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Indonesia
This Week in AsiaLifestyle & Culture

Paranormal perils plague Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara amid fears of black magic

  • Kalimantan on Borneo island has long been associated with mystical cultural practices and dark supernatural forces like ‘santet’

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Kalimantan, as the Indonesian side of Borneo island is known, is steeped in supernatural lore. Photo: AFP
Resty Woro Yuniar
Just the thought of moving to Indonesia’s ambitious new capital city, Nusantara, is enough to make most people’s heads spin – from the logistical challenges to the potential cost. But for one government official, the prospect of relocating is keeping her up at night for an entirely different reason: the fear of falling victim to black magic.
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During a recent meeting with the Nusantara Capital Authority in Jakarta, an unnamed representative from the National Cyber and Crypto Agency voiced a rather unexpected concern about the big move. She revealed that she’s terrified of santet – a traditional Indonesian practice involving spells, charms, and dark supernatural forces used to harm others from afar. The official claimed her own husband had previously fallen under a santet curse while deployed to the West Kalimantan provincial capital of Pontianak.

Alimuddin, the Nusantara authority’s deputy head for social, cultural and community empowerment, acknowledged the woman’s fears, saying that santet was indeed a pervasive issue across Indonesia – not just in the capital’s future home of East Kalimantan, but also in Banyuwangi and Banten. In a surprising twist, Alimuddin even confessed that he himself had fallen prey to a santet spell in the past.

“So, it depends on us,” Alimuddin was quoted as saying by local news outlet Detik. “When we’re just being indifferent, we will not be victims [to black magic], and today I can relax.”

The deputy went on to note that Kalimantan, the Indonesian side of Borneo island, has long been associated with other mystical cultural practices as well, such as the once-common headhunting rituals of the indigenous Dayak tribes. With over 3 million Dayaks spread across more than 200 ethnic subgroups, according to the 2010 census, the region’s supernatural lore runs deep.
The spectre of black magic may prove a difficult hurdle to overcome for some would-be residents of Nusantara. Photo: Shutterstock
The spectre of black magic may prove a difficult hurdle to overcome for some would-be residents of Nusantara. Photo: Shutterstock

“Kalimantan is not like what you imagine, not like what we imagined in the past, when we were afraid to visit it,” Alimuddin insisted.

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