The pig races get awkward
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, seems an unlikely place for a party dedicated to all things pig.
But last month on the shores of Sumatra’s Lake Toba, more than 1,000 people gathered for pig races, pig selfies and contests devoted to calling pigs and drawing pigs. They also came to eat a local delicacy, barbecued pork.
The festival was more than just a celebration of pigs. It was also a way for the area’s large Christian community to push back at government-sanctioned efforts to promote a conservative version of Islam throughout the country and in their home province.
In recent months, that trend toward religious conservatism has included a proposed law that would outlaw premarital sex. It has prompted the government to promote “halal tourism,” vacations composed of activities and foods permissible under Islamic law.
“Tourism is about happiness. Tourism is about fun. Tourism is not about religion,” said Togu Simorangkir, a biologist and farmer, who came up with the idea for the Pig Festival.
That sentiment puts Simorangkir at odds with officials and some of his Muslim neighbours at a time when Lake Toba is trying to attract more attention.
Lake Toba is the historic centre of Indonesia’s Indigenous Batak people, most of whom are Christians, and they make up one of the country’s largest minority groups. But the area is designated by the government as one of the country’s next tourism hot spots.
The government plans to boost tourism nationwide by creating “10 Balis” in the hopes of replicating that island’s success as a holiday destination.
Lake Toba is one of that program’s top priorities, but with only 231,000 foreign visitors in 2018, the region has a long way to go.
Indonesia drew a record number of foreign tourists in 2018. Of the 15.8 million visitors, the single largest group was from Malaysia, also a Muslim-majority country. The second largest group was from porkloving China, where Muslims are a minority.
Simorangkir and other Batak Christians said they resent the government’s plan to play down their traditions, which include eating pork, in order to pander to Muslim tourists. Some Christian residents said Muslim leaders at the lake are using the mantle of halal tourism to push policies that are discriminatory.
One Muslim leader has called for bans on eating pork in public and wearing western swimwear except in designated zones. Such restrictions on food and clothing, some Batak people fear, would apply not only to foreign visitors but local Christians as well. For Batak Christians, pigs are a part of everyday life. “The pig is a symbol of pride for Batak people,” said Ondi Siregar, a tour guide at the Batak Museum in Balige who raises 20 pigs at home. “In every ceremony, pork has to be one of the offerings.”
Even today, many villagers live in traditional raised wooden houses with space underneath for their pigs.