Documentary Review: Our Mother's Land

Our Mother's Land tells the stories of Indonesian women from various communities who fought against entities and the government to protect their natural resources. | Photo from: Google

The documentary, Our Mothers’ Land, was produced in partnership with The Gecko Project and featuring journalist Febriana Firdaus. This documentary project won the 2021 Wild and Scenic Film Festival “Spirit of Activism Award”. Want to know more about the documentary and my thoughts about it? Read below:

1. What is the documentary about?

The documentary tells the stories of Indonesian women from various communities who fought against entities and the government to protect their natural resources. The documentary focuses on the movements led by women to fight for their rights.

2. Describe one community featured in the documentary. What did this community do to fight for their right?

One of the featured communities was the people of Tegaldowo village in Central Java province, who fought against a mine factory that wanted to mine the North Kendeng Mountains' limestone. What was even more unfortunate was that the governor of Central Java had quietly approved the project's permit.

In June 2014, the women of Tegaldowo organised an environmental movement. To protest, approximately 100 women marched to the factory's construction site. Despite the presence of police and authorities, the women remained at the protest site to continue their demonstrations. They stayed for several months.

However, the protests became violent in November, when the militaries forced all of the women to leave. They were beaten, which can be seen in the documentary. The militaries were also seen carrying them away in an attempt to force them to leave the area. They did not give up despite all the violence.

After two years of protesting, they decided to step up their game in April 2016. Sukinah travelled to Jakarta with the other eight women who are now known as the “Sembilan Kartini Kendeng” (Nine Kartinis of Kendeng). As a sign of protest, they planted their feet in cement in front of the presidential palace.

As a result of this movement, in August 2016, Indonesian President Joko Widodo agreed to meet with the Nine Kartinis of Kendeng. He then agreed to put an end to the project.

However, despite his promise, the project's construction site continued, and they eventually started mining the limestone at the North Kendeng Mountains.

3. This documentary touched on the role of women preserving their way of life, the environment. What do you think about this gender role? Why is this acceptable in the communities presented in the documentary?

It was stated that they allowed women to lead protest movements in order to avoid violence and deaths. If men led the protest, it could easily devolve into violence. The women can serve as a calming agent, ensuring that the movement would be both calm and effective, to help their voices to be heard.

It was also stated that because women are in charge of providing clean water to their families, it felt like it was their responsibility to resist the projects. The environment is also known as "Mother Earth," which is feminine and feels close to women.

Due to gender inequality, the women have stepped up to lead the movement. They wanted to demonstrate that they are worthy of respect and that their voices matter. They wanted to highlight that they, too, can lead well and be given the same authority as men.

4. Do you think the same happens in Malaysia?

To be honest, I do not really believe the same thing has happened or will ever happen in Malaysia. As Malaysians, we would never have the opportunity to express our concerns and fight for our rights without the police came knocking on our doors.

Women in Malaysia, on the other hand, could never be vocal without having our personal flaws and sins pointed out by others.

5. What do you think of the overall documentary?

I appreciated the cinematography because it highlighted the beauty of the villages, particularly the nature. I like how the colour grading was used because it was a little dark, which fits the mood of sadness that their natural resources were exploited by large corporations.

I liked how they used clips, like the one in Kendeng with Sukinah singing about the Mother Land. The clips of military violence also helped to make it feel more personal for viewers, as I, too, was outraged that they were treated horribly even while they were protesting peacefully.

I also appreciate how the documentary concentrated on completing one story before moving on to the next. I believe this aids the documentary's flow and makes it easier to understand, compared to going back and forth to different parts of the story.

6. Is it a good documentary?

It was enjoyable for me. I am not a big fan of documentaries, but this one kept me interested until the very end. I felt their enthusiasm, their rage, and their sadness as they fought against the large, powerful entities. With the clips used, I felt like I was there to protest as well. Overall, it was perfect for me.