Kampung Warna Warni promises fancy colours and fancy people. South of the city centre of Malang in East Java Indonesia, a little village became attention by locals and tourists. Kampung Warna Warni is the name of the community. Kampung Warna Warni means in Indonesian “Colourful Village”. For sure, that’s the right name for this wonderful place with all these fanciful colours.
Row upon row, the houses jostle each other on the slopes of the valley. A small river meanders through the valley. For a small fee, everybody can visit the place. Of course, the residents sell souvenirs, drinks and other small items on the left and right of the route.
All in all, a shiny puzzle of colours, red, blue, green and in between orange and purple. The colours are an expression of lifestyle. The artistically styled walls with animals or fantasy pictures look amazing.
I learned from the locals, that the village was a project of students from a university in Malang. Their intention was to turn a shabby grey place into a shiny colourful village. The village reminds me of Rio’s Favelas. It seems that some inspiration came from there. It’s incredible to see the small houses with small rooms and all in different flashy and garish tints. As much as possible, the villagers painted almost each and every little thing. However, the roofs, the walls and even the stairs are all ornate painted.
A walk through the narrow streets takes two hours around. In fact, Kampung Warna-Warni is a great and nice idea. It’s not only for the outfit of the village but also for the villagers to get a small business. Despite all the facts, the village became a famous spot for people from Malang and for tourists from outside as well. Moreover, it’s open to everybody and welcomes everyone.