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The poor hill-side area received a month-long facelift
costing 300 million rupiah ($22,500) and paid for by the local
government in a bid to rejuvenate this part of Semarang, a town
450 km (280 miles) east of the capital Jakarta.
Visitors have been flocking to the village to take photographs
and pose for "selfies" next to the brightly colored homes.
"It's because of the unique look of the village. We know this
area used to be a slum district but now it looks so beautiful
after the colorful makeover. I used to pass this area without
any interest but now the colors change everything," said one
visitor, Nihayatun Naqiyah.
The multi-colored paint job for the village is the brainchild of
Slamet Widodo, a 54-year-old high-school teacher.
"In the future it will bring benefits to our community,
especially economic empowerment. The project will be supported
by the activity and creativity (of the people) in the village so
the local community has a sense of belonging," said Widodo, who
was inspired by similar projects in other parts Indonesia.
Residents already say their livelihoods have improved since the
makeover, as they can now give tours and sell souvenirs.
"Obviously this condition is very influential, before we were
only the residents of what I can say was a quiet village but now
we can call it a dynamic village, because women are empowered
and are able to increase their family's income," resident Amanah
Suyitno said.
(Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
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