"Pesta Babi", When Development Comes at the Cost of Papua's Living Space

"Pesta Babi", When Development Comes at the Cost of Papua's Living Space

There have been many documentaries about 

Papua, but Pesta Babi is Colonialism in Our Time feels different. 

The film does not rely on dramatic narration or emotional exaggeration to make its point. Instead, director Dandhy Laksono chooses a quieter approach one that moves slowly and calmly, yet leaves a lasting emotional weight long after the film ends.

At its core, the documentary examines how large scale development projects in South Papua are gradually transforming indigenous forests and customary land into industrial zones for food and energy production. More importantly, the film raises a difficult question who truly benefits from development, and who is forced to bear its consequences?

Rather than focusing on political rhetoric, the camera stays close to ordinary people whose lives have changed since heavy machinery entered their land. Through these personal stories, Pesta Babi reveals that what is being lost is not merely forest, but an entire way of life.

One of the most memorable voices in the documentary is Yasinta Moiwend from Merauke. She describes how her village, once surrounded by forest, suddenly became encircled by massive rice field projects. The documentary never sensationalizes her story. Instead, it quietly shows how indigenous communities were rarely given a real understanding of what was happening to their land. They simply watched ships arrive carrying excavators while forests that had sustained generations slowly disappeared from daily life.

A similar reality is shared by Natalis Buer from Tanah Miring District. He speaks about the struggles faced by local farmers despite their region being included in the national food estate project. The problems extend far beyond agriculture itself, limited farming equipment, expensive harvesting costs, and growing dependence on outside parties continue to place local communities in vulnerable positions.

In another part of Merauke, Vincen Kwipalo from the Yei community reflects on a more symbolic and deeply painful transformation. For indigenous Papuans, land is never simply property or an economic asset. It is tied to ancestry, hunting grounds, farming traditions, and collective memory. Through his story, the documentary shows how customary land suddenly became marked and claimed by external interests, as if generations of history could be reduced to boundaries on a map.

Meanwhile, from Boven Digoel, Hendrikus Franky Woro emerges as one of the strongest voices resisting large-scale land clearing in the Awyu region. Together with local residents, he installed red crosses as symbols of resistance against industrial expansion in indigenous territories. The gesture may appear simple, yet it carries a powerful message: communities are still fighting to protect the living space that remains.

The documentary also features Wilem Kimko from Waropko. Through his perspective, Pesta Babi moves beyond discussions about environmental destruction and speaks instead about the gradual erosion of an entire indigenous way of life. When forests vanish, what disappears alongside them are rivers, traditions, social relationships, and inherited ways of understanding life itself.

What makes the documentary especially compelling is that it does not stop at discussing agrarian conflict. It also explores the deeper cultural philosophy of Papuan indigenous communities, something often misunderstood by outsiders.

Within many Papuan traditions, pigs are far more than livestock. They symbolize reciprocity, dignity, kinship, and social harmony. Families may spend years raising pigs for rituals, peace ceremonies, and customary obligations. Some areas of land are intentionally preserved for hunting and pig-rearing as part of cultural continuity. Because of this, when forests are converted into industrial plantations or large-scale agricultural projects, the loss extends beyond nature itself. Entire systems of knowledge and cultural identity are placed at risk.

The film also touches on more sensitive issues, including the long-standing relationship between development projects and security structures in Papua. According to accounts featured in the documentary, concerns surrounding military cooperatives, land disputes, and unequal compensation practices continue to shape the experiences of many indigenous communities.

Perhaps this is where Pesta Babi becomes most powerful. The documentary does not force viewers to choose sides or offer simplistic conclusions. Instead, it quietly exposes how development, often celebrated through ambitious national projects, can leave deep wounds for the communities living closest to the land.

Ironically, public attention toward the documentary grew even larger after several screening events were reportedly shut down. Attempts to limit the film only fueled public curiosity and expanded conversations about the issues it raises.

Interestingly, Pesta Babi was also screened at Callme Coffee Roaster on Friday, May 22, 2026. The post screening discussion featured investigative journalism practitioners Kak Shinta and Ius, creating a space for audiences to engage more critically with the issues presented in the documentary.

In the end, Pesta Babi is not simply a documentary about Papua. It is a reflection on power, land, and survival. More importantly, it reminds us that development should never be measured solely through infrastructure, statistics, or economic ambition, but also through the lives, histories, and voices of the people who have called that land home for generations.

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