In the heart of Lake Toba, on Samosir island in Sumatra, Indonesia, the Batak Toba people preserve a millennia-old culture shaped by unique traditions. Yet today, this identity is under threat.
Like many minority communities around the world, the Batak face the exodus of their youth, drawn to the opportunities of large cities and forced to leave due to the lack of local prospects. At the same time, the development of tourism on the island is disrupting existing balances.
A small country pulled in opposite directions, where past, present, and uncertainty about the future intertwine. Between Rustaveli Avenue, draped in European flags, and the Church of St. George of Kashveti, glowing with candles and hope, protest and tradition collide: demonstrations against the ruling party, patriarchal marches celebrating the “sanctity of the family,” echoes of history in the Soviet-era sanatoriums of Tskaltubo and in remote medieval villages. The youth are anxious, refugees are trying to rebuild their lives, and even the valleys seem suspended between two worlds.