On the 22nd of May in 2017, we had our second interview. An interview with Jus Kakisina, a farmer of whom I expected to get a bunch of information about farming such as specific techniques or the general living conditions of a family with its agricultural roots. This, at least, was what I had expected but it was much more. We got a lesson about Religion, Kaibobo`s economy and exceeding history. About that it`s not only the pulsating entity of Kaibobo´s plants which have longstanding and distinctively strong roots; the culture and the whole community are even more irrefutably grounded. In addition to this, I`ve come to a life-changing conclusion:

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That there lays a treasure nearby for everybody of us. Some of us just rather put more effort in looking around elsewhere than truly open their eyes to find the treasure in the close surroundings. Therefore, most of us have hard times realising that our happiness and success are closer than we might assume.

 

Jus is a 62- year old man who`s life is all dedicated to his family. A family consisting of 5 children and his beautiful wife Susana. Most of his children have left Kaibobo due to the possibility of a better education. Jus and his wife have always put a high value on their children`s education and tried to support them from an early age on. Besides his wholehearted family, Jus´ other magic is his farm which is just out of Kaibobo. A farm where all his family and his ancestors have put their effort in to finally make it what it is today: A garden of Eden full of nature and gratification.

Jus farming career started as a young boy. A time where it took you one week to get from Kaibobo to Ambon, the capital city of the Maluku Province. A way which takes you only four hours today. As a twelve-year-old he realized that wherever you are, you are simply meant to be there. So he started to chase for the hidden treasures surrounding him and came to the result that farming will be his success. He was lucky to inherit a farming land where he took the chance to romp around with his agricultural legacy. His expedition began right away and he started with a piece of land with a size of ½ hectare. With all his effort made he has expanded it to an 18-hectare farm with about 700 coconut trees as well as nutmeg. Even though he has already reached his dream of being a successful farmer in Kaibobo, he is still not yet done and remains practicing what he desires the most: Developing something precious, something so great out of something which first seemed to be so irrelevant. To see that merely one person with only one dinky seed can create something huge to nourish a whole community.  

During a worthwhile conversation and lesson about farming in Kaibobo we smoothly switched the topic and came to those of economy and tourism. He explained us that economy is weak in Kaibobo compared to other villages in Maluku. Kaibobo is a village which seems left behind and it was not always easy to sell products in order to feed your family due to their isolated location. There was even a time of diseases and great doubt but in the end of 2016 a proper road to Kaibobo was built and life started to flourish.
But the road should not only be a way out for Kaibobos to sell and earn, it should mainly be a way, a path, leading into a paradise for tourists. According to Jus, Kaibobo`s culture is ready for a presentation to the outside world. The community is something so special, he is sure tourists would get attracted right away. All the traditional dances, people singing songs, the art as well as the religion adds a huge and important impact to the village which might can change other people`s perspective of life.

Jus´ wish for Kaibobo is to bring tourism to the village to have the chance to share their culture but also to get a better insight into other cultures which they so far had barely a chance to. He wants to show people out there what it means and how it looks like to have a strong hearted community such as Kaibobos have. Besides this, he also hopes that his community gets a chance to have a better education system, which is so important, especially for a village so isolated. He is endlessly grateful to have the Wonderful Maluku Project come to Kaibobo and he can already and again see: the road was just the beginning, only something small and for some cultures maybe something not worth to mention, but it leads them somewhere. Somewhere giant and for sure wonderful. Sometimes in life, things just have to get worse before they get better. We wouldn`t appreciate the joys in life if we didn`t experience pain.

 

“And I would always give my life a 10 out of 10 because I have everything I can wish for: a family and a farm.” – Jus Kakisina

 
Jus chose his passion to become his career. He kept his eyes open and took the chance to live a life of joy and independence.  Being happy has a major outcome to peoples general living conditions. Being happy is something so relevant and some people simply forget about it.

 

For some people, it might seem minor but it is as the seeds and a plant: it is the small things in life that sums up to something big – something vital and marvelous.