Pig Feast: Beyond the Frame
Critical conversations on solidarity with indigenous resistance
This program will be in English
Join us for a moderated discussion centered around the documentary film Pesta Babi (The Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time), indigenous resistance in West Papua and a critical look on solidarity amidst censorship, eco-genocide, political commodification, and the potential pitfall of new forms of (re)colonisation.
In Pesta Babi, directors Dandhy Dwi Laskono and Cypri Paju Dale document how, under the guise of “food security” and “energy transition”, the Indonesian government is rapidly converting West Papuan forests into large rice fields and industrial plantations for palm oil biodiesel and sugarcane bioethanol. The documentary critically examines the long standing exploitation of West Papua, protected by the military, and the displacement of Indigenous communities from their customary lands, which are essential to their livelihoods, identity and cultural survival. Although public screenings of the documentary have been forcibly disrupted in Indonesia, Pesta Babi has sparked much attention in Indonesia and abroad.
During this programme, we will have direct conversations with the film production team and West Papuan researchers and artivists, with screening of curated clips discussing the film. Together, we will dissect the ecosystem of “solidarity” that surrounds indigenous resistance in West Papua and ask the difficult questions: What does genuine solidarity look like? And how do we ensure our support remains true to the source on the ground, rather than reinventing new forms of (re)colonisation in the name of solidarity, out of good intention?
During this event we will not screen the full film. The full documentary is freely available on YouTube (Official website of Jubi Independent journalism).
Food and snacks by Café Warung Pas. Please note that the ticket price only covers production costs. During the program, QR codes will be available for donations in support of Indigenous communities and their struggle.
This program is a collaboration of Serumpun Kolektif, Watch65, Gerak Solidaritas Belanda (GSB), Lestari Bergerak, and Felix Meritis.
Line-up
Tamara Soukotta (moderator)
Currently a visiting researcher affiliated with the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam, Tamara’s work is very much influenced by her interests in decoloniality and other knowledge, as well as her background as a researcher and practitioner.
For the past 25 years, Tamara has been working with various political actors and institutions on issues such as violent conflicts, peace processes, crisis management, post-conflict/disaster reconstruction, power and inequality, intersectionality, and coloniality of development — both as a researcher-lecturer and as a development practitioner.
Coming from Indonesia and now based in the Netherlands, Tamara connects networks and initiatives in Indonesia with her present work in Europe, highlighting linkages between local and global. Beyond academia, Tamara also engages in collaborative research and popular education, making knowledge accessible to broader audiences through public lectures, workshops, and publications in both scholarly and popular outlets.
Koes Komo (Artist)
A native Semarang, Koes Komo (b. 1980) now calls Amsterdam home and is an active member of the city’s communities while remaining connected to his Indonesian roots. He was active in the Indonesian Migrant Workers (IMWU) Netherlands, and also a volunteer during IPT (International Peoples’s Tribunal) 1965 in The Haag 2015, for which he did many courtroom sketches.
Komo specializes in rapid illustrations and event reportages. He sustains his artmaking by taking up jobs in the construction sector –laboring experience has deeply influenced his process as he makes use of scraps and recycled materials to create art. This time will showcase his installations from the Lawan exhibition (2025), “You have the guts to play games with me?!”
Maryanto Beb (Artist)
Maryanto creates powerful monochromatic paintings and monumental installations that dissect socio-political structures through the depiction of landscapes. His works investigates the impact of technological development, industrialisation, pollution, and resource exploitation on the natural world, reflecting the harsh realities in his home country. Through fable-like and theatrical settings, Maryanto’s landscapes present deeply urgent concerns around the encroachment of the environment, both physical and cultural.
Maryanto had solo exhibitions and presentations in Indonesia, Amsterdam, Singapore, Korea, Dubai, London, Hong Kong and Australia. He has participated in various biennales including the 2nd Industrial Biennale, Labin, Croatia (2018); Koganei Art Spot Chateau, Tokyo (2018); Setouchi Triennale, Naoshima, Japan (2016); Jakarta and Jogja Biennales, Indonesia (2015), Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale (2025), etc. Other notable institutional group exhibitions include Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, Amsterdam; Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam; ArtAffairs, Amsterdam; and Heden, Denhaag (2013), MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, Thailand (2021); Swiss National Museum Zurich Switzerland (2024), Muan Museum of Art Korea (2025). Fairs he has participated in include: Art Basel Focus, Hong Kong, Art Jakarta, ARTSG, ArtStage, Art Dubai Bawabba Solo presentation, Frieze Korea.
About the organizers
Watch65 is a Netherlands-based voluntary association that is committed to the ongoing fight to uphold justice for the victims of gross violations of human rights in Indonesia. Founded in 2018, Watch65 brings together activists, writers, journalists, researchers and political exiles who participated as volunteers in the landmark International People’s Tribunal on Crimes Against Humanity in Indonesia 1965. Held in The Hague in 2015, IPT65 was one of the most significant transitional justice initiatives undertaken by the civil society to address the mass atrocities that were directed at alleged members, supporters and sympathizers of the Partai Komunis Indonesia, as well as organizations affiliated to it. This systematic destruction of the Indonesian Left was the first in a series of brutality that the Indonesian state has regularly exacted on its own citizens.
Serumpun Kolektif is a community of like-minded Indonesians in the Netherlands, united by a shared mission to celebrate and share our cultural heritage through art and music. The Netherlands is home to a strong Indonesian community; however, we believe an important voice remains underrepresented—one that offers a more nuanced, inclusive, and contemporary view of Indonesia’s artistic and musical landscape.
Gerak Solidaritas Belanda (GSB) is a solidarity movement that came together following the August 2025 mass protest in Jakarta, Indonesia. As a solidarity movement initiated by Indonesians in the Netherlands, GSB stands in solidarity with (grassroots) struggles and movements resisting injustice and fascist regimes, particularly in Indonesia.
A group of Indonesians in the Netherlands who are committed to foster and engage with our progressive-left history to fight for today’s people’s liberation back home and elsewhere. We initiate fundraisers, panels, and educational presentations about the condition of the masses, whilst also organising community gatherings, and cultural workshops.
Would you like to attend this program, but don’t have the means to pay for a ticket? Send an email to info@felixmeritis.nl, we can work something out.
Note: By booking this ticket, you agree to potentially be photographed during the event.