Following the fatal bomb blast in Kuta in October, 2002, relief, in the form of medical support and money, flooded into Bali. But after the first few weeks of emergency care, Bali residents active in relief efforts began to think about what else could be done to help the victims -- not only economically and physically, but emotionally and spiritually, too.

In the aftermath of the blast, people began to show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Those living in and around Kuta were of particular concern, and the prevalence of PTSD among them spawned an idea to use shadow puppet performances (wayang) in order to disseminate information about PTSD to local people.

In mid-November of 2002, a contemporary Wayang Kulit shadow puppet play about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was created. The goal was to make a DVD tape of the performance, put it on local television and take it into local schools and neighborhoods (banjar). Before screening the video, a psychiatrist, dr. Made Nyandra or dr. Robert Reverger would explain to the participants about the symptoms of PTSD. We asked each participant to fill out a questionaire (yes/no) of 14 questions (see attached) to assess the level of PTSD. We then gave each participant a brochure outlining the symptoms of PTSD; the phone number of IMC is listed here so they can make appointments with a psychiatrist free of charge.

The response has been overwhelming, both in terms of how people react to the Wayang as a performance piece as well as the heightened public awareness of PTSD and how to cope with it.

In March of 2003, with the aid of UNICEF Jakarta, a new children's version was created. The basic storyline remained the same with the addition of a number of animal characters. The main themes revolved around harmony and respect of differences, which was shown through the interaction of the animals.

This was performed four times to live audiences through-out the island and a DVD of the show was taken into 30 primary and secondary high schools. An estimated 1,500 students participated in this program and an additional 50,000 people saw it televised on TVRI Denpasar.