The provinces of Papua and West Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, are located in easternmost Indonesia. They are home to only one percent of Indonesia’s 230 million people; however, almost 40 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in the country are located there.
Sacramento, Calif.-based documentary photographer Andri Tambunan recently got involved with a project entitled Against All Odds: The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Papau, documenting the problem, for which he received the 5th Annual PhotoPhilanthropy Activist Award and $15,000 to continue the project.
Andri first got the idea for the project 5 years ago, when he read a short article online about Mama Yuli, a housewife who had contracted HIV from her husband who passed away, and later passed it to her youngest child who also passed away. She then traveled throughout Papua sharing her experiences to raise awareness and lower stigma against people like her. Andri was intrigued by her story and was in Papau within a week, never thinking that it would turn into a long term documentary project:
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of photography to me is it’s ability to connect people regardless of distance, time and differences. I believe in the power of images and as a documentary photographer I aim to use photography as a tool to inform and to move people into action.
Due to economic disparity and a lack of political power, indigenous Papuans are more susceptible to poverty, malnutrition, unemployment and illiteracy than the Indonesian immigrants who have relocated to the province. HIV/AIDS infection rates in Papau are the highest in the country, 15 times higher than the national average. The people are living and dying in the midst of the fastest-growing epidemic in Asia.
Each year in Papua the number of recorded cases of HIV increases by almost 50 percent. Current estimates suggest at least 3 percent of the adults in the province are HIV-positive. In an epidemic where the virus is transmitted mostly through heterosexual relationships, men and women, children, husbands and wives, and in some cases entire communities are under attack.
To prepare, Andri conducted research for many months prior to the project, reading numerous articles and research studies. He narrowed down themes in his head, how we would get the photos to demonstrate these themes, and places he would need access to in order to get them. He hoped to go beyond the “clinical” type of photographs and depict the true human dimension of the problem.
Papau is restricted to foreign journalists. Because Andri is of Indonesian background and fluent in the language, he was at an advantage, however, he was still an outsider. To gain access, he established relationships with local advocates and explained his objectives:
Everywhere I went I was introduced as a friend and they vouched for me, which gave me way into people’s homes, hospital rooms, shelters and intimate moments. At times, access equals trust and it must be earned.
Although Andi did gain trust, the journey was still a difficult one. Several times, he was accused as a military spy and threatened with physical attacks for photographing in public.
The project has received a positive response, with exhibitions in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Cambodia, and France.
Andri said that this project “changed him both as a photojournalist and as a person”:
In terms of photography, I learned how to cope when working in a stressful situation. This project was mentally and emotionally exhausting at times. Often, I encountered dead ends or things didn’t go as planned. But I learned how to stay motivated, to be patient, to ask for help, and to take a day off and do something else unrelated to photography. Personally, I was reminded the importance to enjoy the company of others, to share, to listen and to connect.
View a video on the project below:
Andri also created a book that was distributed with the video as a multimedia package to over 30 NGOs worldwide.
He plans to continue the project focusing on the effect of stigma on individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Papau.