Living in a small village as I used to be make me understand how important village for human's future. I was born in a fishermen village, in Meureudu, the district of Pidie Jaya, Aceh-Indonesia. My village's name is Meunasah Jurong Teupin Pukat. Most people in my village work as a fisherman. Since a long time ago, Meureudu or Meurah Dua, especially my village has become the area that produced fishes to supply to other area in Aceh. Not only for local consume, some fishes from our village also trade as export comodity to another province or country. Usually our fishes would be taken to Medan province in North Sumatra which has international harbor before they exported to another country. In fact, those situation is completedly unfair for our fishermen. The local prices that use by agents has much more profitable when they sell the fishes to international market.
I'm going to write about these situation on special edition when I back to my village then. Today, I'd like to share you my cover video about the song from Indonesian legend musician, Iwan Fals. Through this song, He remains us the power of village if everything under great maintenance.
Here is the lyrics and its translation..
Desa harus jadi kekuatan ekonomi
The village must be an economic power
Agar warganya tak hijrah ke kota
So that citizens do not migrate to the city
Sepinya desa adalah modal utama
Quiet villages are the main capital
Untuk bekerja dan mengembangkan diri
To work and develop themselves
Walau lahan sudah menjadi milik kota
Even though the land belongs to the city
Bukan berarti desa lemah tak berdaya
Not that the village is weak helpless
Desa adalah kekuatan sejati
Village is true strength
Negara harus berpihak pada para petani
The state must side with the farmers
Entah bagaimana caranya
I don't know how is
Desalah masa depan kita
Village is our future
Keyakinan ini datang begitu saja
This belief comes just like that
Karena aku tak mau celaka
Because I don't want to be harm
Desa adalah kenyataan
Village is reality
Desa adalah pertumbuhan
City is growth
Desa dan kota tak terpisahkan
Village and city are inseparable
Tapi desa harus diutamakan
But the village must come first
Di lumbung kita menabung
In the barn we save
Datang paceklik kita tak bingung
When the dry comes we are not confused
Masa panen masa berpesta
Harvest period is the party's time
Itulah harapan kita semua
That is the hope of all of us
Tapi tengkulak-tengkulak bergentayangan
But the middlemen roam
Tapi lintah darat pun bergentayangan
But loan sharks roam
Untuk apa punya pemerintah?
What does the government have for it?
Kalau hidup terus-terusan susah
If life continues to be difficult
With Love,
Reza Sofyan