Mama Tineke Returns Home

Mrs. Tineke Rumakabu, a victim of the extreme violence of the Biak massacre, was divorced by her first husband because of the shame he felt after her rape and torture. Mama Tineke then had to leave her village and children. 

In January 2013, I first met Mama Tineke. She now lives with her new husband in Sorido village. Mama Tineke and her husband are figureheads of the non-violent movement of the Biak people against the oppressive and cruel Indonesian government.

Together with colleagues, Mama Tineke and her husband document human rights violations and continue to mobilize the Biak people, especially the women, through group discussion and prayer groups. In late 2015 Mama Tineke returned to her village and children.

This documentary captures her homecoming and the long and painful journey preceding it. It also seeks to show that the spirit of nationalism in West Papua continues to thrive.