The minority ethnic groups of Bajo and Bugis who live in Kampung Wuring, Maumere, in the heart of Sikka regency are yet to fully express themselves to the larger society of the Sikka community; this prevents them from exchanging their social and cultural concerns to the larger sphere of public life. This situation has made their access to social services and political participation in Sikka Regency, Flores, very limited. While locating artistic work as a mode of expressing social and cultural concerns, the Voicing Bajo and Bugis People of Maumere project facilitates an in-depth study and representation of Kampung Wuring’s cultural and social concerns by way of artistic collaboration, based on the Kampung’s artistic and cultural modalities.

The Voicing Bajo and Bugis People of Maumere project identifies the urgent issues of Kampung Wuring residents, especially concerning the impact of regional development policies on vulnerable groups: children, youth, and women. Mediated by a collaborative artistic encounter, the project creates an alternative public space and dialogue for the articulation of social and cultural concerns while underlining the cultural potential of Bajo and Bugis people of Kampung Wuring. At the same time, the project also facilitates Kampung Wuring as an open space for the broader community of Maumere, Sikka regency, NTT.

“Together with the local community, we managed to find, search, look for what they have or use as a media tool to convey wider aspirations. For example, exhibitions, festivals can also serve as examples of knowledge dissemination and collaboration, which are expected to inspire other local organizations. We also hope that through this program we can break down the image of the exclusive Wuring village (hard to be socialized). However, we used a personal approach so that we succeeded in conveying a wider Wuring Village. We hope that there will be an initiative from the government to start preserving the culture in Wuring Village. Thank you for Voice, this is a valuable experience for us” -Eka, The head of KAHE Community 

Together with the participants, this project was able to map and document the Bugis/Bajo cultural heritage in Kampung Wuring such as traditional rituals/ceremonies, arts, culinary arts, folklore, history, customs/way of life, and problems of the people of Kampung Wuring. This project succeeded in disseminating/amplifying knowledge documentation products covering issues, culture, and potential for the development of Kampung Wuring to the wider community and relevant stakeholder agencies. The forums and works of art produced in this project become a means of revitalizing culture and disseminating knowledge between generations in Wuring Village. In addition, through this project, Kampung Wuring is no longer seen as excusive because it bringing together the residents and interests of Kampung Wuring with relevant government institutions in this case the Department of Tourism and Culture and the Ministry of Education and Culture Kab. Sikka. 

The Wuring people in general are aware that their cultural heritage in the form of traditional ceremonies, arts, various cuisines, folklore, living habits is a valuable asset to be preserved and passed on to future generations. Therefore, they are open and actively involved in the efforts of the KAHE Community to jointly document (record, record, store) these cultural treasures so that they are not lost and even become knowledge that is spread to the wider community/society. Through the Siselo Susurang exhibition, Wuring Village with all its potentials and problems increasingly surfaced and received attention from the Maumere community in general and policy makers in particular. Those involved in the change are young people, women, waria, and the Wuring Leko indigenous community. 

The approach we use is art as a tool to read, study, and present the realities and problems that occur in the people of Kampung Wuring. The empowerment tools/methods that we use are the collective creation of works of art based on citizen modalities. This includes research/observations, community discussion forums, art workshops, production of works, and presentations in the form of exhibitions and performances. 

The presence of KAHE in Wuring and the involvement of local people in the entire project became a bridge for cultural meetings, exchange of perspectives, cross-section of knowledge on the history, context of life (social, religious, economic) of each. The significant impact for Wuring residents is the establishment of trust and a more open and critical perspective in interacting with people or communities from outside their environment. They are able to identify the cultural capital, problems, and potential of Kampung Wuring and convert them into knowledge documents through artistic works and activities. This whole process makes the local people proud of their identity and culture and aware of the importance of preserving and preserving it. They also have critical awareness and freedom in conveying issues, ideas, aspirations, regarding personal life and Kampung Wuring as a community. Young people are encouraged to take an active role, respond to issues, and manage the surrounding capital to voice the concerns of the people of Kampung Wuring. Moreover, The aspirations of the residents of Wuring Village to maintain and develop their cultural potential have been conveyed to the relevant government institutions. The follow-up of this process needs to be monitored.