“Sometimes when you stop looking, you will find it.”
One of the excerpts of dialog from a fairy tale book entitled The Adventures of the Twin Tree Top (Petualangan Si Kembar Tree Top). This book is written by one Alumnus from the Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries (FIKP) Hasanuddin University (Unhas), Muhammad Mubarak Aziz Malinggi.
Sometimes, when we look too hard for answers to something, we are stuck thinking of certain expectations. However, when we allow ourselves to be more relaxed and open, we may find new perspectives that are more profound and meaningful, which is what Muhammad Mubarak Aziz Malinggi conveys in his book.
Barak, as often called, told us about his journey that is stuck in the world of environment and culture while studying at Unhas. Through the islands that he went to during field courses, mingling with cultural activists, and being active in communities, he fell in love with exploring the interaction of society’s living sphere with regard to nature and culture.
Since 2005, Barak has been actively involved in Ininnawa Community, which is an ‘umbrella’ of university students, writers, musicians, painters, researchers, and cultural practitioners who strive to create social transformation through community empowerment.
“Initially, I studied at FIKP because my brother chose the course, then I graduated and got stuck there. But, because of that, I became interested in the environment and culture of the people I met during field practice and joining the community. In the end, I was stuck doing a lot of activities there,” Barak joked.
Barak said he began to establish himself as an environmental and cultural activist in 2013 when he worked at Rakata Alam Terbuka, Jakarta. A company with initiatives to promote and accommodate outdoor and cultural activities, which organizes a number of activities aimed at developing outdoor tourism in a number of places.
During his journey, Barak also revealed that he had conducted a Clove Expedition organized by Layar Nusa in North Sulawesi and Maluku. He said that this trip led him to discover many things in exploring one of Indonesia’s leading commodities and met with many local clove farmers in the archipelago at that time.
The Makale-born man was also involved as a facilitator. In 2011, he became a Field Facilitator for Restoring Coastal Livelihood, OXFAM by providing assistance to women’s groups on Tanakeke Island, Takalar, South Sulawesi.
Not only that, in 2014 from his relationship he collaborated with the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) Indonesia in implementing the Community-Based Alternative Energy Assistance and Development Program on the Outermost Small Islands, Kolepon Island, Kimaam District, Merauke Regency, Papua Province.
Not only interested in nature, he also has more love for culture. Barak also participated in various publications of works and books about culture that were influential in the cultural literacy of South Sulawesi.
He creates a meeting point between nature and culture. Now, Mubarak is active in Riwanua Karya Bersama conducting research on a number of social, cultural, economic, and political issues in South Sulawesi that produce and disseminate experience and knowledge through various means.
“At Riwanua we are more engaged in the field of contemporary culture, we have from the beginning focused on collaborating with multi-disciplines. We have also created a library, conducted documentation and archiving, film screenings, discussions, research, and many other programs in the future,” Barak explained.
For him, the balance between human relationships, between cultures, and with nature is an important aspect to continue to harmonize. Mubarak’s footsteps in this field are an inspiration for many people to be able to contribute more to environmental issues and cultural preservation, which are starting to become a crisis today.
Read the original version in Bahasa Indonesian.
Original writer: Nur Mutmainnah
Translator: A. Mario Farrasda AS & Muhammad Alif M.
