Palu and Donggala Earthquake and Tsunami Relief

On 28 September, 2019, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit near the city of Palu in Central Sulawesi. The earthquake was followed by a destructive tsunami which wiped out Palu’s coastline, and even later by deadly mudslides. Thousands are feared dead, with even more now homeless.

This area and its beautiful music has featured in Aural Archipelago posts a number of times, from the Palu-style karambangan music of guitarist Roky to lute and flute-filled dadendate music and yori mouth harp sounds of the nearby Donggala countryside, and most recently the mystical lalove flute music of Ojo Pedati. Of those musicians, at this time I’ve only been able to confirm Roky as surviving the disaster: the fate of the others, incredible musicians and human beings, remain to be seen.

Palu and the surrounding area is in desperate need of help for the ongoing relief efforts: food, water, medical supplies, and more are in short supply. For the next month, ALL donations to Aural Archipelago will be forwarded to trusted Indonesian relief organizations working on the ground in Sulawesi. Every dollar counts to help the people of Central Sulawesi start to rebuild their lives.

Donations can be sent directly through Stripe or PayPal at the Donate page.

For those more comfortable with donating directly, the Jakarta Post also has a list of trusted organizations and ways to donate.