Building Empathy and Social Inclusion through Payo Bemalom Kito Bececakop
Dust flew up from the dirt road as the silver Hiace Commuter van carrying the Pundi Sumatra and GEINSA teams slowly turned from the asphalt road onto the dirt road. The white van drove slowly through the seemingly endless expanse of oil palm plantations. The narrow dirt road forced every passing vehicle to pull over close to the edge, careful not to scrape each other. Once the car's tyres sank into the mud, they left thick tracks in the clay soil, which was always wet from being driven on by palm oil transport trucks.
That is the journey to the settlement of the Anak Dalam tribe (SAD) in Pematang Kejumat, Limbur Tembesi Village, Bathin VIII Subdistrict, Sarolangun Regency. The location takes about 45 minutes from the main road, but access is not easy. Semi-permanent houses stand among palm oil plantations, all with wooden walls and corrugated iron roofs. This is the home of 19 SAD families who now live alongside transmigrants who have come to Sumatra.
The Pundi Sumatra team, together with GEINSA (Generasi Inklusi Sanak), came here to carry out the ‘Payo Bemalom Kito Bececakop’ activity, a cross-community meeting space that aims to explore SAD socio-cultural issues, strengthen youth networks, and foster understanding of social inclusion.
The Establishment of GEINSA as an Advocacy Bridge
The Payo Bemalom Kito Bececakop activity itself is part of a series of Youth Bootcamps held in September 2025. This activity involved young participants, most of whom were students from various campuses in Jambi. This activity was supported by Kemitraan Partnership and Indika Foundation with the aim of fostering awareness of social, political, cultural, economic, and various other issues of inclusive justice.
Participants who complete the programme can join the GEINSA forum, a youth network committed to building an inclusion movement at the community level.
To conclude the entire learning programme, they were given the opportunity to meet and spend the night with the Anak Dalam tribe community in Pematang Kejumat.
“Through bemalom activities, participants can work together with SAD to understand and discuss the realities of indigenous peoples’ lives up close, not only through theory, but through direct experience and observation in the field,” said Tari, Program Manager of Sudung Pundi Sumatra.
Furthermore, Tari also explained that through a participatory approach, GEINSA members are encouraged to understand social realities first-hand, develop empathy, and translate their knowledge into concrete action in the community.
Through encounters such as this, GEINSA affirms its position as an advocacy bridge. ‘Connecting stories from local communities with wider public spaces. In this way, issues that were previously only heard in remote areas are now being raised through narratives that are empathetic and based on the direct experiences of young people,’ he added.
Exploring Life and Local Wisdom Through Payo Bemalom
The participants were invited to explore the daily life of the SAD community, which is rich in values of togetherness and local wisdom. They did not just come as observers, but also participated directly in various community activities. They learned how to cook lemang, a traditional food cooked with bamboo and a bonfire. They also witnessed demonstrations of carpentry and the making of palm seed rings by the SAD Rombong Juray community.
In addition to practical experience, participants also conducted interviews with SAD residents to gain a deeper understanding of their culture, social values, and the changes they are experiencing. These conversations gave rise to many reflections on resilience, independence, and how indigenous peoples cope with changing times while maintaining their identity.
That evening, the participants gathered with several SAD youths in the courtyard of the settlement. They sat in a circle around a bonfire. That night, they were immersed in the warmth of the gathering, listening to traditional SAD songs performed by Cedas, one of the young men from the community. The soft melodies of the songs told stories about the forest, life, and togetherness that have become part of the identity of the SAD community.
‘I think that all this time I have been a person who lacks gratitude. I can only complain, while I see our brothers and sisters out there facing their limitations with cheerfulness. They do not forget the customs that they have adhered to for generations and continue to preserve,’ said Yusril, a 7th semester student from UIN Jambi.
The Payo Bemalom Kito Bececakop activity was an eye-opening and heart-opening experience, providing cross-cultural learning that not only enriched our knowledge but also fostered empathy and respect for the local wisdom that thrives within the SAD community.