The title of this project is ‘Kampung Katong’ which in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) Province dialect means Our Hamlet. Kampung Katong also an acronym for Kami Pung Manekat, Papada, Kampo Tanga which means Our Spirit for Collective Work (Manekat, Papada, andKampong Tanga are local terms from Mollo, Labuan Bajo, and Larantuka representing “collective work of a community”). This project idea was born from the reflection between RMI and Lakoat Kujawas on the collaboration in Being and Becoming Indigenous (BBI)in 2020-2021. In the BBI project, financial resources were disbursed to Lakoat Kujawas to support the implementation at the community level. This approach then ended up in several informal (i.e.: outside of the project work plan) capacity building provided by RMI for Lakoat Kujawas in terms of project administration and management, which was positively reflected by both parties. Lakoat Kujawas sees the additional administration and management capacity as a meaningful resource in improving their initiatives in working with the indigenous youth and children. RMI, affirming with Lakoat Kujawas, sees that this approach is needed not only by Lakoat Kujawas, but by other local initiatives and that the collaboration model that strengthens local communities’ access to productive resources can be formalized as a specific project in the future. By mentioning productive resources, we refer to funding, capacity building, and linking and learning opportunities that will capacitate indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities(IPEM), especially their young women and men, in governing their land and strengthening ownership toward their local culture. Taking into account the gender balance of rightsholder groups who participate, it is also decided that 50% of participants in the community organising and partners’ local initiatives are women.

This project is also designed in response to global trends and their unintended consequences when many financial resources are mobilized directly to communities that are often not prepared either socially or organizationally. RMI involvement with other grant schemes shows that the managerial capacity of many other involved community organizations was the main barrier in grant implementation. Donor’ expectation on project management and reporting, especially in terms of administrative works, is beyond community capacity. Although series of initial training on several themes such as project management, financial reporting, and M&E were conducted pre-implementation, the one-off approach has proved to be ineffective in the face of other organizational issues such as leadership and organizational management and HR turnover. Our extensive experience working with Kasepuhan IPs communities in Lebak Regency also shows how prone the communities are to elite capture which often results in horizontal conflict and failure of community organization when certain funds are directed to the community without proper assistance. This is why community preparedness is of importance today. Thus, after several initial discussions, identifying potential collaborators, and one consultation process with other potential collaborators, RMI, Lakoat Kujawas, SimpaSio Institute, and Kolektif Videoge agreed to propose this proposal as a consortium with RMI as the lead/host organization.

THE SPIRIT OF DECOLONIZATION, THE SPIRIT OF YOUNG PEOPLE BUILDING FROM THE VILLAGE  

Pulang (go home) is not just a word of choice but is also taken as a movement to respond to concerns about unfair social conditions, non-inclusive development, loss of knowledge, culture, and local wisdom, as well as fading identity amidst modernization. Pulang was chosen to mobilize young people’s thoughts and independent actions to overcome problems in their villages by organizing active citizens as the basis of the movement, not just their physical presence. Pulang develops the socio-environmental movement of young people, especially in NTT. In recent decades, the potential to expand the impact of good practices has not been optimal. It is not yet optimal due to the limited space for capacity building, the lack of access to productive resources, especially capital resources, and the tension between preserving tradition and modernism, which always demands the fluency of young people – mainly from Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities and Ethnic Minorities – in re-identifying themselves. Collaboration across organizations and communities exists to address the limitations that hinder this.  

“Kami Pung Manekat, Papada, Kampong Tanga.” This East Nusa Tenggara dialect means the spirit of working together to build the village—the consortium consisting of RMI-Indonesian Institute for Forest and Environment, Lakoat.Kujawas, SimpaSio Institute, and Videoge Collective brought this spirit by shortening it to Kampung Katong, meaning Our Village.  

With the name and spirit of decolonization, this initiative seeks to support community-based ideas focused on young people to strengthen their identity and manage their local potential collectively. In its implementation, Kampung Katong also aims to improve the leadership capacity of young people, which will have positive implications for local communal activities, by prioritizing meaningful participation from rights holders, namely the Mollo Indigenous Community; Bugis, Bima, and Bajo tribes; as well as the Malay-Larantuka ethnic group so that they can get support from various parties.  

By prioritizing the spirit of decolonization, whether consciously or not, this consortium primarily exists intending to reposition local knowledge as the center of the identity of the young generation and their communities as a reaction to the context and problems faced in their respective regions, as a process of breaking away from the various influences of colonialism. Decolonizing local knowledge and identity becomes a compass for solving various socio-environmental, cultural, educational, and community welfare problems and the sustainability of living space and livelihoods.  

During the two years this initiative was built and developed, Kampung Katong’s activities remained separate from learning exchanges, reproducing local knowledge, archiving and documenting arts and culture, and even leadership training series to support movements at the local level. Throughout the process, each consortium member is free to build programs contextual to the challenges in their location.   

As a result, our work was recognized and began to be noticed by several parties, such as the Videoge Festival (Road to Pesta Kampung), which was registered by the Labuan Bajo Tourism Authority and the West Manggarai Tourism Government to take part in the Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN). Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, SimpaSio’s Larantuka Walking Tour was adopted by the East Flores Tourism and Culture Office and Lakoat Kujawas’ Archives Festival, which Mollo District supported. From all this, we realize that the community and government very easily accept the cultural approach. This is also proven by the number of beneficiaries of the Kampung Katong initiative, which reached more than 1,700 people.  

Apart from that, several testimonials from beneficiaries also encourage us. Like Parents in Mollo advised, “Don’t stop here. It must continue to exist and have an impact.” In addition, young people in Larantuka said, “There should be more support like this for the community in Larantuka.” Through this process, we feel like we have moved up a class and want to do things that positively impact Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Minorities.  

All of the above happens because of a safe space within the community. A space where every individual feels confident to communicate anything related to project implementation without worrying about discrimination, being belittled, criticized, or experiencing emotional and physical stress. These spaces include regular bi-monthly meetings, cross-learning/residency activities, capacity building series, networking with new and existing networks, and one-on-one chats with RMI colleagues as consortium leaders. In each room, we also decide everything democratically; everyone has to speak up and convey their thoughts.  

This support ends at the Kampung Katong Festival: Building From the Village. At the festival, we felt that two years is a very short time. We have formed a family that supports, strengthens, and inspires each other. Even though this support ended, it did not break our spirits. We will continue to hold hands together to build our village, Kampung Katong.