personal reflection: sarawak borneo september 2021
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BORNEO or rather Sarawak.
coastal rainforest. sarawak
(i) a river journey to a longhouse
Regarding Borneo - of which I make cursory mention here - I specifically mean Kuching, Sarawak and I had actually visited briefly once before in 1989 in late April/early May as a stopover while flying back from a three month stay in the UK to Australia which at that first time included travelling upriver on my own from Sibu with a local man with small motor canoe to stay at an indigenous longhouse overnight as that is all the particular circumstances permitted for such an ad hoc sojourn. An experience which gave me some inkling of indigenous life in the rainforest. I fear the lush rainforest that I saw and perhaps even the people may no longer be there or much transformed but only in the negative. Yet, I wonder now as a naive backpacker I was actually part of the problem as while at the time I thought I was doing something unique only to look over to my right to another longhouse to see a 'western' couple (most likely European) being entertained by a female dancer. Obviously, part of an official tour trip while I had just sought out independent means with a local to go and which all seems like a dream as memory does not serve me very well and it seems I only have the travel below to prove that the experience actually occurred.
yes...the road to hell can be paved with good intentions...
The memory of this trip was initially prompted by something that has always unsettled me as the one man who spoke good English and may have been the person with whom I I organised the journey asked me while staying at the long house if I saw the potential to open up the longhouse to make money from tourists. Although, a backpacker I had a genuine anthropological interest in visiting this area (although I hold a Fine Arts major for my university degree I also studied social anthropology for a couple of years) for cultural rather than 'entertainment' reasons. I use that word as from my sometimes cynical, jaundiced perspective as it is unfortunate that most of the developing world has basically been utilized as an exotic 'playground for holidaying cashed-up first world tourists - which is still very much the case to this day (although there are of course many people who are the exception and the present reader maybe one of them) and has terribly distorted many a local economy and culture etc. Furthermore, such mass tourism s the sort of low level 'cultural imperialism' that one assumes has often led to far more negative results than admitted by the glossy tourist holiday brochures. Yet, here I was despite my best intentions probably helping to unwittingly pave the way to open up the area to a new tourist hell. At the same time I was looking on with some wrathful dismay at the 'tourist kumbaya' at the next longhouse. One's personal hypocrisy certainly comes in all sorts of different guises. (With that said, I also visited Baku National Park on the Sarawak coast with its beautiful beach coast, many mischievous baboons and of course the rainforest).
divide and rule
Nevertheless, as for the man who wanted to initiate some sort of tour business I was reminded of him when one reads of how palm oil companies go make an alliance with a local intercoluter through whom a whole community will be convinced to see the 'opportunities' presented by the palm oil company will benefit everyone so rather by stealth rather than by forced 'legal' eviction the land the palm oil company covets is gained.
the opportunist
To go back to my meditation on this river journey as a final observation in regard to this particular man who stays in my memory - although I cannot now readily recall his face I can still vaguely recall the suddenly hopeful inclination in his softly, softly querying voice and imagine him to be the sort of person who a palm oil company would have targeted.
In 1996 was another trip up river in Borneo again from Sibu but in a typical river ferry with the aim of visiting a welcoming local indigenous environmentalist/guide.
*Interestingly, in recent years I had made the acquaintance of someone from Sibu who until the global pandemic would regularly visit Sarawak and although I thought it best to not have a direct discussion about it I did gather the impression that palm oil there was of 'ubiquitous interest' .
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When it comes to the notion of 'divide and rule' etc and other deceptions I suggest looking at the following link especially which relates to the general issue of smallholders:
WORLD RAINFOREST MOVEMENT: New booklet: Nine Reasons to Say NO to Contract Farming with Palm Oil Companies: https://wrm.org.uy/books-and-briefings/new-booklet-nine-reasons-to-say-no-to-contract-farming-with-palm-oil-companies/
As it is in a link on the Aboriginal webpage references a documentary about gas fracking on Aboriginal native title land in Australia there is a scene (however, the link is only a trailer and this scene is not in it) where three Aboriginal women elders talk of a 'white ant' - I think that was the expression used as I am only going now from ever faltering memory - in reference to someone in their own community who had them believe it would be a good idea to give the gas fracking company the right to work on their land which of course these three women now regretted. As it is 'divide and rule' tactics are often used by corporates to get access to land or other resource when a local community (and a community maybe both indigenous/non-indigenous) is legally in their way.
Another critique of smallholder palm oil farming:
Beyond sustainability criteria and principles in palm oil production: addressing consumer concerns through insetting. Open JSTOR Collection.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26270132?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
JSTOR which covers a wide range of academic articles - think for example philosophy, political, archeology etcetera one normally has to subscribe too etc but see this environmental article is publicly available as open source. One may like to try and see if possible to sign up for other access if at all interested.
One more article which also peruses the issue of 'smallholds':
Indigenous Peoples and Oil Palm Plantation Expansion in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
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(ii) visiting an orangutan sanctuary nearby to kuching
As for Kuching which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially the local laksa in the town centre, I recall in 1989 going to a nearby rehabilitation centre for orangutans - I think they were refugees due to habitat loss with widespread deforestation back then more so from timber logging rather than palm oil (I am talking now about the Malaysian side of Borneo as well and one may want to check up etc) was the main environmental issue. I remember when flying into Kuching being shocked to see below me areas of rainforest being cut down.
the orphan
It was a sad place to go too and remember now two emotionally disturbed young orangutans playing with a sack putting it over their heads, toying with it together but my most acute memory was a young orangutan in a cage and was befriended by a small monkey who was outside the cage talking to his trapped friend and giving him something to eat. maybe fruit pieces or nuts. I was able to go up close to the caged orangutan who was a little bit older than a baby. I had auburn hair back then and this poor thing in his/her own mind had decided to 'adopt' me as a father. When I was quite close the young orangutan seemed quite pleased but when I moved away he/she began to whimper loudly. Thus I stayed close by for awhile but eventually I had to leave which led to loud whimpering. I had always liked orangutans but my interest was definitely cemented from then.
Although these experiences are from many decades ago and cannot be used to validate one's present-day opinions I have thought after a couple of years of commenting online about this region and its environmental issues I thought it was about time that I at least mention that I have visited the region if that actually matters to anyone. As it is what must be the main focus is the environmental trauma of the planet which includes dealing with industrial agribusiness.
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Longhouse. Sarawak. 1989.
Three photos of various quality and clarity from 1989. (1) the young orangutan who 'adopted' me who was quite at peace when I was up close and who would cry out in despair when I moved away (2) orangutans playing with a brown sack although it is rather unclear to see both of them as at least one of them totally covered by the sack with the other one has it over one's head. (3) both orangutans being playful nearby. They noticed my appearance but seemed more keen with being attentive with each other. Perhaps it was some 'playtime' before maybe being put up in a cage and obviously they had better things to do than be bothered with yet another absurd human.
(it's a good chance it was the nearby Semenghhoh Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre/Nature Reserve that I went too as looking it up I see it is only a bus ride away outside the vicinity of Kuching but I can't remember its exact name and imagine it is now much different to when I visited it. Assume paid another visit when in Kuching again a few years later...although my most vivid memory remains of this first visit which obviously left a deep impression on me which perhaps has ovelaid other later reminiscences...).
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Yet another sad disheartening image which I now post as well...this time of an older traumatised orangutan in a much larger cage at this same centre just outside Kuching.
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CHIMPANZEE RECOGNIZES HER OLD FRIEND.
Well with the young orphan orangutan in mind a sort of coincidence this link was recently sent to me. An elderly chimpanzee in her last days comes to life when she recognizes a compassionate male handler from her past who with great kindness has thoughtfully come to visit and bid farewell. Very poignant...to say the least..
I am not on this social media site but I was able to see it so I hope it works to view. Very touching and sad. (Actually 'bitter sweet' as pointed out by the commentary).
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THE LAST REFUGEE
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sarawak coast
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