Still traumatized over blasts, Balinese splash peace messages
Still traumatized over blasts, Balinese splash peace messages
on T-shirts
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali
Candlelight vigils and interfaith services did not seem
sufficient media through which the Balinese and their friends
from other parts of the world observed last year's bombing of
Kuta.
They expressed their feelings about the tragedy that claimed
202 lives in many ways, but probably the most noticeable has been
by wearing T-shirts carrying written messages.
It turns out that T-shirts have been a highly effective medium
for people to express their emotions about the tragedy. Some
condemn it with four-letter words and others use humor.
"With T-shirts, we can express ourselves more freely. They are
also catchy, colorful and obviously better for attracting
attention than banners and posters," T-shirt designer Jango
Paramarta said.
In the early days after the terrorist attack, T-shirts sold on
the roadside carried messages of outright condemnation. "F**k
Terrorist" has been the most common phrase emblazoned on the
back. Printed in red over a black background, the T-shirts sold
like hot cakes because they best conveyed the feelings of anger.
As time goes by, new T-shirts with "polite" messages have
arrived, displaying images of Bali island, a heart and symbols of
peace. More friendly words such as "Bali Loves Peace" have been
used and many were given away as part of attempts to persuade
people to respond to the attacks with a cool head.
Many interesting T-shirts were on offer during last week's
commemoration ceremony of the bombing's first anniversary. This
time, the words used to convey the message were contemplative.
A group of relatives of the victims donned yellow T-shirts
with the words "You Killed the Body but not Our Spirits." A
Balinese youth wore a white one with a touching slogan, "You Can
Bomb Us Into Pieces but You Can't Stop Us To Make Peace"
(incorret English to mean "You can bomb us into pieces but you
can't stop us making peace").
A western surfer, apparently worried about the al-Qaeda
terrorist network leader invading Bali beaches, was spotted with
a sweatshirt reading "Osama Don't Surf."
"The slogans written on the T-shirts show that the way people
perceive the tragedy has been changing," Jango said. "They are
now aware that violence has become commonplace in the world and
that they have to resort to peaceful means to solve problems."