Colorful Revolution Favorite 

A wiretapping scandal rocked the small Balkan nation in 2016 when opposition leader Zoran Zaev began publishing excerpts of secret recordings that were made by the national security service which targeted up to 20,000 people, including government officials, journalists and religious leaders. The leaked conversations appeared to expose widespread corruption among ministers, including alleged vote-rigging and a murder cover-up. In April, President Gjorge Ivanov halted the investigations of 56 officials and businessmen charged with involvement in the scandal, effectively granting them preemptive pardons. In response, Krukulj and Steijovska – along with several other activists, young and old – repainted the road outside parliament, Stzeijovska had been riding in the back of a pickup truck headed toward that evening’s concrete canvas. Recognizing her mask of glitter paint, people came up to her, hugged her and told her how much they appreciated what she was doing. They began throwing paint-filled balloons at government buildings, because as they describe it, “These are modern times, and we use color, not weapons,” Krukulj said as she sat in her home overlooking the capital. “If we take down the regime with color, that is art.”