Global Encounters in Makassar
On Tuesday 10th September 2024, the Global Encounters Monash (GEM) team headed back to Makassar, Indonesia. Over the following week we had a jam-packed range of activities that took us from the port of Makassar across the southern coast of South Sulawesi all the way to Biru.
Map showing the journey from Makassar to Bira. Source: Google Maps, 2024.
On Thursday 12th September we started with a wonderful day-long symposium at Makassar State University (UNM), with our brilliant colleagues and friends from across the archipelago. The day began with a raucous and impressive opening where the GEM team and other guests, including the Australian Consul General in Makassar, Mr Todd Dias, were welcomed with song, dance, and a riveting performance by Asia Ramli Prapanca’s students in a re-enactment of Makassan sailors coming to Australia.
Excerpt from theatrical re-enactment of Makassan sailors coming to Australia. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Performers getting ready before the show. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
The symposium was designed to showcase collaborations between GEM in Australia and UNM in Indonesia, to highlight ongoing research on the historical trade relationships between our two countries, and to launch the new MAREGE Institute based at UNM. The MAREGE Institute is named for Marege, which is what the trepangers called northeast Australia, but also serves as the acronym for Makassar Arts Research and Global Encounters.
GEM presenters included Priyambudi (Budi) Sulistiyanto, Leigh Penman, David Haworth, Ian McNiven and Lynette Russell. GEM were thrilled to be joined by Dr Rebecca Coates from Monash University Museum of Art, who is designing an exhibition based on the Global Encounters project opening in 2025. The day was filled with energy and excitement, and much promise for future work together.
Lynette Russell speaking at the symposium. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Ian McNiven speaking at the symposium. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Lynette Russell (GEM Director) with Todd Dias (Australian Consul General in Makassar) and Rebecca Coates (Director of Monash University Museum of Art). Source: David Haworth, 2024.
The following day, Friday 13th September, we headed to UNM to attend the opening of an art exhibition titled The Eyes of Makassan, celebrating the Makassar-Australia trepang trade. We were welcomed by Dr Sukarman B., Head of Committee for the International Symposium of Makassar-Marege Encounters, and Professor Andi Ihsan, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design. We were then treated to some delicious Makassar hospitality. The invitation to attend UNM came from our collaborator Nurabdiansyah (Abi), and we discussed at length how we want to expand our connections and agreed that some of us would return with plans for workshops and public lectures.
The GEM team with colleagues at UNM. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Sukarman B. (Head of Committee for the International Symposium of Makassar-Marege Encounters), Rebecca Coates (Director of Monash University Museum of Art) and Andi Ihsan (Dean of the UNM Faculty of Arts and Design). Source: David Haworth, 2024.
At the exhibition opening we saw a range of stunning artworks, and were privileged to meet some women from Mandar, who continue the tradition of weaving sails.
Entrance to the exhibition. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Traditional sail weaving from Mandar. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Artwork from the exhibition. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
The GEM team with colleagues at the exhibition. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Artwork from the exhibition. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Traditional sail weaving from Mandar. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
From here we travelled to the Rumata’ Arts Centre, where for the first time we saw in person the mural of our much-missed colleague Dr Lily Yulianti Farid, one of the founders of Rumata'. Global Encounters commissioned this mural in 2023 after Lily's passing.
The GEM team with colleagues at Rumata' Art Space. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
This afternoon at Rumata’ included the launch of a book Petang Di Jalur Teripang (Evening on the Teripang Trail). This book is the product of a deep collaboration with the writers at the MAREGE Institute and Rumata’ Arts Centre. The GEM team worked with the writers to workshop their ideas and help bring the stories to life. GEM supported the publication and provided the backing to create the beautiful volume of essays. Lynette Russell wrote the introduction on behalf of GEM.
Two of GEM’s closest colleagues and allies, Fikri Yathir and Nur Utaminingsih (Tami), played crucial roles in producing the volume. Fikri and Tami hosted a large audience at the book launch which included Australian Indonesia Institute staff and the Australian Consul General in Makassar Todd Dias.
Fikri Yathir speaking at Rumata' Art Space. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Nur Utaminingsih (Tami) speaking at Rumata' Art Space. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Todd Dias, Australian Consul General in Makassar, speaking at Rumata' Art Space. Source: David Haworth.
At the book launch, the GEM team were delighted at a surprise announcement from GEM Senior Research Fellow Priyambudi (Budi) Sulistiyanto – that he has written and published an Indonesian-language book titled Finding Kapirten Boodieman: Catatan Perjalanan Intelektual di Australia dan Indonesia (Finding Captain Boodieman: An Intellectual Travelogue in Australia and Indonesia).
Priyambudi Sulistiyanto's Finding Kapirten Boodieman (Finding Captain Boodieman) and MAREGE Institute/Rumata’ Arts Centre's Petang Di Jalur Teripang (Evening on the Teripang Trail). Source: Priyambudi Sulistiyanto, 2024.
On Saturday 14 September the team were driven six hours across South Sulawesi to the region known as Bira, home of the Phinisi shipbuilders. The Phinisi ships have replaced the praus that sailed to Marege, however the building techniques remain much the same. It is difficult to convey how extraordinary these boats are. They are massive, tall, and built without any written plan. After a night in the seaside village of Bira we spent the morning wandering around the habour, looking at the ships and contemplating what the journey to Marege might have been like all those years ago. We then piled back into our minibus for the long drive back to our base in Makassar.
Phinisi ships at port in Bira. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
On our last day, some of the team were invited by archaeologist Professor Adam Brumm to visit an excavation he and his team are currently working on, located at a cave named Leang Bulu Bettue in Leang Leang National Park. Professor Brumm was part of the team that recently used a new dating technique to show that a painting located at a nearby cave named Leang Karampuang is at least 51,200 years old, making it the world’s oldest known figurative art.
Adam Brumm with some of the GEM team at Leang Bulu Bettue. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
The excavation at Leang Bulu Bettue. Source: David Haworth, 2024.
Rebecca, Lynette, Budi, Fikri, Tami and Abi visited the Kota Makassar Museum and offered to work with them to develop an exhibition on the trepang industry and the relationship between Makassar and Australia. We were enthusiastically welcomed, and look forward to working with the curators there to produce some new displays for them.
Our final event was a brilliant sunset sail in a Phinisi boat with our friends and colleagues from Makassar, complete with karaoke, fireworks and dancing. It was the perfect finish to an exhilarating if exhausting week of activities.
Phinisi sail at sunset on our last day. Source: David Haworth, 2024.