation.