An Artist's Odyssey: Rara Sekar and the Path of Activism.

The song “Kabut Putih” — written by Zubaidah Nuntjik — was made in a time of turmoil, where harassment and human rights violations ran rampant. It tells a story of hope, of perseverance in the face of grief, of a light that cuts through the thick fog to bring hope to those who suffer.

Music has always been a tool to spread ideas through the medium of sounds. Often, artists like to slip in personal anecdotes or opinions straight into lyrics, disguised under layers of harmonies and melodies. One example being the aforementioned “Kabut Putih”, a silent protest to the conditions of the time.

Despite this, its lyrics have never lost meaning even past the dawn of a new era. This sentiment is shared by artist Rara Sekar, who in 2024 released a recording of “Kabut Putih” and performed it live at the 2025 Skoll World Forum. This was a continuation of her efforts to spread awareness about a variety of global issues — including climate change and health rights — which have been ongoing since late 2019. Rara remarked that the song inspires her greatly, to the point that “When I find myself hopeless doing climate activism, or other activism, I sing it”.

Her efforts don’t stop at expression through musical artistry, but also other creative avenues and activities. For example, 2019 brought her to the opening of Galeri Komunitas Salihara in Jakarta, in which she collaborated with the World Resources Institute (WRI) to raise awareness of environmental concerns and emphasize the dependance we as humans have on nature. Throughout 2022 and 2023, she also organized bicycle rides throughout Java to encourage locals of the joy that being with nature has.

“Most of my songs are inspired by Nature. I guess I try to incorporate ways of educating people about climate, the climate crisis, through my tour.” she states. All of these fall under her philosophy of “low-waste life”, which encompasses ideas which sustain a healthy environment through communing with nature. Activities such as foraging for food or communal potlucks are heavily emphasized as a part of this mindset, all in order to reduce the waste one person can create.

Regardless of whatever event or method she chooses to pursue, her main message remains the same: to protect the environment. Gone now are the days of “specializing” in a certain genre, but in comes the era where different avenues can carry the same meaning, and the pursuit of a goal no longer knows any ends.

References

Kumampung, Dian, and Kistyarini. 2019. “Kisah-kisah Tanah Manusia Sajikan Relasi Antara Manusia dan Lingkungan Artikel ini telah tayang di Kompas.com dengan judul "Kisah-kisah Tanah Manusia Sajikan Relasi Antara Manusia dan Lingkungan", Klik untuk baca: https://entertainment.kompas.com/read/201.” Kompas.com. https://entertainment.kompas.com/read/2019/10/02/220801110/kisah-kisah-tanah-manusia-sajikan-relasi-antara-manusia-dan-lingkungan.

Muhumuza, Rodney, and Vickram Sombu. 2025. “Singer Rara Sekar draws inspiration from nature, encourages people to return to simple living.” TownandCountryToday.com. https://www.townandcountrytoday.com/environment-news/singer-rara-sekar-draws-inspiration-from-nature-encourages-people-to-return-to-simple-living-10481974.

Tanaga, Sylvie. 2024. “Kabut Putih: Senandung Harapan dari Tanah Pengasingan.” serunai. https://serunai.co/2024/10/24/kabut-putih-senandung-harapan-dari-tanah-pengasingan/.