The Wall

Karmila Romuliani Purba - Mila - was named after her pig butchering mother’s favourite soap opera character, Dr Karmila. Her mother hoped that name and her prayers would see Mila graduate from medical school, but Mila had other plans.

Mila became obsessed with Satan’s Barrel or the Wall of Death motorbike stunt act when she saw it as a child. She believed the riders were wizards, using dark arts to ascend The Wall and was determined to discover their secrets.

Before long, Mila was escaping her home village on borrowed motorbikes. By thirteen, she was racing and beating the boys. Her reputation as a girl out for trouble travelled fast through her small, conservative community. She tried to turn her talents elsewhere by studying music, but family finances would never stretch to music school. So one night, she disappeared to start a new adventure.

Fate is a funny thing. Struggling to survive by busking, Mila stumbled across a travelling carnival. She begged for a job and became the haunted house ghost. She was spat on, hit and humiliated, but the job allowed her to watch the riders on The Wall.

After proving her mettle, Mila convinced the boss to give her a shot, arguing he would have the only girl on The Wall, which would surely bring the crowds and more money.

Mila is a pioneer in the male-dominated world of the travelling carnival and a social media sensation, both lauded and reviled. From sixteen, she has risked life and limb to entertain crowds across Sumatra and Java and push the boundaries of Indonesia’s expectations of women. But her ride is far from over, and her next dream is to go international.