Sweet Crude, Black Gold

In “Sweet Crude, Black Gold,” Maryanto underlines the irony that has emerged since man found oil, where wealth and destruction come hand in hand. Not only is he focusing on the environmental damage, this work emphasizes on the tragedy faced by former colonies such as Indonesia and Nigeria. In the presence of oil politics, a nation’s independence becomes crude. Humanity becomes increasingly cheap and basic welfare becomes a luxury. However, one thing remains: discussing the issue of oil in Indonesia and Nigeria means digging for a similar fortune while looking for that light at the end of the tunnel in determining a shared destiny.