How is Indonesia discussing the mutual accusations of anti-Semitism and racism that Ruangrupa's curated documenta 15 is causing even before its official opening?

The short answer is: not at all.

The only two mentions were on a website called Beritautama, which has never been heard of before and is unknown where it is even located.

In contrast, there have been no lengthy articles on Ruangrupa in the major Indonesian media since the beginning of March.

Kassel is probably too far away and the interest in contemporary art in Indonesia is too new and not widespread.

On the other hand, people from the eastern part of Indonesia have an opinion when you ask them about the country's indigenous peoples, who hardly appear at the documenta.

Despite all the eccentricity in the vocabulary about Israel and the Palestinians, Ruangrupa have not said a single critical word about Papua, and they have certainly not invited critical artists from this easternmost province of Indonesia.

Papua is the country's biggest smoldering problem.

Of course, one cannot be sure that Ruangrupa will see it at all.

They had invited a photography school from Papua to an event prior to the Documenta at the Goethe Institute in Jakarta, but their representatives were comparatively light-skinned Indonesians.

Papuans, on the other hand, as ethnic Melanesians, with their dark skin and frizzy hair, look very different from the rest of the country's population.

There are important artists from Papua.

One of them is Wensislaus Fatubun, a filmmaker and informal teacher, politically active - all areas that are so dear to Ruangrupa.

Fatubun's video channel on Youtube has more than three million views and more than eight thousand subscribers.

He teaches young Papuans and other indigenous peoples of Indonesia how to take interesting photos and videos, and he says he also teaches the Dayak people of Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, and the Minahasa people of North Sulawesi.

The filmmaker says of Ruangrupa and her documenta that it is "unfortunately the same as it always is when Indonesians appear somewhere: They simply don't notice Papuans and other indigenous nationals", at most for a bit of distorted exoticism.

You always have to fight for real access and are always excluded.

Fatubun formulates cautiously;

The last time he was arrested by the Indonesian police was a year and a half ago.

Also because the filmmaker documents human rights violations in Papua for the United Nations.

Referred to as a pseudo referendum

Western societies certainly have problems that sound similar.

However, the level of oppression and violence in Indonesia is very different.

And it's being discussed in the West, especially by intellectuals and artists.

Why are Ruangrupa silent about the Papuan problem when they are playing one of the biggest stages in the art world?

Today's Papua and West Papua provinces have belonged to Indonesia since 1969, thanks to a referendum that a clear majority of international experts call a pseudo-plebiscite.

According to human rights organizations, there are now more Southeast Asian Muslim Indonesians living in Papua than Melanesian black indigenous people, who are usually animists or Christians.

“Shocking” violations of human rights

Anyone who has ever spoken to Papuans knows the racism they have to contend with: everywhere in Indonesia, even on their own home island.

In schools they are dismissed by teachers as primitives who would never get anywhere.

They are marginalized in the universities, which only very few get into anyway.

Indonesians demonstratively hold their noses in shared taxis and buses when they meet Papuans - as if they stink like hell.