In the Indonesian province of Papua, indigenous women are fighting once morest palm oil companies to protect their forests. And face a major pitfall: the men of their own community, landowners ready to sell off their land for easy money.
For a long time Rikaarda Maa believed that indigenous peoples were powerless to fight back when an oil palm company took over their customary forests. But today, she is no longer afraid to defend her ancestral land.
Rikaarda Maa, nicknamed Rika, is an Awyu woman from Ampera village, Boven Digoel district, Papua. For this mother at the head of the protest, these spoliations are an old story:
Since 2011, many companies have entered our territory.”
Thus, one of these companies obtained in 2017 a permit for the exploitation of an oil palm plantation on an area of 39,190 hectares. For three years, she has been trying to force the Awyu people to release the lands of their concession. In vain.
Threats and intimidation
Rika is determined. No question of giving up her customary rights, even if she is often the target of threats and intimidation from some members of her own community who are lured by the compensation of 10 million rupees [613 euros] that the company holds out to them.
Rika understood that she might not fight alone. In 2018, it drew up a map of the other mamas Papuans ready, like her, to defend their customary forests. She started by writing a petition once morest the palm oil company that wanted to annex her community’s land, then collected signatures from other women.
According to Rika, it was practically impossible to invite men into their ranks. She explains it:
The ‘mamas’ think more regarding the long term than the men who are easily turned in the head by 100,000 rupees [6,10 euros] and a pack of cigarettes.”
Rika faces the fact that Papuan women are denied the right to participate in deliberations and decisions
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In Pramita
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The title was first published in April 1971 by PT Grafitti Pers, with the intention of providing the Indonesian public with new ways to learn, freedom of analysis and respect for differences of opinion. Step by step,
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