Straw hat pirate flag (pic: Scarper Montgomery on flickr)
In today’s world, cultural symbols can transcend geographical limitations.
They are adopted across the globe and reinterpreted for movements of resistance.
Whether that be the Palestine flag or the watermelon emoji, they carry powerful meanings.
One unexpected and striking symbol has attracted global interest. The fictional flag of the Straw Hat Pirates is from the Japanese Anime and Manga comic One Piece.
The flag shows a grinning skull with a yellow straw hat. It has become a symbol of resistance. It was seen flying high aboard the Handala flotilla to Gaza and at global Palestine demonstrations.
Most significantly, the symbol has been adopted by anti-government protesters across Indonesia. Students, villagers and truck drivers are connecting popular culture to real struggle.
One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda in 1997, is the most widely read Manga in history. With over 600 million copies sold, the series spans an ongoing story over 1,100 chapters and episodes.
The series tells a story grounded in themes of rebellion, resistance, governmental corruption, censorship, oppression and slavery.
In the run up to Indonesia’s Independence Day, it is traditional for truck drivers to display the national flag.
In response to the ongoing corruption scandal, rising fuel prices and attacks on workers, however, many chose to fly the flag of the Straw Hat crew.
What started as a satirical protest by fans became widespread with everyone, from workers to rural villagers, raising the flag outside their homes and on their vehicles.
The Straw Hat Pirate became more than a reference to a story. It became a growing sign of unity among the oppressed masses.
The state’s response was harsh. Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad called flying the flag a provocation and an act of treason. He demanded that the flag be banned.
One Piece has struck a chord with Indonesians. The conditions in its fictional world almost mirrors the reality of many Indonesians. There is a long tradition of using cultural symbols as defiance. Flags, songs and gestures can carry emotion, a message or a meaning.
In capitalist society workers are estranged and alienated from the fruits of their labour, from one another and from their own potential and self. One Piece creates revolutionary feeling through its story.
When the workers in Indonesia or Palestine fly the flag, they are recognising that their struggle is part of a larger system. And cultural symbols, like those from One Piece, can become powerful.
Peasants’ Revolt play has now been published as a book
In the sweltering heat of 1381, England’s feudal foundations trembled as the Peasants’ Revolt erupted—a rebellion that would forever echo through history.
It was triggered by an oppressive poll tax but fuelled by deeper injustices. This uprising saw the poor rise up to challenge the authority of landowners, church and crown. A play, When Katherine Brewed, brings this momentous event to life. And the play has now been published as a book.
It blends history with a bold, radical perspective.
Drawing from chronicles and centuries of literary reinterpretation, this play reveals the struggles of the forgotten.
They are those who dared to dream of a world free from exploitation and tyranny. Through the lens of class struggle, the story of Wat Tyler, John Ball and their fellow rebels unfolds.
They expose the duplicity of rulers and the undying hope of those who resist.
Echoing the spirit of radical theatre traditions, this play reimagines this medieval rebellion with contemporary relevance, urging audiences to reflect on enduring issues of inequality and power.
It is both an homage to the past and a rallying cry for the future. This play is as much a tribute to those who fought as it is an invitation to envision a world transformed.
- When Katherine Brews, by Mark O’Brien Available from bookmarksbookshop.com
