When Throwing Tomatoes Cultivates a Tradition in Lembang

Jalan Cikareumbi in Cikidang Village, Lembang District, West Bandung Regency, slowly turned into a sea of red as baskets of rejected tomatoes were opened and thousands of eyes awaited the start of the Rempug Tarung Adu Tomat. The sound of drums and Sundanese music accompanied the steps of seven dancers carrying trays of bamboo masks and shields, creating an atmosphere more akin to a cultural performance than a mere folk game. One by one, the masks and shields were handed to 14 men who then stood facing each other, wearing protective vests like warriors preparing to enter a battle arena. Moments after the signal was given, tomatoes flew from two directions, bursting on the road, hitting shields, vests, and the faces of participants who responded only with laughter and cheers of joy. Amidst the splashes of red tomato covering the village road, tourists, local residents, photography enthusiasts, and children blended together, no longer recognising the boundary between spectator and participant. There was no anger in any throw, for the tomato war in Cikidang Village is not a fight to find a winner, but a celebration born from the long journey of Lembang farmers’ lives. Behind the festival’s festivity lies a story of when tomato harvests once lost their value, leading farmers to let the fruit rot in the fields. The incident occurred in 2011, when the price of tomatoes at the farm level was only around Rp500 per kilogram, far below the production costs required for planting and harvesting. The chief organiser of Rempug Tarung Adu Tomat, Acep Unan, said this condition was the starting point for a tradition now known as a distinctive Lembang cultural attraction. ‘This was actually a form of protest. Back then, the price of tomatoes was only Rp500 per kilogram. Yet the capital for just one plant was Rp5,000, so that was our disappointment,’ Acep said. Amidst the situation, West Bandung cultural figure Mas Nanu Muda, known as Abah Nanu, invited the farmers to transform their disappointment into a cultural performance that highlights agrarian life.