Covid-19 Stories of Alor: How the People Bounced Back

Eki Alopen, a marine conservationist from Indonesia, filmed a short documentary titled How The People Bounced Back following the pandemic life of the Indigenous community of Alor Island, one of Indonesia’s outlying islands. Eki’s film is completely narrated by Abdul Rahman Sumbawa, a local fisherman, and Immanuel Duka, a local candlenut and produce farmer. Rahman speaks eloquently about the pandemic’s impact on Alor’s fishing, farming and tourist industries over Eki’s beautiful shots of the island’s beaches, roads and markets. We see Rahman’s daily fishing routine as he explains that broken supply chains caused a catastrophic drop in the tuna prices that he and other fishermen rely on. He and other fishermen quickly adapt to the industry changes of the pandemic, and discover they are able to make up for lost income by selling smaller pelagic fish to local merchants instead. Immanuel describes a similar experience with the price of his candlenut harvest, and now relies on government cash assistance. ‘How The People Bounced Back’ gives voice to Alor’s Indigenous people and shows their survival creativity during this pandemic.

This video is supported by Innovation for Change – East Asia’s. It is part of a project called COVID-19 Stories from the Margins. Through the project, the hub equipped six individuals from marginalized communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam with skills to share their own experiences and lessons from the pandemic.

— July 2021

This story is commissioned by Innovation for Change – East Asia’s. It is part of a project called COVID-19 Stories from the Margins. Through the project, the hub equipped six individuals from marginalized communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam with skills to share their own experiences and lessons from the pandemic.