Dozens of musicians from various countries performed their works in their efforts to raise funds to save world’s rainforests sustainability. A music concert entitled SOS Rainforest Life was organized by Rainforest Foundation with the support of EcoNusa Foundation. SOS Rainforest Live was aired by social media platforms, YouTube and TikTok of Rainforest Foundation Norway on June 21, 2020 Norway and London time or June 22, 2020 Indonesia time.
“Rainforest is very crucial to our life and future. Rainforests have played important roles in climate change. During the pandemic, illegal logging does not stop. People cut trees everywhere in the world, including Indonesia,” said Bustar Maitar, the CEO of EcoNusa Foundation.
In addition to the sustainability of world rainforests, the collected funds will be allocated to provide supports to the indigenous communities who struggle from Covid-19 pandemic. This is due to the fact that indigenous peoples are the most vulnerable due to their communal life and less access to health owing to geographical factors.
Representing Indonesia, Slank, Iwan Fals and Sandrayanti Fay were among the performers in the virtual concert that lasted nearly eight hours. Slank performed its song entitling Hutan Karma (Karma Forest) that told about the damaged forests.
“Burn/forests into black ashes/cut off/trees till none left and barren/”
Slank’s vocalist, Kaka, said that forest in Indonesia is deemed one of the last rainforests in the world. Regrettably, destruction of rainforests continues happening despite the global unrests following the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Amidst the pandemic, we now hope that forests could have rest. But in fact, global forests continue diminishing in size. Forests clearance never stops. Forests in Indonesia are one of the last frontiers. The indigenous community stands in the most frontage to safeguard the frontiers,” said Kaka.
Despite the decreasing number of deforestation in Indonesia, Ridho Hafiedz, the Slank’s guitarist, said that Indonesia’s forest loss has been in the alarming level. As to Ridho, from 2018 to 2019, Indonesia has lost its forests whose sizes equal to 924,800 times of football field.
“We should preserve the remaining forests. They are the future of our next generations. Forests in the eastern of Indonesia, particularly Papua, are one of the crucial ones to be conserved currently. Those forests are the sources of livelihood of the indigenous peoples in Papua,” said Ridho.
Meanwhile, Iwan Fals sang two songs on forest and indigenous peoples. The song entitled Isi Rimba Tak Ada Tempat Berpijak Lagi (No More Place to Stand in Forest) tells about forest degradation due to corporation. Erosion, drought and massive inundation come to forests dwellers who have lost their homes. The second song, Balada Orang-Orang Pedalaman (Ballads of the Inland Peoples) articulates the tragedy of customary peoples who are deceived by urban peoples.
Iwan Fals reminded that human can hardly live alone. For the reason, he called the spectators of SOS Rainforest Live to help support the customary peoples’ struggles to get protected from Covid-19 outbreak. “We should work hand in hand. Pandemic happens not only at urban areas. Our brothers and sisters living in the remote land also put up with the same fate. It might be harder for them due to the lack access of health,” he said.
Sandrayanti Fay, a Balinese singer, performed two songs and one of the entitling Suara Dunia (World’s Voice). The song was inspired by the 13-year struggles of Mollo indigenous people in East Nusa Tenggara Province to keep their land from marble mining. As to Fay, the relationship of indigenous peoples and earth is the strongest bond she ever knew.
“The relationship of the indigenous community and their mother earth is the most intimate and robust bond. This becomes an important example to human and thus it is urgently needed that their link to their homes at the rainforests should be protected now,” said Fay.
Editor: Leo Wahyudi
