When Wouter Gotje, a biologist, nature and culture lover, arrived for the first time in the remote Mamasa region of South Sulawesi in 1993, he fell in love with the land and the people. The landscapes were astonishing, the nature incredible and the people the friendliest he had ever met. Since the early 1990s the Dutch water management consultant has visited Mamasa many times. His last trip was in 2005, when Wouter arrived with his whole family of four kids including a five month old infant, the first western baby the Mamasans had seen in decades.
How did you ever get interested in Indonesia?
One of my friends spent half a year in Indonesia. Because of my friend’s enthusiasm, my wife and I visited Java, Bali, Lombok and Sulawesi for 3 months in 1993. After a few weeks I got addicted to the people and the country. In 1995 I returned two times and in 2004 and 2005 I went back again.
How did you discover Mamasa?
I heard about Mamasa from a Ph.D. student at the University of Amsterdam. He also told me about Bunaken and the Bada Valley’s wonderful megalithic treasures. On that first trip to Sulawesi we walked from Mamasa to Rantepao, staying in homestays. From Rantepao we traveled to Tentena and the Bada valley, where we walked for two weeks through the forest without guides, staying in the houses of kepala desa and local teachers.
What makes you so enamored of the place?
I like best the incredible nature and culture of Mamasa. The people are the friendliest, most unspoiled and unprejudiced you can imagine. Their lives are tough but they seem to be quite happy. I love walking in nature and meeting hospitable people of the area. I have a lot of SMS contact with the people every week. I also have a friend in the government. I can sleep anywhere and am always offered food, even in the most remote areas. Because of the many friends and incredible hospitality, it has made me want to do something for the Mamasans in return. Since I am biologist, I’m able to see all the future problems of the area - erosion, use of pesticides, uncontrolled dumping of waste, no sewage systems, etc. I hope I can save the people from the destruction of their environment and culture before it is too late.
What makes Mamasa different from other places in Sulawesi and Indonesia?
Comparing Sulawesi with the rest of Indonesia is difficult. I love Indonesia as a whole and I have seen many nice places outside Sulawesi. The Moluccas are also amazing. But in Sulawesi you can travel by foot everywhere and people take you right into their homes. You can walk through the rainforest without guides by just following the trade routes. In Sumatra it is more difficult to walk through the forest. I once got lost in the Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh and just barely survived.
What has all the recent trouble been about in the Mamasa area?
It is very difficult to get grip on the problem. The ethnic clashes started with plans to split the province up. The local people told me that it was not caused by attacks by Muslims, but stemmed from many causes, especially the bad economy, cultural differences between the regions inside the POLMAS area as well as social tensions. Some people wanted a new regency and other preferred to keep the POLMAS area as it was. I have been in the area two times just after attacks and never sensed any tension. But because of the problems about 5000 people in the Arrale region still need help (shelter, food, medicines, seeds for planting, etc.). Also many people from the Islamic Mambi area moved to Mamasa, where almost everybody is Christian. Each year more and more houses are built in Mamasa. This will eventually cause an increase in the price of land and also bring great pressure on available resources. I heard a month ago some new autonomous regions were created to alleviate internal problems such as these.
Are you involved in any work in Mamasa now?
At the moment I am trying to set up an environmental management plan. I have contacted specialists in Europe who are knowledgeable about wastewater treatment. With a local politician I am working on an educational program, but we lack the money to accomplish much. I am planning to start a website about Mamasa to attract international attention. In the long run my goal is to establish the area as a UNESCO world heritage site. I also have many contacts in the tourist business to whom I plan to offer space on my website. I also taught a local hotel owner how to make a sunboiler water heater...and it works !!!!!
What does the future hold for Mamasa?
The future will not be easy. The Indonesian economy is in bad shape, the local economy is even worse. The pressures on resources will increase. If tourism returns, only certain segments of the economy will benefit. The environment is being more and more degraded as time passes. There will be problems with water which will eventually become poisoned by pesticides and waste. Clean drinking water will disappear and because of the deforestation as the soil will not be able to retain as much water after rain. As a consequence the river will have to carry more and more water which will in turn increase the erosion of good soil. Because more and more people need space to live, land prices will rise. Human waste will pile up around the villages. I am not so optimistic, but I’m doing everything I can to protect the area against this bad scenario.
What advice can you give to people visiting Mamasa?
They should spend as much money as possible. Visit the small villages with local guides to give them gainful and honorable employment. Visitors can inquire in Hotel Pondok Suada Indah in Makasar for a good guide in the area, or just go to Mamasa and seek out Ferry from Matana Lodge, a competent, helpful and informed guide. I hope tourists will ultimately feel the same way about Mamasa as I do.
Wouter Gotje can be contacted via his email wgotje@tiscali.nl
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