From Editor | Bali Echo Visitor's Guide

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cover

Oct/Nov, 1998
No. 037/VI/98

On Live The Banjar
Balinese communalism in the age of reform

All In Good Fun
Lombok's stick fighters

Regular

Home Grown
Grommet Grrls

Gallery
Murni's Pure Instinct

Health and Beauty
Ubud's Bali Hati Foundation

Adventure
Cruising on the High Seas

Food
Hard Rocks's new spirit

Books
The Kris of Death reviewed

Fiction
Oka Rusmini's 'Clouds over Kuri Gede'

Jungle Drums

Tide Charts

Bali Sing Kenken

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Dear Readers,

These days it's difficult to come up with ideas for features that don't in some way touch on the issue of reformasi - the Indonesian word for the era of reform that the nation is currently undergoing. This is in spite of the fact that Bali Echo is, officially, a Visitor's Guide. That means it aims to represent the vibrance and dynamism of Bali's 'cultural' aspects and attempts to unravel their mystique to the oft-intrigued - and unavoidably so - visitor. It also means that the magazine does not set out to probe matters of political concern. But reformasi is more than just that. As Wayan Suardika writes in his cover story, "reform goes to the heart of common Indonesians' everyday lives" - an assertion supported by the fact that many of his sources have thoroughly-considered responses to his enquiries about reformasi at the level of the banjar. As Bali's most basic community institution, the banjar is at the heart of Bali's cultural and religious life. Bali's banjars are the building blocks of its society.

With nearly every new issue, it seems, we tag an extra regular feature to our already substantial stock. This 37th edition marks the introduction of 'Bali Sing Ken Ken' - which roughly translates from the Balinese as 'Everything's OK in Bali'. This page is devoted to local cartoonists' satirical depictions of contemporary social issues.

Happy reading!