Buoyant Hope in the Floating Village of Bajo Torosiaje

Jootje designed the floating house measuring 11 by 20 m as a homestay in 2012. At that time, the Torosiaje village head for the 2005-2011 period was asked by Tourism Ministry officials to provide lodging.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Indriani Usman (right), with her partner while walking along Alo Cinta, a location to see sunrise and sunset views, in Torosiaje Village, Popayato, Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo, Saturday (16/7/2022). Indri is one of the women in the Bajo Torosiaje tribe who completed her education until she graduated from college.

For more than a century, the Bajo people of Village, Popayato district, Pohuwato regency, Gorontalo, have lived perched over the sea. They catch fish, build houses and now accommodate tourists. The hope of residents for a prosperous life floats in the water.