09/03/2025
Teruna - teruni, Ogoh-ogoh and Cultural Investment
Paradoxical Notes; Wayan Suyadnya
On March 29, Bali will enter the silence of Catur Brata Penyepian.
The day before, Pangerupukan night will be the peak of the celebration's hustle and bustle.
The streets are filled with the sound of gamelan, shouts of enthusiasm, and a sea of people spilling out to watch the ogoh-ogoh parade.
A lively cultural party, before silence envelops the next day.
Throughout Bali, there are 1,500 traditional villages and around 4,000 banjars. They are preparing to welcome the night.
If each banjar makes one ogoh-ogoh, then there will be around 4,000 ogoh-ogohs paraded around the village.
With an average cost of Rp 10 million per ogoh-ogoh, the total cultural investment reaches Rp 40 billion—an extraordinary figure for something that is ultimately thrown away and burned.
But is that all? No. The Rp40 billion is just a rough estimate. Not including the sweat and mutual cooperation of the Balinese youth who spent months making the ogoh-ogoh. Not to mention the food and consumption provided by residents voluntarily during the practice of playing the drums and building the ogoh-ogoh. Not to mention the collective spirit that makes them willing to sacrifice their time and energy for one night of celebration.
Without them realizing it, the Balinese youth are charging the spirit of culture into Bali.
Ogoh-ogoh is not just a giant statue that is paraded, but one of the symbols of cultural power that makes tourists come and keep coming to Bali.
From the lively Pangerupukan to the contemplative Nyepi, this is the authentic face of Bali, which cannot be found anywhere else.
Do hotel, restaurant, and tourism business owners realize that their rooms are filled because of this culture? Does the central government realize that they get foreign exchange from the creativity of the Balinese youth?
66 percent of Bali's economy is supported by the tourism sector which originated from the creativity of young people in the banjars? Apart from the beaches and the natural beauty of Bali, tourists come to Bali because of culture.
Here is the paradox. Bali drives its economy through culture which is continuously maintained by its people. However, who bears the cost of this preservation? Look at the people. Look at the Teruna-teruni. They design, build, and parade the ogoh-ogoh at their own expense. Hopefully this can be realized properly.
Entrepreneurs and all parties should be more aware of the correlation between culture and tourism.
If hotels can be full because of ceremonies and festivals driven by the community, then it is only natural that there is a return contribution. CSR from entrepreneurs should help with the cost of making the ogoh-ogoh, so that the community only needs to create.
And after everything is finished, the ogoh-ogoh are burned and thrown away. The Rp 40 billion that enlivened the streets on Pangerupukan night disappeared in flames.
Has anyone ever tried to think, if that much money was used for scholarships, imagine how many Balinese children could go to school?
If that much money was allocated to build schools, how many classrooms could be built?
And this extraordinary community participation is carried out every year.
Tradition must remain alive. Culture must remain sustainable. But the question is: should we always burn this cultural investment without getting a commensurate return?
It should burn IDR 40 billion, return IDR 100 billion in the form of scholarships or others by tourism entrepreneurs, by tourists.
By giving Teruna-teruni scholarships, wouldn't they be smarter, more creative, more knowledgeable in making ogoh-ogoh even better and more attractive? Wouldn't our Teruna-teruni be more enthusiastic about charging culture in all its forms?
Don't let the Balinese people be busy charging their culture, while entrepreneurs are busy collecting their profits without thinking about the future of Balinese children.
If all parties are willing to think further, perhaps it is time for Bali to find a way for the creativity of these ogoh-ogoh to provide greater benefits for future generations.
Culture is still maintained, but not just as a ritual—but as an economic force whose results truly return and are felt by the people who maintain it.
Denpasar, March 8, 2025
