Arga Nur Wahid – A Papuan arts and cultural performance organised by the East Java Papua Alumni Association in the Kya-Kya area of Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday evening July 27 has ended in chaos.
The chaos erupted after a group claiming to be from the Surabaya Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) arrived at the location and forcibly broke up the event, causing panic among attendees, with some even fainting.
The chairperson of the event's organising committee, Freek Christiaan, expressed regret over the incident. He emphasised that it was an arts and cultural performance that was purely intended to introduce Papuan culture to the public, without any political or other vested interests.
"We wanted to introduce Papuan dance culture, while also building fraternity between ethnic groups in Surabaya", Christian told journalists on Monday July 28.
According to Christian, initially the event ran smoothly from 6:30 pm and featured a number of Papuan figures and representatives from the Surabaya city government.
Around 200 participants attended including cross-regional communities such as the Surabaya city South Sulawesi Family Harmony (KKSS), the Maluku Brotherhood Bonds Committee and representatives from North Sulawesi. Serafi Anelies Unani, a former national athlete from Papua, also served as the keynote speaker in a talk show which was part of the series of activities.
"However, the situation became tense when a group of students claiming to be from the Surabaya AMP arrived and demanded that the event be stopped. They questioned the committee's legitimacy and claimed the organisers did not represent the voices of Papuan students", he explained.
Despite holding a dialogue, no agreement was reached. The mob, believed to be from AMP, then breached the stage area and attacked the rows of seats. Seats were destroyed, spectators scattered and the situation descended into chaos.
A joint force of officers from the Surabaya Metropolitan District Police (Polrestabes), the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officials, who were present to secure the situation, immediately intervened to prevent further clashes.
Christian also said that the event had received official permission from the Surabaya city government through the Department of Culture, Youth, Sports and Tourism (Disbudporapar), including free use of the Kya-Kya area.
Unani meanwhile, who had been on a talk show before the incident, encouraged the younger generation of Papuans not to lose direction while away from Papua. She emphasised the importance of mental preparedness, discipline and consistency.
Unani also reminded young Papuans not to be ashamed to show their identity. Papua is unique. Never be ashamed of being Papuan. Because Papuans can also contribute to building the nation.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Pentas Seni Budaya Papua di Kya Kya Surabaya Berakhir Ricuh – Suara Merdeka Jatim".]
