Young cartoonists skilled in biting satire<\/p>\n
I Wayan Juniartha, Ubud, Bali<\/p>\n
I Wayan Gunasta pointed to the drawing, and spoke out in
\namazement.<\/p>\n
\"It was made by a young girl, an elementary school student.
\nIt's amazing that a mind so young could produce such a cartoon
\nthat is both fresh and provocative,\" he said.<\/p>\n
This was not insignificant praise, especially coming from
\nGunasta, one of the island's leading cartoonists. Popularly known
\nas Gungun, his original character, I Brewok, has been
\nimmortalized on one of the nation's postage stamps.<\/p>\n
His cartoon strip, which mostly deals with political issues,
\nis a regular feature in the Sunday edition of the island's
\nbiggest newspaper, the Bali Post.<\/p>\n
The cartoon that drew Gungun's amazement depicted a woman
\ndressed in traditional kebaya, sporting green sunglasses and a
\ncell phone earpiece, and riding along on an orange scooter.<\/p>\n
At the rear of the scooter was a baggage box emblazoned with
\nthe words \"Delivery Order\". The names of several common Balinese
\nHindu offerings, such as canang sari and daksine, were also
\nlisted on the baggage box.<\/p>\n
\"This is a humorous, poignant illustration of contemporary
\nBali, of its people and religion, which are struggling to
\naccommodate modernity and capitalism. It's a good cartoon,\" said
\nanother cartoonist, Jango Paramartha.<\/p>\n
Jango is the co-founder and former editor-in-chief of the
\nisland's -- and the nation's -- only cartoon magazine Bogbog.<\/p>\n
An increasing number of Balinese Hindu families have ceased to
\nmake their own daily offerings and rely instead on house-to-house
\nvendors for offerings. The offerings business has now become a
\nlucrative industry. These issues are currently running hot in
\nlocal printed media and television talk shows.<\/p>\n
Gungun and Jango certainly heaped great praise on the cartoon,
\nand certainly intellectualized a little over it. However, it
\nturned out that the girl who draw the cartoon was not at all
\ninspired by sociological or anthropological treatises on
\ncontemporary Bali. Instead, she was simply moved by small and
\nseemingly mundane daily events.<\/p>\n
\"I have to make an offering every day, usually in the evening.
\nSometimes, this can be a really boring chore and sometimes I wish
\nthere was some kind of delivery service that specialized in
\nofferings in my neighborhood, so I could order an offering in the
\nsame way that I order a pizza,\" Karina Mega said.<\/p>\n
A cute, timid little girl with dark skin, chubby stature and
\nan infectious smile, Karina is a sixth-grader at Denpasar's SD 2
\nSaraswati elementary school.<\/p>\n
Her cartoon was one of some 140 that were exhibited recently
\nat the Pendet Museum in Nyuhkuning village, Ubud.<\/p>\n
\"All the displayed works were submitted by elementary and
\njunior high school students, who participated in the cartoon-
\ndrawing contest co-organized by children's tabloid Lintang and
\nthe Pendet Museum,\" Lintang editor-in-chief Mas Ruscitadewi said.<\/p>\n
Karina's work won first prize in the elementary school
\ncategory in that contest.<\/p>\n
Another student cartoonist, Tiffanie DS of Taman Rama
\nelementary school, also poked fun at daily events. Her drawing
\ndepicted a road being closed, not by the police but by the
\npecalang (traditional security guards), who order a motorist to
\nmake a detour.<\/p>\n
Several boards are placed across the road, each of them
\nrevealing a reason behind the road closure. One reads \"Religious
\nCeremony\" while others state \"Wedding Ceremony for Governor's
\nSon\" and \"Drainage Work Ahead\".<\/p>\n
Standing at the side of the road were two perplexed westerners
\nwith a tourist map in hand that had been rendered useless by the
\nclosure.<\/p>\n
\"It is an honest portrayal of Balinese people's annoying and
\ndisruptive habit of closing a road every time they hold a
\nceremony, religious or otherwise,\" Ruscitadewi said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Daniel, who declined to reveal the name of his
\nschool due to the sensitive nature of his cartoon, exposed one of
\nthe ironies of the education system.<\/p>\n
His cartoon portrayed a rebellious student, who points out
\nthat the examination questions are exactly the ones the teacher
\nhad provided to students who enrolled in her private tutorial
\nsessions.<\/p>\n
Many teachers on the island run private, out-of-school
\ntutorial sessions and this practice has been repeatedly
\nidentified as a root of favoritism and biased treatment toward
\nstudents. Many students are too poor to pay for private tuition.<\/p>\n
\"These students really know how to produce hard-hitting,
\ntrenchant cartoons. Maybe it's time for me to retire early,\"
\nGungun observed wryly.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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