An activist in Jepara fights to protect rivers from pollution with puppets. 

“Rivers are the beginning of civilizations,” Muhammad Hasan, puppet master and storyteller from Kecapi village, Jepara regency, Central Java, said. “Rivers give life.” 

In his village, life indeed centers around rivers. Situated at the foot of Mount Muria, Kecapi is surrounded with rivers flowing down from freshwater springs on the dormant volcano. One of them is Kali Gayam (Gayam River), which is the hub of the village’s activities, including bathing and washing. 

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In his childhood, Hasan had to walk five kilometers down this river to reach his elementary school in another village. 

“Sometimes, my friends and I went fishing [at the river] on the way home,” Hasan recalled during an interview with The Jakarta Post in Baca Di Tebet, South Jakarta, on Feb. 26. “By using a few grains of rice as baits, we managed to catch a lot of big fish.” 

“There aren’t many [big fish] in the river now,” he added, with a sad smile. 

Over the years, many rivers in Jepara have become polluted, thus reducing the wildlife population in them. 

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