"LUMPUR"
Screening and Q&A with Producer Phoebe Clarke

On May 26, 2006, mud erupted in East Java, Indonesia. Since then, one billion cubic feet of sulfuric hot mud have swallowed thirteen towns and displaced 30,000 people. International geologists accuse drilling giant Lapindo of having caused the disaster. But Lapindo insists that their presence in the area was merely a coincidence. Two years later, the issue remains unresolved.

Lapindo's owner, Aburizal Bakrie, is the Minister of Welfare, President Yudhoyono's top campaign contributor, and, with a net worth of over 5.2 billion dollars, the richest man in Indonesia. Bakrie's position has not prevented him from taking a stand, and he has publicly stated that the mudflow is a natural disaster.

In the meantime, the mud continues to flow and cover new towns. In an effort to contain the disaster, the government has channeled the mud to the nearby river, where it clogs the water and kills marine life. The main highway has been submerged, and East Java's economy is rapidly sinking.

With various Summer funding including the SEAS Summer Travel Grant, Sharon Madanes, Edwina Clarke, and Phoebe Clarke traveled to Indonesia where they interviewed over 40 Indonesians involved in the disaster, including refugees, geologists, Lapindo, and the former president's brother. Lumpur incorporates these interviews into a 55 minute movie complete with HD footage and narration.

Phoebe Clarke is a senior economics major in Calhoun College and currently taking Independent Reading in Bahasa Indonesia. The making of Lumpur marked her second summer in Java. In 2007, she worked for a USAID project in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city. Lumpur would not have been possible without the help of the generous Indonesians she met in 2007.

Related articles:

"A Wound in The Earth" (TIME, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008)

"Scientists blame drilling for Indonesia mud flow" (MSNBC, Wed., June. 11, 2008)

"Spirits Are Angry. Bad Time to Bomb Their Volcano" (NEW YORK TIMES, March 28, 2007)

"Mud flood threatens Java residents" (BBC, Thursday, 17 August 2006)

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