Monday (02/09), Gemawan group left for Bumbun Village, Sadaniang District, Mempawah Regency, West Kalimantan. The trip to the village with a distance of 137 km from Pontianak City took almost three (3) hours. There were not many obstacles, moreover the road access passed was quite good compared to the past. Almost all of them were well covered with asphalt. It was likely that only the access to Bumbun Village which has not been paved. “This year it will be paved,” said Pak Gusti, one of the heads of RT (neighbourhood association) of Bumbun Village.
Three (3) cars carrying the group of Gemawan arrived and were greeted by a series of traditional processions at Bumbun Village Office. We did not expect to receive a welcome as festive as it was from the people of Bumbun. Gemawan did not come alone. There were Kara, Diane, Steve, and Dani from Ford Foundation who accompanied us from Pontianak. Beside willing to know the progress of the program conducted by Gemawan, they also wanted to record a series of stories about the life of the people in Bumbun, such as the customs, forest and land management, as well as the involvement of women’s groups in the development in Pelangi Village.
All of these stories will be packed in moving images and storytelling so that the message of the stories will reach wider community and had an impact on the changes in social movements and policies which support development in the village. Yes, the power of digital media cannot be denied. Perhaps, one day the public will figure out Bumbun as one of the areas with the capability of giving colors to the world.
Suparman, PIC of Head of Bumbun Village
“Thank you to Gemawan who has helped a lot in land management in Bumbun Village,” said Suparman, PIC of Head of Bumbun Village in a meeting which was held in the hall of the Bumbun Village Office. Besides providing assistance in land management, Gemawan also reinforced the women’s groups. “In the future, we hope that Gemawan can facilitate and directly communicate with the government on land management issues, because it will have an impact on Bumbun Village advancement,” he added more.
Besides meeting with the village government officials and the community, Gemawan group and Ford Foundation also visited a location proposed as a village forest area. There, the group took several video angles as the learning material to become a film maker. Please see this link.
From Bumbun Village, the group left for Mangrove Park in Mempawah Regency, until at around 17.00 WIB they moved back to Pontianak City.
The following is a welcoming video on the yard of Bumbun Village: