Currently, Sutami works as a program officer at PUSAKA Bentala Rakyat, an NGO that is actively involved in advocacy for the rights of indigenous communities in Papua. Sutami's experience working in Papua has brought him closer to the various issues faced by indigenous Papuan communities, one of which is the dispossession of their ancestral lands. "This is closely related to the significant transformation of indigenous communities into wage laborers. Many ancestral lands have been taken over for palm oil plantations or mining, forcing communities to seek alternative livelihoods," says Sutami. He is also highly motivated by the efforts to acknowledge the rights of indigenous communities and their ability to share their knowledge with other communities.
Through his work with PUSAKA Bentala Rakyat, Sutami actively participates in research and critical education alongside indigenous Papuan communities. Over the past year, he has also been a visiting researcher at the Agrarian Resource Center, where he believes that land dispossession is a critical issue. Therefore, it is crucial to raise awareness, expose the losses, acknowledge the experiences of exploitation, and advocate for the rights of indigenous communities and laborers. In relation to the latter, Sutami also decided to join the Labour Party to maximize his commitment to advocating for workers' rights from a working-class perspective.
To resonate with a wider audience, we worked closely with Sutami to craft a compelling narrative. Our key message, "Papua's forest, which is half the size of Jakarta, will be cut down," helped people understand the urgency and significance of the issue.
Additionally, we created social media content centered around the story of Frengky, an Awyu leader. The initial post gained substantial engagement.
To amplify the campaign's impact, we joined forces with Greenpeace and Bentala to support the Awyu and Moi tribes' protest in front of the Mahkamah Agung office. Capturing the event through film and social media content on Instagram and Tiktok, we managed to reach viral levels of engagement. The campaign video garnered almost 45 million views on Instagram and 5 million views on Tiktok.
