Nias Project
In the evening of 28 March 2005, at 23:08 hours, a strong earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Moment Magnitude occurred off the west coast of Sumatra Island in Indonesia (2.065°N, 97.010°E), followed by some fifteen aftershocks ranging from 6.7 to 4.9 moment magnitude. Nias Island is one of the worse affected locations, which added more hardships for the people that seem to have been really battered by the tsunami on December 26, 2004. Full story …
Jaya Suprana takes Brisbane crowd on musical tour
Cynthia Webb, Contributor, Brisbane
Last Saturday night I was lucky to be in an audience who were escorted on a musical journey around Indonesia, right here in Brisbane. The music was played by the one and only Jaya Suprana and his group, Kwartet Punakawan, from Jakarta.
As is well known in Indonesia, Jaya is a classically trained pianist who got together with this particular group only a year ago. The band recently completed a tour in Indonesia that included prisons on their schedule.
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Following the successful completion of 520 shelters on the island of Nias, which had been affected by the 28th of March 2005 earthquake, ACTED is now moving on to a new school rehabilitation project in Onozalukhu, a village in the north of the island. Full story …
WASTE: Many of the drugs donated following disasters were damaged or unusable, adding to the government’s problems of storing, handling or even incinerating them
AFP , BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA
Saturday, Jul 29, 2006,Page 4 Tonnes of drugs and medical equipment that have poured into Indonesia in the wake of a slew of major disasters are often damaged, out of date and unusable, aid workers said. Full story …
Whilst Nias Island and its people are still in the midst of disaster shocks since early 2000, the “attention†to Nias have not faded. Recent disasters (flood and landslides, tsunami and March earthquakes) in fact have brought Nias to the “attention†of global community. It is an irony, sadly to say, that Nias has become “well known†in recent years not because of its invaluable tradition and cultural heritage or any other “positive things†attributed to Nias, but more due to the its unfortunate geographical place in the world map, its position as one of the disaster spots in the “Ring of Fireâ€.
It is therefore always comforting to hear any thing associated with the positive attributes to Nias. One of such things is “inculturationâ€. What is “inculturation†? In an email interview, Dr. Thomas Markus Manhart, a German researcher, told Yaahowu about his research on Nias culture and its connection to Catholic Mission in Nias. Dr. Manhart, the Director of Artyfakt, Space for Intercultural Arts, Singapore, spent some time in Nias for his PhD research: A Song for Lowalangi – the Interculturation of Catholic Mission and Nias Traditional Arts with special Respect to Music.
Whilst Nias Island and its people are still in the midst of disaster shocks since early 2000, the “attention†to Nias have not faded. Recent disasters (flood and landslides, tsunami and March earthquakes) in fact have brought Nias to the “attention†of global community. It is an irony, sadly to say, that Nias has become “well known†in recent years not because of its invaluable tradition and cultural heritage or any other “positive things†attributed to Nias, but more due to the its unfortunate geographical place in the world map, its position as one of the disaster spots in the “Ring of Fireâ€.
It is therefore always comforting to hear any thing associated with the positive attributes to Nias. One of such things is “inculturationâ€. What is “inculturation†? In an email interview, Dr. Thomas Markus Manhart, a German researcher, told Yaahowu about his research on Nias culture and its connection to Catholic Mission in Nias. Dr. Manhart, the Director of Artyfakt, Space for Intercultural Arts, Singapore, spent some time in Nias for his PhD research: A Song for Lowalangi – the Interculturation of Catholic Mission and Nias Traditional Arts with special Respect to Music.
A powerful earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Thursday but there was no reports of any casualties and damage while meteorologists played down the risk of tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered 6.0 on the Richter scale. Indonesian meteorologists put the magnitude at 6.1, centered closed to Nias island off the coast of Sumatra. Full story …
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 19, 2006–Intermap Technologies Corp. (TSX:IMP)(AIM:IMAP) has been selected by Apogee Imaging International to provide radar imagery and digital elevation data for areas of Indonesia destroyed by the tsunami in December 2004. The Commonwealth of Australia has awarded the contract through Apogee Imaging International, who is the prime contractor on the project.
The mapping of the tsunami devastated areas in the Aceh Province and the Nias Island, North Sumatra Province are part of an Australian grant program to support planning and reconstruction activities for the area. Intermap will also provide training and computer equipment to BAKOSURTANAL, the Indonesian national mapping agency, to enable greater efficiency in managing the remapping effort. Full story …
An Indonesian scientist on July 19, 2006 warned of more earthquake-triggered tsunamis hitting some parts of Sumatra Island and southern coastal areas of Java as the death toll from Monday’s tsunami rose to 525.
“Based on our mapping, potential big earthquakes and tsunamis may happen because some stresses in the Java trench have not been released.” geologist Yusuf Surachman Djajadihardja told Kyodo News. Full story …
Friday, July 14, 2006
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The European Union and the World Bank praised Thursday progress in the reconstruction of tsunami-hit Aceh, terming it superior to disaster recovery efforts in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.
Top officials from the EU and the World Bank said that despite massive logistical problems, the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) managed to deliver much-needed basic facilities for the survivors of the December 2004 disaster as well as an earthquake in Nias in March 2005.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
JAKARTA: The Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) should openly clarify its recent decision to dismiss employees Leo Nugroho and Endang Yuliarti, non-governmental organizations said here Tuesday.
“The dismissals signal irregularities inside the BRR,” Jakarta Legal Aid Institute director Uli Parulian said at a joint news conference with Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Aceh Working Group (AWG).
The BRR fired Leo and Endang in April, citing allegations of misconduct, just days after Leo reported alleged rampant corruption at the agency.
“I was not given a chance to defend myself against the dismissal,” Leo said.
He said he would file a lawsuit with the State Administrative Court to reverse the dismissals. (Jakarta Post)
An interview with Dr. Lea Brown*)
To some Nias people it seems that learning, using and loving their own language, Li Niha, is not an activity they take part in with any pride. Indeed, in strictly economic terms, it would appear to be the case that there is no benefit for them in using Li Niha. This attitude of course comes as a logical consequence of their daily struggle with life. Their experiences tell them that when they use Li Nono Niha in dealing with the world outside their own traditional world, they often face difficulties – from very simple activities such as shopping, to more serious and complicated ones such as trying to get marriage or birth certificates, defending their case in court, indeed in any kind of situation where they have to deal with government officials. In their interaction with the “oustide worldâ€, Li Niha just seems to be irrelevant. (more…)
An interview with Dr. Lea Brown*)
To some Nias people it seems that learning, using and loving their own language, Li Niha, is not an activity they take part in with any pride. Indeed, in strictly economic terms, it would appear to be the case that there is no benefit for them in using Li Niha. This attitude of course comes as a logical consequence of their daily struggle with life. Their experiences tell them that when they use Li Nono Niha in dealing with the world outside their own traditional world, they often face difficulties – from very simple activities such as shopping, to more serious and complicated ones such as trying to get marriage or birth certificates, defending their case in court, indeed in any kind of situation where they have to deal with government officials. In their interaction with the “oustide worldâ€, Li Niha just seems to be irrelevant. (more…)
ELCA NEWS SERVICE – July 3, 2006
Lutherans and Muslims Assess Tsunami Relief, Plan Cooperation 06-093-FI
MEDAN, Indonesia (ELCA) — The earthquake and tsunami of December 2004 was centered off the coast of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The predominantly Muslim area began working closely with Christian relief agencies, and inter-religious friendships developed across the region. Approximately 85 Muslim and Lutheran leaders came here to the capital of the North Sumatra province for a seminar, “Dialogue in Life,” June 27-30 to discuss and plan their future cooperation in meeting human needs.
*This will include $10 million to establish a Nias Reconstruction Program
Indonesian and Australian Joint Commission Ministers today (29 June 2006) announced $63 million of additional development assistance to Indonesia, including $30 million to meet ongoing rebuilding needs in Yogyakarta following the recent earthquake.
The 27 May earthquake had a devastating impact on Yogyakarta and surrounding areas in Central Java, especially the districts of Bantul and Klaten. The death toll is now around 5,800, tens of thousands more have been injured and hundreds of thousands left homeless. Full story …
