Scraping by: Street performers (from left) Ari, Riyan, and Keris, hitching a ride on the back of a container truck to reach an intersection in Jakarta. — AFP
On a rainy day in Jakarta, three men coated in metallic paint known as the “manusia silver”, or silvermen, brave the elements at an intersection near a mall to ask drivers for change.
It is an arresting act that comes with health risks, one some young Indonesians feel is necessary to make ends meet as the cost of living worsens and jobs dwindle after the Covid-19 pandemic.
