Aceh: Identity

A film about Aceh with Dr Damien Kingsbury, Deakin University.

Part of the Contested Spaces Video Project, University of Sydney
http://www.archive.org/details/Contested-Spaces-Video-Project

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Aceh
• Dr Damien Kingsbury
• Acehnese Identity
• society
• post tsunami
• relations
• indonesia
• GAM
• conflict
• status

[blangmeuh]

@PTias

Wrong! Gayonese consider themselves Acehnese. Indonesia is not a "bangsa" or ethnic; and to generalize achehnese as "suku-bangsa" or sub-ethnic is wrong. Gayo IS the sub ethnic of Aceh. If you call Indonesia an ethnic, and Ache sub-ethnic, then what do you call Gayo?

Being different doesn't make us okay not to get independence!

[blangmeuh]

@senantiasa

Yes..when it comes to identity, the whole of indonesia should get independence if they want to. What's wrong with independence if it's your identity determines it?

[redceh]

once a group of people has declared themselves as a nation, there's no stopping it. Aceh has become a nation since long time ago. Acehnese is not an ethnic group but a nation. Aceh asked for independent because of the greedy central government that used up all of Aceh' natural resources without improving the living condition of acehnese. However Indonesian authoritarian government answer this matter with guns and brutality. That pain will always remain in our hearts, all acehnese hearts.

[PTias]

I think u're generalizing those two ethnic groups too much!

Do u even know that in Aceh itself, there are many other subethnic groups, such as Gayo (which has different custom and completely different language)?

Talking about differences, every single province in Indonesia has different customs and languages. Yet, do u think that they all should get independence??

U need to recognize that the problem has no relation with identity and values you're talking about!

[senantiasa]

You have pointed out many differences between the Javanese and Achinese ethnic groups. However, I hope you are not trying to conclude that being different is a reason for independence. Difference might be a reason for why Belgium should split into two countries in the nation-state region of Europe. However, it doesn't support why Aceh should be independent, since not only Aceh is different, but every part of Indonesia is different from one another.