KALFEIN MAIKEL WUISAN
Public Conversations
Seminars, cultural forums, webinars, screenings, guest lectures, and public discussions.
ABOUT THIS WORK
I take part in seminars, webinars, film discussions, cultural forums, guest lectures, and Indigenous Peoples’ gatherings as a speaker, resource person, or panelist.
Public conversations are an important part of my work as a filmmaker, writer, and Indigenous storyteller. Film, writing, and cultural documentation do not end when a work is completed. Each work can open a wider space for dialogue, reflection, and the exchange of knowledge.
Through seminars, public discussions, festivals, webinars, and international gatherings, I have spoken about Indigenous storytelling, cultural literacy, digital media, environmental justice, community resilience, and the role of Indigenous youth in producing knowledge.
The following activities represent selected public conversations from this continuing practice.
Selected Public Conversations
2018
Bali First Indigenous Film Festival
Bali, Indonesia
Speaker at the Bali First Indigenous Film Festival, an international event bringing Indigenous cinema and storytelling into public conversation.
My participation focused on filmmaking, representation, and the importance of stories created from within Indigenous communities.
2018
Indigenous Celebration
Bali, Indonesia
Speaker at Indigenous Celebration, an international cultural event held in Bali.
The event connected Indigenous art, cultural practice, performance, knowledge, and public dialogue.
2019
Cultural Arts Symposium
North Sulawesi Regional Cultural Office
Speaker at a cultural arts symposium organised by the North Sulawesi Regional Cultural Office.
The conversation addressed cultural work, artistic practice, and the place of local knowledge in contemporary life.
2019
Facing Literacy Challenges in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 Era
UKIT, Tomohon
Speaker at a seminar on literacy amid technological and social changes associated with the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
The conversation connected literacy with education, culture, digital media, and the ability to read information critically.
2019
Cultural Literacy
Tondano, Minahasa
Speaker in a public discussion on cultural literacy.
The conversation approached literacy not only as the ability to read and write, but also as the capacity to understand history, identity, language, cultural memory, and relationships with place.
2020
Smartphone Stories for Social Justice
Our Village · If Not Us Then Who
Speaker in the international online programme Our Village, with the theme Smartphone Stories for Social Justice.
The conversation explored the use of smartphones for audiovisual storytelling, community documentation, and social-justice work.
2020
Indigenous Youth in the Context of Cultural Advancement
Directorate of Belief in Almighty God and Indigenous Peoples
Speaker in an online discussion on the role of Indigenous youth in cultural advancement.
The session addressed cultural documentation, knowledge transmission, creative production, and public communication.
2020
Writing Indigenous Peoples
Homecoming Movement Conversation · BPAN
Speaker in a public conversation organised by Barisan Pemuda Adat Nusantara through the Homecoming Movement.
The discussion focused on writing as a way to document Indigenous experience, strengthen community memory, and challenge narratives produced from outside Indigenous life.
2020
Defending the Forest Defenders
If Not Us Then Who
Speaker in an international webinar on Indigenous forest defenders.
The conversation connected forest protection with Indigenous rights, ancestral territories, and knowledge rooted in long relationships with the land.
2020
Homecoming Movement: Strengthening Community Resilience
AMAN
Speaker in a public webinar organised by the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago—AMAN.
The conversation examined the return of Indigenous youth to villages and ancestral territories as part of strengthening community resilience and cultural continuity.
2020
The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Literacy Movement
Online webinar
Speaker in a webinar discussing literacy practices during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The conversation reflected on access to information, education, community communication, and the growing role of digital media during a period of social restriction.
2020
Digital Literacy and the Post-Truth Phenomenon
Online webinar
Speaker in a public webinar on digital literacy and the post-truth phenomenon.
The conversation addressed critical reading, responsible media production, and careful interpretation of information circulating through digital platforms.
2021
Smartphone Movement: A Method of Decolonization by Indigenous Youth
Instagram Live with Surya Shankar
Speaker in an international Instagram Live conversation with Indian filmmaker Surya Shankar.
The discussion presented Smartphone Movement as a method for Indigenous youth to produce images, document community knowledge, and tell stories without depending entirely on outside media institutions.
2021
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Conversation
Instagram Live with Jendranath Bali
Speaker in an Instagram Live conversation held in connection with the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The conversation brought together perspectives on Indigenous identity, culture, contemporary media, and the continuation of community knowledge.
2023
Indigenous Youth Empowerment and the Struggle for Rights in the Digital Era
ICCAs Indonesia
Speaker in an online webinar organised by ICCAs Indonesia.
The conversation examined the use of digital media by Indigenous youth for creative work, advocacy, cultural documentation, and the struggle for Indigenous rights.
2023
Our Village
New York, United States
Speaker at Our Village, organised by If Not Us Then Who in New York.
The programme connected Indigenous storytellers, filmmakers, cultural workers, and environmental advocates through public conversations on land, climate, community knowledge, and media.
Conversation as Part of the Work
For me, public conversation is not separate from filmmaking, writing, or cultural work. Conversation allows a work to meet different experiences and opens a space where knowledge can move in more than one direction.
Speaking in a public forum also carries responsibility. Stories rooted in Indigenous life cannot be separated from the people, land, language, and historical experience that give each story meaning.
For that reason, I approach public conversations as spaces for exchange rather than one-way presentations. Each conversation can connect personal experience with collective memory, local work with wider struggles, and stories from the village with listeners in other places.