Raraa Rahmawati
Jakarta
-
Indonesia
"If I were in charge, I would implement self-management of the means of production by workers."
"I draw a red line against the exploitation of workers for the accumulation of elite wealth."
"I draw a red line against the exploitation of workers for the accumulation of elite wealth."
I was born and raised in a poor urban family - that shaped my consciousness for this fight. We lived in a densely populated neighbourhood, where people work every day, but life only became harder. I continue to be an activist, to fight for a better life for my family, and those closest to me.
My activism focuses on participatory daily education for workers, as part of organising the working class.
My greatest inspiration to keep fighting is my mother, who worked for decades as a labourer but never received the rights she deserved. That is why I want to keep fighting, because I want to fight for a better life and rights for workers, especially female labourers like my mother.
Raraa Rahmawati is an Indonesian labor activist and education enthusiast. She is part of Perkumpulan Sembada Bersama, collectively supporting the labor movement in the struggle for safer and more just workplaces.
Her work focuses on developing political education through workers’ learning forums for undocumented migrants in palm oil plantations and for women workers in the nickel supply chain industry.
She also works with the cross-border solidarity network, the Sovereign Migrant Workers Coalition, campaigning against deportation and detention centers targeting undocumented communities along the Sabah–Indonesia border.
Meet The Photographer
Muhammad Fadli
Muhammad Fadli is a Sumatran-born Indonesian documentary and portrait photographer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. His personal projects explore different themes such as the history of colonization, subculture, environment, and social issues. He has published two books, Rebel Riders (Dienacht Publishing, Leipzig, Germany) and The Banda Journal (JordanJordan Editions, Jakarta, Indonesia). The latter, which was a collaborative effort with the writer Fatris MF, won Paris Photo-Aperture Foundation Photobook of the Year Awards 2021. His works have been published in various publications like National Geographic, TIME, Bloomberg Businessweek, Monocle, and etc.
all content © FIA 2025 except where stated
all portraits of photographers © the photographer
exhibition curation, website and content design by Thom Pierce and Ed Pomfret