Corruption is one of the words that we sadly hear a little bit too often. Don’t get me wrong; the idea of corruption being discussed openly and having the awareness around the issue spread in all society is indeed very basic foundation of the struggle against it. The sad thing is just that this issue has been part of our days for what seems to be forever; here, there and pretty much everywhere.

As we all know, corruption is a problem faced by nearly all governments worldwide. However, the level of the problem’s severity really varies in each country, and the difference between the rates scored by each government are very significant, to the point that it’s necessary for conducted studies and researches to use a 1 – 100 scale to determine how ‘clean’ or ‘dirty’ a certain government is.

Going through one of those lists, which in this case was the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International, was definitely something! The list ranked countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector was perceived to be in the year 2014. There were 175 countries (out of the current total of 196 countries the world has today) which were listed along with each of their scores, starting from the ‘cleanest’ to the ‘dirtiest’.

Having passed tens and tens of countries in the list and not coming across our beloved Indonesia just yet, it might have been quite an appropriate response to start feeling a bit anxious of facing the harsh reality of where this country would actually end up on the list. And that’s despite knowing that the nation’s government had never really been known for having a great reputation when it comes to these matters.

Passing over a hundred countries, Indonesia finally showed on the list. Based on the data presented, there are at least a hundred countries in the world where the corruption rate in 2014 was lower than our ‘home’. Congratulations to them, and big homework for us.

While Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission has worked very hard to perform its role to actually fight against all forms of corruption on all levels in this country in all transparency, it is a fact that the voice and power of the people plays a significant part in going through this tough challenge.

According to the data from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), when compared to the previous couple years, the number of corruption cases in Indonesia has increased in the period of 2013-2014.The number of recorded corruption cases hiked from 402 cases in 2012 into 560 cases the following year. And this unpleasant setback was followed by 308 cases to be recorded in the first semester of 2014 alone.

Now related to this ongoing struggle, Bali which has been known to be one of the parts of Indonesia where the people as well as the students have been pretty “chill” over the years, have been showing way more signs of movement these days. One of them being this upcoming event called Seni Lawan Korupsi which will be held on December 18-20, 2015, at Penggak Men Mersi in Denpasar.

This movement is held to spread the awareness and make a wake-up call to all people about how we all should be actively playing our part and role in the effort to clean up the corrupted mentality around us. Seni Lawan Korupsi literally translates into Art against Corruption, and the title pretty much sums up the idea of this event.

This festival is held by a collective of artists, activists as well as the student organization of the Political Science of Udayana University. The artists involved in this festival are those who have been actively promoting awareness of critical issues on the island and in Indonesia in general, such as environmental, social and political issues.

The artists involved in this movement are Jerinx known from his band called Superman Is Dead and Devil Dice as well as his activism on the island, Gus Dark known for his witty and strong messages which he shares through his cartoons, Jango Pramartha known for his legendary Bog Bog cartoon magazine, Made Bayak known for his activism as well as ongoing Platicology project, and many more talented inspiring souls all known for their amazing work, ideas, and fights they represent.

Seni Lawan Korupsi has prepared an awesome line-up which is completely in tune with the spirit of the event, ready to rock the evening on the second day of the program! The evening will also feature theatrical performances along with live painting too! And yes, all will pass the anti-corruption message in a way they know best.

This is definitely is the place to be this Saturday night; consider it as a great free evening full of entertainment (which it most certainly is) while also taking time to perform our duty as part of the society, to make our stand, make a number, and be part of the movement. In struggles like this, each of our voice matters.

As stated by Gus Dark, let’s mock corruption; let’s mock the corrupted mentality. Let’s get it to people’s head that corruption is simply something filthy and embarrassing. It’s not every day that we get invited to participate in collective mockery against the ‘evil’ practices; so we should be excited!

And as Jerink said, artists are not merely entertainers, and they are most certainly not clowns. Having followers and fans provides artists with the access and opportunity to share their views and idealism, spread awareness, fight ignorance, and in the end hope to tickle the young minds to switch into a default setting of consciousness and critical thinking to the issues that happen around them.

At last, as Desmond Tutu said, “if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” Yes, the quote mentions ‘oppression’ and not ‘corruption’. But then again, aren’t the two kind of in the same family of injustice anyway?

That being said; if you happen to be on the island, we hope to see you there!