Anggadi Tupa – Harvesting the Storm

Set in the coastal regions of West Papua in eastern Indonesia, this story of the Ambai people and their relationship with nature is told through the friendship of four underwater creatures: Andevavait, the amphibious tide-pool blenny; Bohurai, the toadfish; Anggereai, the striped crab and Raukahi, the octopus. When the environment is threatened, the harmony of the creatures that inhabit it is also disrupted. Can the Ambai people stay true to their local wisdom and traditional beliefs in the face of destructive and divisive influences, and protect the balance of nature?

In this contemporary fable, Papuan author John Waromi, a member of the Ambai tribe, sheds light on the struggle of Papuans to preserve their ancestral traditions and language, revealing the necessity for man to understand his place in creation. He takes us into a coastal ecosystem where humans, animals and plants must coexist to maintain the harmonious balance of nature. We witness the dreadful threat of dynamite bomb-fishing upon the underwater environment, and its effect upon all living creatures who depend upon it for survival in this remote part of Indonesia.

John Waromi’s fable of heroic action in a fragile environment is set on the shores of West Papua where the creatures of both land and sea exist in remarkable harmony until greed shows its ugly face. Through the adventures of Andevavait, the amphibious Tide-pool Blenny, who is privileged to live in both spheres, above and below water, his tale weaves its delightful way sharing the dilemma experienced by creatures when their ecosystem is breached, powers beyond control take over and reshape their lives, and traditional lore is no longer able to protect and succour them. John Waromi’s allegory concerns his own Ambai people, and their efforts to survive in West Papua today. (Sarita Newson, Bali.)