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Pink
Man in Paradise
(post-bomb Bali, 2003) Pink
Man performance by Sompong Thawee
In the middle of the night of 12 October
2002, a bomb exploded in front of a Balinese nightclub, killing
202 tourists-mostly Australians-and injuring hundreds. It was an
unprecedented terrorist attack, never before seen in the history
of this tropical tourist island paradise.
With this one act, Islamic extremist terrorists blew to smithereens
the partying and revelry that they saw as a manifestation of hell
on earth, leaving behind, among the ruins, panic, incomprehension,
outrage and grief for the people who lost their loved ones. For
the rest of us, it has become clear that "No place is safe
any more in this world."
The war on terrorism, as waged by US President George W. Bush and
his allies, seems to be adding fuel to the fire instead of tackling
the problem at its roots.The rug has been pulled from under our
feet. No less so for Pink Man, the embodiment of consumerism.
Like other average tourists and thrill-seekers everywhere, Pink
Man's ego is in a limbo of paranoia and instability, his naivete
gone but his wisdom unborn, as he roams all over the island of Bali,
searching for his paradise lost
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