A Sabah village has been protecting their river, and it's working.
The Tagal system divides rivers into zones, giving fish and ecosystems time to recover.
Now Kampung Bolotikon has cleaner rivers, more fish, and a thriving ecotourism business.
The best part? It's being kept alive by young people who refuse to let their heritage disappear.
Show them some love:
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📍 Follow @aa_campsite_kg_bolotikon_papar
✈️ Visit them someday!
@tanahkita.my is a platform sharing stories of Malaysia’s environmental defenders. Follow us for more stories like these and support their work.
Tanah Kita is a project by @thefourth.media , supported by @sgpmalaysia & @undpmalaysia
After a much needed festive break, FRAME returns this Thursday with Sotong (2024, Zinc Chew). It follows four fierce local drag queens who were part of the 2022 Halloween
party raided by the authorities. One of them, Juan, was arrested for a man dressing up as a woman. Two years later, they revisit the fallout of that night as they continue to perform underground and nurture the Malaysian drag scene in all its beauty, joy, and pain.
The director, Zinc Chew first turned to storytelling as an act of rebellion against the authoritarian school she grew up in back in Penang, Malaysia — a place that stifled yet ignited her voice. Now with a sociology degree, she’s a cat mom, an anxious soul, a journalist, and — don’t call her this; she cringes — a filmmaker. She likes anything tender, as well as vérité and character-driven narratives. Her latest film, Sotong, debuted at FreedomFilmFest.
The producer, Kaizerine Dela Cruz is a Filipina documentary filmmaker and multimedia producer based in Kuala Lumpur. She is an independent video journalist working closely with The Fourth, an independent media organisation telling fearless investigative stories across Asia. Beyond journalism, Kaizerine co-founded Vertebrae Studio, a creative platform that merges storytelling, design, and community building, as well as Periodt, Malaysia’s first organic cotton tampon brand. With over a decade in the media and creative landscape, her projects consistently center women’s voices, and cultural resilience.
One of the profiles, Carmen Rose entered Kuala Lumpur’s Drag scene in 2018 with nothing but sheer confidence and grit. Since then, her journey has been marked by a string of impressive accomplishments. She uses her platform to advocate for the future of aspiring drag queens and the wider LGBT+ community in Malaysia and works tirelessly to give a voice to those within the community, shining a light on issues that matter and fostering a sense of unity and empowerment.
#film #filmmaker #cinema #movie #cinephile #filmclub #chiangmai #cnx #thailand #gay #lesbian #lgbtq #bisexual #trans #queer #drag #malaysia #kl #kualalumpur
“Tanah ni bukan kosong. Ada sungai, ada hutan, ada kehidupan.” 🌿
In Sabah, PACOS Trust is working with Indigenous communities to map their land, rivers, and sacred sites.
They’ve already produced 200 maps and counting, proving that these lands are lived in, cared for, and protected. It’s tedious and daunting work, but it’s a proven method to show proof when somebody rolls in and tries to claim their land.
Follow @pacostrust and amplify the work of Indigenous communities safeguarding tanah kita.
Tanah Kita is a platform highlighting environmental defenders around Malaysia. Follow us for more stories like these and support their work
🌏 Tanah Kita is a project by @thefourth.media in partnership with @sgpmalaysia & @undpmalaysia .
#climateaction #sabah #sabahan #environmentaljustice #malaysia
