Suryatmajan, a kampong (urban village) in southern Yogyakarta, is home to just under 5,000 people. Its colourful alleyways, covered with bold murals painted by the residents, and its innovative gender and climate projects give this kampong a distinctive profile. In Yogyakarta, it is known as the Mural Kampong..
A safe place
Rully Mallay has lived in Suryatmajan for 18 years. She travelled here from South Sulawesi for work, but also for safety. A transgender woman, she now lives in a safe house with other trans women and does much more. “I work to strengthen our trans community and to strengthen our advocacy,” she says in a serious, gentle voice. “As a member of a transgender group I work for safe spaces for elderly transgender people and for people living with HIV. We work on the skill of living life.”
Rully says that Indonesia has had a long history of acceptance of gender diversity. Sulawesi traditionally counted five gender, she says. However, atttitudes changed over time especially after 1998. “There was a lot of change in mainstream people,” she says, with 2000-2016 being a “really strict period for transgender people,” including physical attacks.
Along with other women in her community, Rully creates batik cloth. “Batik is the traditional culture of the Javanese people. Making batik helps me feel connected to the culture,” she says. Her community created the batik bags that ACT members are using at the ACT Assembly. They are also involved in a small credit union. Both these activities provide income and strengthen community members’ pride and sense of belonging.
“As a member of a transgender group I work for safe spaces for elderly transgender people and for people living with HIV. We work on the skill of living life.”Rully Mallay speaks about her advocacy for transgender people.
A “Climate Village”
Suryatmajan Kampong is also home to Tani Migunani, a community group which does significant work on climate change and gender justice. In 2024 Suryatmajan was one of 10 villages that won a Yogyakarta climate change competition, being named a “climate village.” Yogyakarta hosted the competition to meet its national emission reduction targets. The prize included cash and free fruit seeds for the village.
“Each month the kampung reduces 500 kg of waste,” says Syarifah, a community climate change educator. They create compost and other products from food waste and reduce and recycle other waste. They earn cash by collecting and selling paper and plastics for secondary uses. Syarifah’s two daughters, age 18 and 14, create wall ornaments from recycled plastic.
The prize has meant a lot to the village. “They are happy that they were educated about climate change,” says Syarifah. They say: ‘what I have studied has brought us some benefits.’ They are proud and happy about this.” She herself was a delegate to COP27 in Egypt.
Syarifah says that very few villagers knew about climate change and its effects before their program. Now they are doing their part to reduce emissions and care for the environment. The community organisation’s next step is to secure funding for a project with an Indonesian name that means “we have to be ready for climate change.”
PHOTO: Dedi V. Telaumbanua/ACT
