‘We’d rather die than lose’: villagers in Indonesia fight for a land rights revolution
Leaders of the Pandumaan-Sipituhuta community meet to look over proposed land divisions. (Photo: Vincent Bevins)
'It is cold and late on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Huddled around a map, a group of elders are planning their battle strategy. In a milestone victory last year, they were promised rights to the land their village has controlled for generations, but today they have had bad news. The local inspector wants to slice off a piece of the forest where they harvest benzoin – a substance like frankincense – and give it to a large pulp company. They see this as a betrayal.'
An excerpt from the article by Vincent Bevins in Humbang Hasundutan
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