About

Kepak Sayap Kebhinekaan (Eng. Flap the Wings of Diversity) refers to a catchphrase on a billboard for Indonesian politician Puan Maharani that spread throughout Indonesia. Online, the Indonesian speakers have created various exploitables by adding the billboard to various images and memes, similar to the Shen Yun billboard memes in America.

Origin

On June 17th, 2021, Twitter^[1] user @keG752 uploaded the earliest photo of the billboard with the catchphrase "Selamat Datang Kepak Sayap Kebhinekaan" (Eng. Welcome Flap the Wings of Diversity) over a photo of Indonesian politician Puan Maharani. The tweet only received two likes (shown below).

Spread

The billboard grew more popular later that summer. For example, on July 30th, 2021, Twitter^[6] user @Kafir_Kiri reposted an @indoprogress image of the astronaut looking at the billboard. The tweet received 114 likes and 11 retweets (shown below, left). On August 4th, 2021, Twitter^[2] user @MediaRakyat_ uploaded a photo of the billboard with a person holding a poster that says "Pandemi belum usai – 2024 – sudah dimulai" (Eng. The pandemic is not over yet, 2024 has begun), referencing how in 2024, Indonesia will hold a presidential election. The tweet received more than 25,300 likes and 8,800 retweets (shown below, center). On August 10th, 2021, Instagram^[7] user @halodesigners uploaded image by adding the billboard design to Figma web design site and asking "Who submit this billboard (to Figma)?" The post received more than 3,300 likes in three days (shown below, right).

On August 6th, 2021, YouTube^[8] user CokroTV uploaded a video titled "Eko Kuntadhi: KE MANA PUN BERPALING, ADA BALIHO PUAN!" In the video, he criticized how the billboard is spreading everywhere in Indonesia. The video received more than 150,000 views in seven days (shown below, left). On August 4th, 2021, Indonesian comedian Bintang Emon via his Instagram^[9] uploaded a parody trailer for a film titled Kepak Sayap Kebhinekaan. The video received more than 1.6 million views in nine days (shown below, right).

On August 11th, 2021, Facebook^[10] user Aldy Nur Rahman uploaded a screenshot from YouTuber MrBeast that was edited with the billboard. The post received 218 reactions and 703 shares in two days (shown below, left). On August 10th, 2021, Facebook^[11] user Keenan Nasution uploaded a parody of a propaganda poster by adding the billboard. The post received 221 reactions and 328 shares in three days (shown below, right).

Some Indonesian cartoonists created webcomics related to it. For example, on August 10th, 2021, Facebook^[12] page Mice Cartoons uploaded a webcomic parody of the billboard, gaining 779 reactions and 479 shares in three days (shown below, left). On August 8th, 2021, Indonesian media Tempo via Instagram^[13] uploaded a caricature about Indonesian politicians who prioritized their billboards over the pandemic. The post received more than 48,500 likes (shown below, center). On August 11th, 2021, Facebook^[14] page Goresan Dody uploaded a webcomic about the billboard that received 770 reactions and 786 shares in two days (shown below, right).

As the billboard grew popular, it was covered in several Indonesian media outlets such as Kompas,^[3] Detik,^[4] and Salatiga Terkini.^[5]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References