Photos of Voices from Imsar Village
- mariaadityasari
- Apr 4
- 4 min read
A total of sixteen participants in the Imsar Village Photovoices Program exhibited their photographic works and highlighted various issues they face to stakeholders in Jayapura Regency.
Sentani, February 13, 2025—"The Voices of Imsar Village" Photo Exhibition and Discussion showcased 31 photographs by 16 participants of the Imsar Photovoices Program at Suni Sentani Hotel on Thursday (13/2). These photos focused in onsix issues raised by the community of Imsar , located in the Grime Nawa Valley, Nimboran District, Jayapura Regency.
This initiative is a collaboration between Photovoices International (PVI), the Indigenous Women's Organization (ORPA) of the Namblong Tribe, and Suara Grina, with support from the Jayapura Regency Government. Photovoice, or participatory photography, is a methodology designed to engage communities in decisions that impact their lives. Originally developed by Caroline Wang and Mary Ann Burris in the early 1990s, this methodology serves as a creative medium to improve people’s lives using photography.
The Imsar Village Photovoices Program encouraged each participant to explore, represent, and advance themselves through a critical dialogue process. In weekly facilitated learning sessions, participants shared knowledge about the roles of women, youth, and indigenous communities in addressing the issues affecting them. This learning process included technical photography skills, conducting interviews with relevant sources, storytelling, and structured presentation techniques.
"These sixteen participants from Imsar Village have produced powerful photos and stories that reflect the perspectives of women, youth, and indigenous communities regarding their roles in village society. This photo exhibition and discussion event serves as the concluding stage of the Imsar Village Photovoices Program and as a medium to provide recommendations to policymakers at the Jayapura Regency level, organizations, and other partners," explained Tri Soekirman, Executive Director of Photovoices International.
Raising Six Key Issues
Since its commencement in May 2024, this program has activedly engaged 16 participants of various ages and professions, including youth groups, women, and indigenous communities. The issues were selected through a process of issue-mapping, dialogue and critical discussions facilitated by PVI and Suara Grina, with village leaders and the majority of Imsar residents during a Village Meeting. From this process, the following six key issues were identified and further explored by the participants: education, health, culture, tourism, agriculture-plantations, and youth concerns. Each issue highlights the challenges and concerns of Imsar Village residents, as well as the village's strengths and potential..
For example, the youth issue highlights the role of creative and empowered young people in Imsar Village, while also addressing concerns about drug and alcohol abuse. Participants also raised the issue of the lack of healthcare facilities in Imsar Village, its causes, and its impact on residents who must travel considerable distances to access medical services. Additionally, cases of child malnutrition were identified.
Photos depicting schoolchildren walking to school illustrate the perseverance of Imsar Village children, who travel up to 9 kilometers on foot to attend school. Due to the lack of public transportation and limited economic resources, they must walk both ways. Despite these challenges, their enthusiasm for education remains high.
Located 500 meters above sea level, Imsar Village has fertile land with high biodiversity, offering potential for the development of plantation, agriculture, and tourism sectors. The village's agricultural potential includes vanilla, tubers, cocoa, and agarwood. The community's innovation in producing agarwood tea has also gained recognition as a new livelihood opportunity. With its scenic hills, natural springs, and unique wildlife such as cuscuses, cockatoos, and kingfishers, the village requires effective tourism management to develop new job opportunities in the tourism sector and empower young people.
Through photos and stories, participants also documented traditional Imsar dances, the traditional sago processing method, and the making of noken—a traditional woven bag—an art form that is now nearly extinct due to the lack of successors. "Through these photos and stories, our traditions and culture are documented, serving as a way to introduce or remind young people of them. We hope our traditions are preserved, our culture remains alive, and that young people take pride in their language and heritage," said Vebbry Hembring, Coordinator of Suara Grina.
"Photovoices and participatory photography initiatives like this are still rare. Through photos and stories, communities can voice the realities around them, allowing them to view their environment more sensitively, listen and uncover stories to refine issues, and find the best solutions for change", said Assistant for General Government Affairs of the Jayapura Regency Secretariat, Dr. Elphyna Situmorang,
"Photovoices and participatory photography initiatives like this are still rare. Through photos and stories, communities can voice the realities around them, allowing them to view their environment more sensitively, listen and uncover stories to refine issues, and find the best solutions for change. Many of these stories have remained untold until now. It is hoped that development processes, including village, district, and regency-level planning forums (musrenbang), as well as customary deliberations, can utilize the photovoice method. It is also our collective responsibility to address the challenges faced by our brothers and sisters in Imsar Village," stated the Acting Regent of Jayapura, Ir. Semuel Siriwa, M.Si, represented by the Assistant for General Government Affairs of the Jayapura Regency Secretariat, Dr. Elphyna Situmorang, in the event’s opening remarks.
Dr. Elphyna Situmorang, Assistant for General Government Affairs of the Jayapura Regency Secretariat, opened the Photo Exhibition and Discussion of the Photovoices Program, 'The Voices of Imsar Village,' in Sentani on February 13, 2025.
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