Conference Agenda

As a nation of 270 million, Indonesia is facing the grave task of caring for millions of people living with mental illness. Many have experienced human rights abuses in their lifetime. In communities rich in their traditional and religious values, Indonesian faith-based or traditional healers and mental health professionals work tirelessly to improve mental health care and prevent human rights abuses. In the face of scepticism, can they negotiate their way to achieve successful collaboration instead of being antagonists?

‘Harmoni: Healing together’ explores these collaborative practices in three islands - Java, where the communities are predominantly Islamic, Hindu communities in Bali, and Catholic communities in Flores. The dream of a family home, making sense of illness and spirits through rituals, dilemmas over medicine use, and the embrace of co-existing spiritual and medical perspectives are some of the main themes presented in this innovative film.

Part of “Together for Mental Health”, an interdisciplinary, international collaboration between Indonesia, Ghana and the UK. Using visual methods, it explores examples of collaboration between mental health workers and pluralistic healing approaches and their impact on preventing human rights abuse and improving care for people living with mental illness experience.