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."