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View all search resultsIndependence Day logo becomes protest canvas
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A logo marking the 81st anniversary of Indonesia’s independence is seen displayed at the Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta on Aug. 5, 2026. (JP/Iqro Rinaldi)
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head of Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day, social media users have turned this year’s official celebration logo into a canvas for political satire, criticizing President Prabowo Subianto’s administration amid growing discontent over the country’s political and economic direction.
In June, the government announced the winning logo for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 17, continuing the annual tradition of inviting public submissions and allowing Indonesians to vote for their favorite design.
Among hundreds of entries, a design by Fajar Novario won this year’s contest with more than 30,000 votes, nearly half of the roughly 68,000 ballots cast across five finalists.
Featuring a sleek, swirling white font of the number 81, Fajar’s winning logo was said to have a strong visual identity that represents “the bond among Indonesians despite their diversity,” according to the State Secretariat.
Within weeks, however, social media users had transformed the logo into a vehicle for criticizing government policies and the President himself.
Read also: Security minister brushes off unrest concerns ahead of Independence Day
Among the most widely shared redesigns is one depicting Prabowo’s silhouette inside the number eight opposite an emaciated figure forming the number one. The accompanying slogan was altered from “A sovereign, just and prosperous Indonesia” to “A sovereign and just Indonesia for the prosperous.”
