Voices for Banda
Through the Lenses of Residents of Rhun, Ay, and Selamon
OVERVIEW
2025
The Banda Islands, in Central Maluku Regency, Maluku Province, are part of the world’s Coral Triangle, renowned for their rich marine biodiversity. These islands also shaped the history of the Nusantara, as their precious nutmeg and cloves drew Arab, Chinese, Portuguese, English, and Dutch merchants from thousands of miles away in pursuit of the coveted spices.
Each of these visitors left a legacy that continues to shape Banda to this day. Colonial houses, forts built by the Portuguese, English, and Dutch, a Chinese temple, and culinary traditions influenced by Arab culture are reminders of the many cultures that have passed through these islands. Together with Banda’s stunning coral reefs and rich marine biodiversity, these layers of history and culture have placed Banda on the bucket lists of travelers from around the world. But beyond what visitors see, how do the people of Banda themselves see their islands—their rich culture, their ocean, and the land they call home?
From April to December 2025, Photovoices International (PVI) collaborated with the Coral Triangle Center (CTC), a nonprofit organization that has supported the Government of Indonesia in developing marine protected area networks in the Banda Islands since 2012. Together, we implemented the Photovoices program across three locations—Rhun, Ay, and Selamon—to strengthen meaningful community engagement through the Photovoices approach, focusing on natural resource management and blue jobs (livelihoods based on the blue economy).
“Our second collaboration with Photovoices has been an important way to further explore the perspectives of Banda communities on living in harmony with the sea, as well as other issues they consider important. The voices we have heard from residents of Rhun, Ay, and Selamon can serve as a foundation for developing resource management plans in the waters of the Banda Islands,” said Rili Djohani, Executive Director of Coral Triangle Center.
35
photos exhibited
18
9
issues raised
participants
(youth, fishermen, housewives)
HIGHLIGHTS
9 prioritized issues
Through the Photovoices facilitated learning process, participants identified nine key issues that matter to their communities: health, waste management, access to clean water, tourism, agriculture, marine and fisheries, education, customs and culture, and disaster risk.
Several issues were specific to individual islands. In Ay, for example, participants highlighted the lack of access to clean water. In Selamon, residents face seasonal disaster risks: during the west monsoon, waves crash against coastal homes, while during the east monsoon, landslides from the surrounding hills pose a constant threat. Meanwhile, Rhun—an island famously exchanged for Manhattan, New York, between the Dutch and British under the Treaty of Breda in 1667—is rich in historical narratives that have played an important role in shaping the history of Banda and Indonesia. Yet its tourism potential remains largely undeveloped, directly affecting the livelihoods of its residents.
Over seven months, participants conducted community-led participatory research, resulting in 35 photographs and stories that were presented to the Central Maluku Regency Government in Masohi on 11 December 2025.
Advocating at the province level
The research and advocacy efforts of Photovoices participants caught the attention of SKALA (Synergy and Collaboration for the Acceleration of Basic Services), a partnership between the Australian and Indonesian governments. SKALA recommended that the issues raised through the Photovoices process be incorporated into the Musyawarah Perencanaan Pembangunan (Musrenbang), Indonesia’s participatory development planning process. As a result, four Photovoices participants presented photographs and stories from the three Banda Photovoices projects during the opening session of the Thematic Musrenbang, alongside officials from the Maluku Provincial Government.
This opportunity marked an important first step in Photovoices’ efforts to bring community voices from the grassroots level into the Musrenbang process, creating opportunities for their concerns to receive direct responses from policymakers and ensuring that community voices are reflected in government policies.
Emerging new leadership
The selection of participants was based on several criteria, including identifying community members who had rarely or never been given opportunities to actively participate in village decision-making. As the program progressed, this approach helped uncover new leadership potential among young people, homemakers, and fishermen—people who had often been perceived as having little capacity to drive change.
The process also helped shift perceptions among village heads and community members. Those who were previously seen as having little knowledge or influence emerged as confident voices who were able to speak up, advocate for their communities, and take action to create change.
Raising awareness
Through the Photovoices process, participants became more aware that the traditional fishing practice of bameti (reef gleaning) can damage coral reef ecosystems, which are essential to maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. This issue was also highlighted in one of the presentations on fisheries and marine issues, prompting responses from policymakers in Central Maluku Regency.
Meanwhile, in raising broader fisheries and marine issues, one participant who works as a fisherman called for regulations requiring a minimum fishing-net mesh size of two inches, along with effective enforcement and regular monitoring, to help ensure the sustainability of fish stocks, as fish catches have begun to decline.
Enrichment session with National Geographic Indonesia
To further strengthen participants’ skills and knowledge in photography and storytelling, we held enrichment sessions with National Geographic Indonesia (NGI) in Rhun, Ay, and Selamon. NGI’s Editor-in-Chief, Didi Kasim, guided participants in developing persuasive narratives for their photographs, while photographer Ricky Martin helped them strengthen their technical photography skills and create images that tell compelling, impactful stories.
©Yudha Bhismaya/Dok.PVI-AP/Masohi/2025
©Yudha Bhismaya/Dok.PVI-AP/Masohi/2025
©Yudha Bhismaya/Dok.PVI-AP/Masohi/2025
Latest Developments
Resulting from Photovoices Participant Advocacy
Waste Management
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During the implementation of the Photovoices–CTC Banda Program, which highlighted waste management challenges, Bintari Group, a CTC partner, began visiting Rhun to conduct surveys, collect data, and provide training for the local waste management group. They also encouraged the village government to allocate a dedicated budget for waste management.
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Photovoices–CTC Banda participants who focused on waste management were also invited by Bintari Group to become community educators promoting waste management practices in Rhun.
Disaster Risk Mitigation
One notable outcome of the project was the strong support from the Selamon diaspora after learning about landslides and high waves through social media posts shared by one of the participants, who provided updates on the situation in Selamon. The diaspora responded by providing financial donations and construction materials to strengthen and repair the seawall in front of Selamon Village. Meanwhile, CTC is committed to supporting the process of establishing Selamon Village as a Disaster-Resilient Village (Desa Tangguh Bencana / Destana).
Culture
Following the participants’ advocacy efforts, the Head of Selamon Village has committed to starting the renovation of the traditional community house in September 2026.
Health
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The Auxiliary Community Health Center (Puskesmas Pembantu/Pustu) in Rhun was improved following instructions from Walang Community Health Center, and a new midwife was assigned to replace the previous health worker, who had rarely been present in the village.
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A midwife has been assigned to Ay, and a community health post has been established on the island. This marks an important improvement for the people of Ay, who previously had no dedicated midwife and had to travel to other islands to access maternal health services, including routine pregnancy check-ups.
Jetty improvements
Improvements to the fishing and passenger jetties were carried out under the direction of the newly appointed village officials.
QUOTES
"Through the Photovoices program, I was able to raise the issue of natural disasters. Various events that have affected our community since 2000 have only truly come to light through this program. Photovoices gives ordinary community members—many of whom previously did not know how to take photographs, write stories, or raise issues that had long been overlooked in their villages—the opportunity to develop these skills. Through Photovoices, they can now document and communicate the realities they experience, bringing previously overlooked issues to the attention of others so they can be recognized and understood.”
Rajib Hayoto
Photovoices–CTC Banda Program Participant, Selamon Village
PROJECT STAKEHOLDER
