Taiwan is a very orderly place. One of the nice things about it is that it's so safe and that people are generally respectful of property. And this manifests itself, amongst other ways, with a lack of graffiti.

Graffiti, in and of itself, is not necessarily a good thing. But it is a means by which people who would otherwise have no voice comment on things publically. And some of it is quite artistic. But in Taiwan there is very little graffiti, there is no Banksy , no social activism.

So is this a bad thing? I'm beginning to think it is. Business here suffers from a lack of innovation. Nobody ever dares to rock the boat or challenge the way things are done. But things are not always done well and without some feedback mechanism the people at the top are often unaware of the impact of their decisions.

A little while ago there was a festival called the Spring Scream. It's a fairly big even modelled on the open-air music festivals that appear all over Europe in the summer time. Many local bands perform, thousands of young people spend a weekend at the beach, and a good time is had by all. And of course, it needs to be licensed.

Foreigners in Taiwan are subject to all sorts of special regulations, and this year the government dcided that foreigners would not be allowed to perform at the Spring Scream. Now why the hell would they do that? The event was initiated by foreigners years ago as a way to enjoy music together - it's a cultural exchange of the best kind. But the government wanted to 'protect' local talent, by denying them the chance to interact with their counterparts from other countries.

This is government stupidity of the first order, and although the organisers eventually managed to reach a compromise solution it shouldn't have been necessary. Stuff like this abounds, and it stifles the natural creativity and intelligence of the people.

So, why doesn't the government make some effort to promote social activism?

A good idea would be to establish places where graffiti is permitted, even encouraged. There are plenty of construction projects with fences around, and a few unused plots where temporary walls could be erected - no need to encourage people to deface buildings.

And start by having a seminar or class on techniques and issues. It would be more of ao workshop - a chance for activists to meet and exchange ideas - than a "how to do it", but it would show that the government is serious about listening to the people.

Who knows, maybe Banksy would come? 

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