Uya Kuya Clarifies Video in Los Angeles: Wants to Highlight the Story of the Indonesian Diaspora

"We want to talk to Indonesians who really know the situation there, who understand what it has been like for them living in LA," said Uya when met in the Senayan area, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/1/2025).

Uya also highlighted the attitude of some Indonesian netizens who he feels are too quick to judge. According to him, many netizens actually scoff at or blame the victims of the fire in the United States without understanding the real conditions.

"Because many are cursing, Indonesian netizens say, 'Serves America right, it's the rich people who are affected.' Then Indonesians also say, 'Serves those Americans right. Just let the rich people be,'" Uya Kuya said.  

Furthermore, Uya explained that the disaster of the fire not only affects the indigenous people of the United States but also the Indonesian diaspora. He emphasized that many Indonesians living in the area also lost their homes.   "Previously, we also helped many people who were affected. There are many Indonesians whose houses burned down as well," Uya stated.

He also added that there are stories of the Indonesian diaspora who managed to buy homes after years of struggle but had to lose everything due to the fire. According to Uya, this is a reality that the public needs to know to avoid misjudgment.   "That's where I interviewed Indonesians there who, after many years, finally had a home and so on," he continued.

Uya emphasizes that the purpose of creating that content is not to show off or seek attention, but rather to provide education and information. He hopes that the public can better understand the reality faced by disaster victims.   "Sometimes we only see from the outside, but we don’t know the story inside," Uya explained.

In addition, Uya also clarified that his activities at the fire site were not done alone. Many major media outlets, influencers, and ordinary citizens were also documenting the event.   "There were not just me there. There were dozens of other people taking videos, from the general public, there were influencers I didn’t know, and big TV networks who were capturing footage all along the way. There were so many," he asserted.

Uya hopes that his content can serve as a bridge for deeper information. He wants the Indonesian people to better understand the conditions of the diaspora abroad, especially when they become victims of disasters.   "In fact, I have also been interviewed by the media there. The point is, we want to provide a new perspective, so that people don't just judge from the outside," he concluded.