Kampongku, Sungai Temon

Collections
1614775
Title
Kampongku, Sungai Temon
Year/Period
2023
Region
Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Dimension
Object size: 34.8 x 47.1 cm
Accession No.
2025-01292

Kampong Sungai Temon is an Orang Seletar village on the southern coast of Johor Bahru. The Kampong is inhabited by Orang Seletar whose ancestors have lived in area (both land and water), since at least the establishment of the Johor Sultanate in the 16th century. This photograph shows the Kampong behind a wall of sand, which takes up almost half the image. This man-made sand mound is made of reclaimed sand, and was deposited near the village when there had been plans to move the inhabitants of Kampong Sungai Temon inland to make way for urban development. These plans were postponed after the Orang Seletar filed a civil suit against the developers and state and federal governments to reclaim their right to their ancestral lands and waters.Jefree Salim is a photographer from the Orang Seletar village of Kampung Sungai Temon, Johor Bahru. His photographs document the lives of the Orang Seletar and the effects of development and the climate crisis which threaten the traditions practices of the community. As an Orang Seletar community member himself, the photographs taken by Jefree Salim are both an act of resistance against these pressures, as well as a personal act of cultural preservation.