Jakarta – The global Buy Nothing Day event was marked again in the capital Sunday, with a number of young Jakartans playing leading roles in organizing it. Special events were held in front of malls as well as in a city park.

On the road between the Plaza Senayan and Senayan City malls, a theatrical performance was staged while volunteers handed out 'Buy Nothing Day' flyers to passersby. At the same time in Sambas Park, another kind of celebration took place in the form of a 'really, really free market' at which people could bring stuff to give away.

A performer in the event at the shopping malls was Nidya Paramita, 24, from a community called the Red Rebel DIY House. She said that in order to mark the day, her 25-strong group were distributing flyers to people in cars and on the streets, as well as putting on a theatrical and musical performance at noon.

"We believe that this area is where consumerism has its roots. Later, we will join the other community in Sambas Park," she said.

Meanwhile, the free market in Sambas Park, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., provided free food, clothes, free T-shirt printing, book readings, acupressure, a free acting class and an introduction to Braille from the Mitra Netra Foundation for the blind.

Ika Vantiani, 31, from a community called the Dipepi Free Food Gang, said that Buy Nothing Day was intended to counter consumerism and to promote the concept that sharing was better than buying. "The spirit of Buy Nothing Day is sharing, not charity," Ika said.

Buy Nothing Day is a global event initiated by Canadian magazine Adbusters to discourage shopping and promote sharing. It aims at reducing consumerism and the ensuing waste. The first Buy Nothing Day took place in Canada in the early 1990s, Ika said.

Ika added that they wanted to run the event in the same way as in the US, where non-material things are also given free. "In the US there was this woman who didn't bring any stuff to give away, but rather said she was a good listener. In no time at all, a long line had formed to avail of her services," Ika said.

The event, however, took a not unsurprising turn for Jakarta, with more people turning up looking to get freebies than to give.

Ika had initially announced the free market on a number of mailing lists in her network. However, radio stations and newspapers interviewed her before the event and hence the rapacious throngs. At least 100 people visited the park, with many of them not quite grasping the concept behind the free market.

Strangers to the idea of sharing and 'Buy Nothing Day', many of the visitors appeared hell bent on grabbing everything in sight.

The name "free market" also resulted in a misperception among some housewives, who turned up looking for rice and sugar handouts. An irate visitor from East Jakarta even demanded that she be reimbursed her bus fare after she found that there were actually very few freebies on offer.

However, many others were quite happy to while away the afternoon in the park. (tif)