The climate emergency is frequently defined by cold jargon and statistics, such as global temperatures and carbon emissions. Yet its impact is deeply personal for many people. To explore this human dimension, the Makassar International Writers Festival (MIWF) and Literature Across Frontiers (LAF) collaborated on Voicing the Climate Emergency. The project aimed to bring together diverse voices while celebrating women's resourcefulness in the face of environmental adversity.
Research shows that the devastation caused by the climate crisis disproportionately affects women. From water shortages and increasing miscarriage rates to displacement caused by conflict over depleted land, women are often the first to witness environmental change. More than merely victims, however, they possess unique insights and solutions. This project sought to document that wisdom, bridging the gap between indigenous Kaluppini knowledge in South Sulawesi and the experiences of refugees in Swansea, Wales.
Stories from Wales: Finding a voice in a new land
In Wales, the project found its home with the Swansea Women’s Refugee and Asylum Support Group. Participants included women from Sri Lanka, Kenya, Syria, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Zambia.
The sessions were facilitated by poet-performer Rufus Mufasa and creative writing tutor Jeni Williams, and documented by photographer Saba Humayun. Together, the group embarked on a series of hybrid workshops focusing on climate change as a key driver of displacement and migration. The women were encouraged to connect with friends and family in their countries of origin, using stories and images to bridge the gap between their past and present.
Mufasa listened closely to these narratives and wove them together to create a collective voice in the form of a long poem. This was later transformed into a poetry video, where images gathered by the women were accompanied by Mufasa’s performance and eventually translated into Welsh.
The project culminated in a public sharing at the Waterfront Museum in Swansea. Here, five of the women spoke about their direct experiences of climate- and conflict-induced displacement. At a time when migration is often a divisive political topic, these testimonies offered a crucial counter-narrative. They illuminated the positive contributions migrants make to society while raising awareness of the global impact of the climate crisis.
The living pharmacy of Kaluppini
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the MIWF team turned their attention to the Kaluppini Indigenous Community in Enrekang Regency, South Sulawesi. The focus of community was on the specific impact of climate change on indigenous youth and women. Writer Taufik Syahrandy worked alongside the Sapulo Tallu Cultural Community to identify the issues most relevant to the village where he was born.
The quest eventually led to the residents’ backyards. In Kaluppini, the climate crisis is far from an abstract concept discussed in international summits. It becomes visible when certain plants no longer grow, or when the harvest season shifts unpredictably.
Meanwhile, the indigenous women of Kaluppini hold valuable knowledge about food and medicine—a “living pharmacy” (Apotek Hidup) that supports daily life but is rarely recognised as scientific knowledge. To preserve this fading wisdom, the project organised an intergenerational mapping activity. Led by local matriarchs Mrs Hayati, Mama Maman, and Mama Nabila, three groups observed different plants growing along village roads and in the yards of the Palli and Tana Doko hamlets.
The children enthusiastically explored whether certain plants were edible or could be used as medicine. In a single day, elders, youth, and children collected nearly fifty types of leaves, ranging from food ingredients to traditional remedies for various ailments.
