JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian artist is selling tourist souvenirs of ash from the country’s most volatile volcano to raise money for victims of its eruptions.
The English-language daily The Jakarta Globe reported Monday that Agus Budi Setiawan is selling volcano souvenirs – small clear bottles containing volcanic ash – for $1 per bottle.
The bottles feature packaging with an illustration of Mount Merapi. The volcano on Java island has killed 386 people since bursting back to life in late October and forced more than 17,000 to flee.
Setiawan works at the Art Institute of Indonesia in Yogyakarta, the nearest city to the volcano. He was quoted as saying that he had collected more than US$2,000 by selling the souvenirs in ten days and will give all the money to the victims.
