Name: Indigenous Species
ISBN: 9781911284048

Khairani Barokka

Indigenous Species

Barokka really has a way with words. Indigenous Species raises environmental, cultural, and political issues centered around deforestation and palm plantation. It's brutal, raw, and beautiful. The poems draw attention to what happens when trees are cut, wastes are ejected, animals are impaled, and children are exposed to toxins during the mostly harmful endeavor. I think it's as important and effective to resist despotism using emotionally evoking media like fiction and poetry like this just as using facts, graphs, and data. It gives a real face to the pain and suffering of especially the most vulnerable affectees. And that's how you bring us feeling creatures to that side.

Can't help comparing this with her Ultimatum Orangutan though, which I ended up liking a bit better. The neon illustrations are rather hyperstimulating, which is intentional, but might be distracting if you originally have a hard time staying focused like me. I don't usually associate those colors with negative emotions so it was a bit dissonant for me, and I didn't get to fully immerse in it. So though I feel for the poetry, it strikes more than it stings. As for UO, I cried from the very first page and throughout (can't even write a review until this moment because I'm just.. speechless). This doesn't take away much from the book tho, still delivers hard.

Indigenous Species

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