Indonesians turn to eco-art as haze sparks anger and diplomatic tension

As wildfires rage across Sumatra and Kalimantan, frustrated Indonesians are turning to performance art to call for greater government action and draw global attention to the destruction of both the country’s rainforests and rich cultural heritage.

In South Sumatra, local art collective Jaga Api recently launched a project titled Tarian Kehancuran Budaya (the Dance of Cultural Destruction), using traditional performance to convey the human and environmental toll of the fires, as reported by The Straits Times.

Filmed in a scorched forest outside the provincial capital of Palembang, one viral video shows a dancer wearing a gas mask and Aesan Paksangko – South Sumatra’s ceremonial bridal attire. Against a backdrop of burnt trees and ash, she performs the tari tanggai, a traditional welcome dance whose usual celebratory symbolism takes on a more sombre meaning amid the destruction.

The video has over 3,500 likes and 820 re-shares on social media, reflecting the attention the performance has received online.

“The tanggai dance is usually used for welcoming,” Jaga Api wrote on social media. “There is no welcome for officials who allow corporate land [clearance] through barbaric ways, leaving bruises and shattering culture with grief.”

Other creative protests have taken place across Indonesia. In Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Zwageri Generation – the youth wing of the non-profit conservation organisation Yiari – performed a similar dance, according to The Straits Times, attracting over 25,400 likes on social media.

“When words can no longer stir the conscience, allow us to speak through art,” the group said in a post online. “We give voice to the wounds of the forest and the cries of life that are slowly being destroyed by greed.”

Many users have expressed solidarity in the comment sections of these videos. However, some have questioned whether art can actually influence decision-makers.

“Will these loud, classy protests reach those in power?” asked one user. Another added: “Is Wowo watching or not?” – referring to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto by his popular nickname.

Public frustration over the wildfires has intensified as toxic haze spreads across Southeast Asia, triggering health warnings and political friction across borders. Student-led demonstrations were held across several Indonesian cities on Tuesday, with protesters blaming the government for incompetence and corruption in managing land clearance and putting out the fires, CNA reported.

Some Indonesians have also urged neighbouring governments, including Singapore and Malaysia, to sue Jakarta over the haze crisis.

However, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan ruled out legal action on Friday, as reported by The Straits Times, saying that Kuala Lumpur would instead resolve the issue through diplomacy and Association of Southeast Asian Nations channels.

But Singapore has taken a stronger legal stance. Its National Environment Agency has issued legal notices to 10 companies operating plantations in South Sumatra and Kalimantan under its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, The Straits Times reported.

In response to growing domestic and international pressure, President Prabowo has directed cabinet officials to mobilise “all available resources”, expanding deployment orders to include additional personnel from the military, police and forestry agencies. Jakarta says it has deployed more than 60,000 personnel across six provinces.

Despite the scale of the fires, Jakarta continues to decline offers of foreign aid from its neighbours. Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs said on Monday that national authorities remained fully capable of putting out the fires on their own, CNA reported.