Inspired by the devastating flash floods that struck several regions across Sumatra, Indonesia, this poem by Sofia Halim was written from the impressions on "the disaster [unfolded by] the overflowing rivers, damaged landscapes, and the lives disrupted by forces beyond people's control". The poem does not document a single event nor does it represent one particular community, but is rooted in the realities experienced by many people across the island. "Through poetry, I wanted to transform those moments of grief into a reflection on our relationship with nature and the consequences of environmental degradation," as Sofia puts it.
The narrative reflects community-led responses to climate-related flooding in forest-adjacent areas, where local defenders use communication networks and data to protect their land and amplify their voices. In Sofia's words: "This poem intentionally focuses on the emotional and ecological dimensions of the disaster rather than on technological innovation. However, the events that inspired the poem demonstrated how digital technologies became valuable tools during the emergency response. Social media, online communication platforms and digital mapping helped disseminate information, coordinate humanitarian assistance, mobilise volunteers, and amplify the voices of affected communities."
Earth Whispers on Emergency Frequency
by Sofia Halim
Something shifts upstream—
not only stone, nor the memory of an aging dam,
but promises once written, now carried loose by the current.
The water does not ask permission.
It arrives with weight, with memory,
tracing the absence of roots
where forests once held the ground in place.
But this is not a story of silence.
On soaked maps that refuse to disappear,
hands redraw what must be protected.
Local defenders stand where the land still speaks,
listening, recording, naming what others overlook—
turning river pulses into knowledge,
and knowledge into insistence.
They are not witnesses alone.
They are the first signals of a changing earth.
Across distances, on emergency frequencies,
communication becomes more than transmission—
it becomes presence.
Community networks carry more than sound:
they carry warnings, coordination, memory.
Each message travels with purpose,
linking the flooded field to distant ears that must respond.
Here, data is not abstract.
It is testimony.
It is protection.
It is a language that refuses to be ignored.
This is not only about the rain.
This is about systems stretched to their limits—
and the people who refuse to be pushed beyond them.
In the midst of rising waters,
connections hold.
Between voices and action,
between local knowledge and global attention,
between what is happening
and what must change.
So stand with those who continue to hold their ground—
not as victims of the current,
but as keepers of memory,
builders of networks,
defenders of what remains and what can still grow.
Because even here,
where the water rewrites the edges of land,
new roots are forming—
through signals, through solidarity,
through the quiet, persistent act
of refusing to disappear.
Listen to the poem in Sofia's voice here.
Sofia Halim is an Indonesian environmental advocate, youth leader and writer. She is the founder of Nalaya, a youth-led initiative dedicated to ecosystem restoration, climate action and community empowerment. Her work focuses on mangrove restoration, peatland conservation, environmental education, and strengthening collaboration between local communities and young people. Alongside her environmental work, Sofia writes to explore the relationship between people, nature and social justice, believing that storytelling and poetry can inspire collective action for a more sustainable future.
About the Call for Narratives
The Call for Narratives on community-centred connectivity initiatives and environmental justice brings together proposals from different regions and countries around the world, featuring a variety of community environmental concerns to address the ways in which CCCIs are facing climate change, caring for the environmental issues affecting their territories and developing strategies to act in their different contexts. Find all the selected proposals here.
This call was launched in the framework of the COP30. In that context, the LocNet initiative developed a series of activities to highlight the intersection of community-centred connectivity and socio-environmental justice - recognizing that communities are often at the front line of both the territorial and environmental impacts of technology, as well as the consequences of climate change. Learn more about this initiative here.
The LocNet initiative is a collective effort led by APC and Rhizomatica in partnership with grassroots communities and support organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. This call is part of its “Meaningful community-centred connectivity” project implemented with financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and UK International Development from the UK Government through its Digital Access Programme. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the supporters’ view, but that does not make them any less valuable.
All authors were consulted regarding the use of AI, following APC policy on AI-generated content guidelines, which prioritise transparency. The author of this work reported using AI "solely as a language support and editorial assistance tool to improve the English grammar, sentence structure and overall readability of the manuscript".