M Isnaeni Muhidin, Preserving Memories of Disaster
By
Reny Sri Ayu
·6 minutes read
For more than 10 years, M Isnaeni “Neni” Muhidin, 41, has been active in literacy movements, including on disaster literacy. For him, there must be no end in the effort to preserve locals’ memories and raise awareness among the people licing in and around Palu, Central Sulawesi, about how they must live on top of the active Palu-Koro fault.
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit Palu on Sept. 28, 2018, left Neni Muhidin devastated. It was not about losing his loved ones or personal belongings, but rather because the earthquake occurred just two months after he and the Palu-Koro Expedition Team submitted their disaster mitigation documents and recommendation to the Central Sulawesi governor. The documents were the results of a year-long expedition.
Neni and Tirinirmala Ningrum initiated the Palu-Koro Expedition in 2011. At the time, Tirinirmala – who later became the expedition team’s head – was the secretary-general of the National Platform (Planas), a medium for disaster campaigners across Indonesia, especially members of the Disaster Risk Reduction Forum (F-PRB). Neni represents Central Sulawesi in the F-PRB.
Despite having been initiated in 2011, the expedition began only in 2017. On July 30, 2018, the team revealed their findings and recommended mitigation steps the Central Sulawesi governor should take. However, before any of the steps were implemented, disaster struck.
“In fact, after we submitted the documents and mitigation recommendation signed by the government, there was a simulation. Unfortunately, almost none of our recommendations were put into place,” Neni told Kompas on the sidelines of the 2019 Makassar International Writers Festival at Fort Rotterdam, Makassar.
Neni was a speaker at the event. He launched two anthologies of poems titled Almanak Bencana (Disaster Almanac) and Sajak-sajak Renjana (Poems of Emotion). The books comprise poems from writers across Indonesia.
“Almanac means records of warnings. This is our way of preserving the people’s memory so they understand that disasters are cyclical and, hopefully, these books will help them remember. So many incidents take place that are later forgotten. Our people have the tendency to forget things. Forgetfulness is also a disaster,” Neni said.
Devastated by the earthquake in September last year, Neni refused to stop. He traveled to many villages and visited places with a history of earthquakes. He met with the elderlies to gain their statements on past earthquakes. He recorded the names of villages with meanings related to disasters or referring to local ecosystems and plants.
He compared his findings to local cultures and traditions, as well as other researches and expeditions.
He then wrote down his findings and spread them on social media and other media. He also participated in and held various discussions.
Almost no other bay in the world was struck by three tsunamis within 80 years, other than Palu in 1927, 1938 and 2018. Thus far, locals know that they are living on top of the Palu-Koro Fault.
“However, they just know, without exactly understanding how they must live on an area like that,” Neni said.
When the government proposed to build a dike on Palu Bay to anticipate tsunamis, Neni was among the plan’s most vocal protesters. Instead, he proposed mangroves. For him, mangroves are not just about planting trees. It is an entire ecosystem, filled with many other plants and is inseparable from the land where it grows.
Everywhere in the world, evacuation routes on tsunami-prone regions must be perpendicular and move away from the beach, instead of running parallel along the beach
He said the dike construction plan was already a failure as a plan. In the Central Sulawesi disaster mitigation master plan, it is mentioned that the dike will help evacuations.
“Everywhere in the world, evacuation routes on tsunami-prone regions must be perpendicular and move away from the beach, instead of running parallel along the beach,” he said.
Neni continued that to reduce disaster risk, the government should be focused instead on improving locals’ knowledge and the early warning system, while restoring the coastal area with an ecological approach.
Neni did more than just protest. He also urged many parties to plant a mangrove on Palu Bay. Locals are educated on the importance of mangroves and earthquake-resilient buildings in coastal areas.
Out of comfort zone
When he decided to leave Jakarta in 2007, Neni practically removed himself from his comfort zone. Going to universities in Bandung, West Java, and working in agencies in Bandung, Yogyakarta, Aceh and Jakarta had made his life comfortable.
However, his wish to do something for his hometown and accompany his mother who lived alone made him leave Jakarta. In Palu, he asked his mother’s permission to partially renovate the family’s home and established a mini library. He has been a literacy campaigner since his university days. For him, libraries and bookshops are like a second home.
On Aug. 17, 2007, he inaugurated the library, which he had named Nemu Buku (Finding Books). The library was not only a reading space but also a room for discussions, research, studies on art, culture and film, and various other social literacy activities. From this library, film, culture and discussion groups will emerge. Beyond establishing Nemu Buku, Neni and his friends also held activities in villages.
Neni also made efforts to understand disasters and gather data and studies on the Palu-Koro Fault and various potential disasters in Palu, Sigi, Donggala and other regions. He is now active in the Poso Expedition.
The disaster in September last year had strengthened his will, especially in disaster literacy.
Neni has also published several books. He founded Nemu Publishing in 2012 and asked many agencies and artists to work together. The disaster in September last year had strengthened his will, especially in disaster literacy.
“The world recognizes six basic literacy: reading and writing, numerical, scientific, financial, digital, cultural and social. Indonesians, who live on the ring of fire, must add one more: disaster literacy. This is what we will work for,” he said.
Muhammad Isnaeni Muhidin
Born:Palu, June 1, 1978
Education:
· SDN Inti Lolu 6 state elementary school, Palu
· SMPN 2 state middle school, Palu
· SMA HOS Tjokroaminoto high school, Tolitoli
· International Relations, Pasundan University, Bandung
Experience:
· Campaigning for disaster risk reduction in Palu since 2008
· Head of Central Sulawesi Public Reading Space Forum since 2014
Awards:
· Award for Nemu Buku form the Education and Culture Ministry as Creative Public Reading Space, September 2014