Public Screening of “Pesta Babi” Opens Discussion on Papua’s Issues

Scene from Pesta Babi (cr : dino)

Salatiga, May 21, 2026 — The screening of the documentary film “Pesta Babi,” organized by SMU UKSW at the Yayasan Bina Darma, was open to the public. The event featured a film screening followed by a discussion on political and environmental issues in Papua.

The event began with a group prayer before proceeding to the screening of the documentary “Pesta Babi.” After the film, the activity continued with a discussion session featuring the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, the Chairperson of SMU, a professor from the Faculty of Information Technology, and an environmental activist. The discussion was moderated by one of the UKSW students.

One audience member, Haria Alya from Java, expressed her hopes for the government after watching the film. According to her, the government needs to be more critical in decision-making and understand the conditions of the community.

“Harapanku kalau bisa orang-orang itu bisa lebih mikir lagi. Mereka punya kasta di sini, jadi pengenku mereka bisa lebih kritis lagi” she said.

Haria also hopes that the younger generation will become more aware of political issues after attending the event.

“Harapannya anak-anak muda itu jadi lebih melek politik,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ibenus Meku from Papua, Wime district, believes that the community needs to increase interaction and fully understand information so as not to easily draw conclusions from video snippets on social media.

“Tapi harapan saya itu banyak berinteraksi. Kemudian kita juga punya data yang akurat. Artinya bahwa jangan sampai generasi hari ini banyak yang salah ambil kesimpulan. Ketika dia lihat di media sosial, potongan video, kemudian dia konsumsikan tanpa dia memahaminya,” said Ibenus.

He also considers that discussion forums such as film screenings and opens discussion can enhance knowledge and open new perspectives for the community regarding environmental issues in Papua.