Humanitarian Bazaar | FEATURE
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FEATURE | Indonesia: Merapi, Mountain of Fire, Lights Up Central Java

INDONESIA  |  Photography by Lindsay Stark; story by Sue Rissberger  |  Republished November 2024

Originally published in Humanitarian Bazaar (aka HELO Magazine) in 2010.  

 

 

Mt. Merapi, or “Mountain of Fire” in Bahasa Indonesian, is by no means an unfamiliar name in Southeast Asia. The volcano is an every day reality for people on the Indonesian island of Java.  On October 26th, Mt. Merapi began releasing torrid gases and volcanic material in a series of eruptions causing immeasurable damage, displacement and medical emergencies. The volcanic effects spread through a danger zone of twenty kilometers, extending into Yogyakarta province and displacing more than 300,000 people from 572 settlements. 

 

Lindsay Stark, a Columbia University Professor, Child Protection Specialist, and Photographer, who contributed photo essays to HELO Magazine this past year onVaranasi, India, and Jijiga, Ethiopia, responded to Merapi’s eruption. Stark coordinated the Emergency Child Protection Assessment on behalf of UNICEF and the government of Indonesia. Along the way, Stark captured moments of Mt. Merapi’s volatile eruptions and the farmers who continued to tend their land even as the volcano billowed smoke.

 

 

 

The verdant slopes of Mt. Merapi and outstretched lands of central Java represent what would otherwise be a sustainable space for livelihoods. Merapi, known for its explosive history, is among the most active of 150 volcanoes in the region. Residents who once lived a handful of kilometers away from each other, separated by fields and farmland, are now living at one of the few hundred temporary settlements. Amid the make-shift homes, widespread health concern, and homelessness, people live with these painful reminders of Merapi’s unpredictable nature.

 

In the aftermath of the initial eruption, the displaced family settlements quickly became home to thousands. Children, women, and men, including elderly would fill a single room where privacy was limited and amenities far from the comforts of their life before the emergency.

 

Images of the individuals evacuated from their homes reveal the range of emotions the human condition can experience in tragedy – devastation, loss, uncertainty, and hope. When asked if the photographs were meant to convey a specific message, Stark’s response addresses an approach too often overlooked amid disaster:

 

“I am always seeking to share a bit of a visual understanding of the situation and circumstances of my humanitarian work, especially the resilience and hope amidst adversity.”

 

The images highlight the absoluteness of a natural disaster yet also illuminate the irrepressible qualities in individuals and communities that allow them to rise from beneath the debris of a disaster and rebuild a community just as spiritually and culturally rich as before.

 

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