Dadap Youth Resist Coastal Environmental Damage Through Music and Art

Environmental degradation in the coastal area of Dadap, Tangerang Regency, Banten, is increasingly pressuring the lives of local communities, particularly fisheries and women's household economies. Dadap, once a major producer of green mussels, now faces severe difficulties in natural mussel fishing due to land reclamation in Jakarta Bay, the loss of mangrove forests, and marine pollution. Residents have shifted to farming using floating net cages, but the initial investment reaches tens to hundreds of millions of rupiah. Most of these net cages are owned by external financiers, with Dadap residents working as aquaculture laborers and mussel shellers. Ida, a woman from Dadap, can shell 12–15 kilograms of mussels per day, earning around Rp50,000–Rp60,000 with a wage of Rp4,000 per kilogram. Fatimah, Chair of the Indonesian Coastal Women's Union Tangerang, stated that women must find various ways to meet family needs. They work as mussel shellers, domestic helpers, motorcycle taxi drivers, itinerant traders, and seafood processors. Fish less favored by the market are processed into crackers and other MSME products. Some fishing families are also trapped in loans from mobile banks and loan sharks. Economic difficulties are exacerbated by daily tidal floods that bring mud and garbage into homes. Women, who should be earning income, have to spend time cleaning their houses. This physical and emotional exhaustion also affects their relationships with their children. "When the child cries, it becomes more complicated because I am already tired. So, it ultimately impacts the child too," said Imah. Amidst these challenging conditions, the younger generation in Dadap is voicing their concerns and resistance against the environmental crisis through music and art. Their creative endeavors are emerging as a new form of struggle to protect their homeland's environment and livelihoods.