Current Watch Site

Located outside of Kabanjahe and west of Lake Toba in central North Sumatra, the farming village of Desa Lingga is emblematic of the challenges of maintaining local culture and vernacular practices in a rapidly globalizing world. Decorative timber structures with graceful thatched roofs characterize the village and are vestiges of traditional Karo Batak design and construction. In the mid-1980s, 28 of these dwellings were surveyed; now only nine remain. Many have been replaced with modern, concrete block housing. Of the surviving structures, three have been restored with local resources and know-how, and six are in desperate need of repair.

A community crafts program was established to fund restoration efforts over the past two years, but diminished tourism has decreased revenue and thus impeded repairs. A tornado that passed through the village in April 2011 further damaged the already compromised structures and stretched limited resources. Little time is left before several of these houses succumb to decay and collapse. Desa Lingga represents a timely opportunity for international cooperation in preserving local heritage and in preventing the loss of an important example of vernacular architecture of southeast Asia.

Download a 2012 Watch poster of this site (see download instructions).