A Colourful Nation Denied of its Reward

COUNTRYSIDE

One of the joys of growing up in PNG is to the big sing sings that happen yearly or even the colorful church activities. I vividly remember Independence Day and the host of color from all part of the country. From the majestic plums drifting on the head pieces of the mighty men and women of the highlands, electrifying rhythmic chants and drums from the New Guinea islands, carvings and dances that depict mystical stories of the Momase people and the spectacular nautical innovations of the tribes from the southern region.

Credit: Messer Smith (http://www.messersmith.name/wordpress
So things are not the same, we have lost some of our old ways and we are sometimes accused of not honoring our culture. But we have been progressive and as a result, we have forged an identity that resonates a nation of many tongues. From Patti Doi and Betty Toea’s music booming in PMVs that are owned by Highlanders, colorful fabrics that depict tapa patterns from the Orokaiva worn by our sisters and mothers, bilums from the highlands carrying our precious love ones, delicacies rich in nutrients that was only available in the rivers, islands and highlands are now available to everyone.

Our culture indeed transcends our way of life but with the absence of political and policy direction, this resource has been underutilized and in some tragic instances, stolen, abused and lost. So the question has to be asked, is it worth investing our resources to protect, promote and preserve our culture and heritage? Apart from nostalgic and patriotic excitement, is it worth it? Absolutely.

It separates us from the rest of the world, it provides us the unique opportunity to help humanity from fighting diseases to resolving conflicts, and more importantly, to empower our people to move away from poverty. Indeed for many years, economic, industry and investment planners have not looked at the possibility of the culture, or to be more generic, the creative industry, as a tool for growth.

A few entities have been burning the torch for this sector. From the tireless efforts of the National Cultural Commission in preserving and promoting our culture here and abroad, super artists Jeffery and his brother Mairi Feeger blowing the international scene by storm, legendary musos Auirikeke, Ben Hakalitz, Telek and the darling of the garment industry, Florence Bilum Lady Jauke are all making major inroads internationally. But guys, this is only a speck of what’s in our country. Take some time and wonder in and out of the craft markets, church activities, clubs, galleries and even the bus stops, you’ll see the talent of our people.

But tragically like anything when it comes to money, those that want to make it ride on the talented and end up sucking them dry. From paying them merely nothing for the creativity they’ve done, pirating designs and music and outright theft. Many of our people in the creative industry are dying without knowing there rights. They live in a cage that their employees, agents and promoters do n’t tell them what that they are entitled to. From song writers, performers, sound engineers, artisans, dance troopes, cultural groups, weavers, carvers, traditional medicinal owners and many others are been denied of their wealth.

They need to usurp these rights so that they may be rewarded of their creativity and heritage. These rights will ensure users are able to pay them fees so that they may feed and clothe their children and more importantly, continue creating their products or preserving culture. Whether intellectual property and traditional knowledge protection, our people need to move into this area so that their rights are protected and they are able to utilize it for wealth creation in the market place.

So next time when you purchase a pirated CD, Made In China crap flogging it off as a PNG design, bullshit food that’s not from our land or designs on fabrics stolen, think of the people you have denied that revenue. For it is their love of life we bathe ourselves of our identity.

Comments

  1. It may come as a surprise to some that the author of this article, Countryside, is one of the strongest promoters of what will be the largest tragedy to ever hit PNG - the essential alienation of land from Papua New Guineans through today's sneaky way to get it: land leases.

    Land is life and land is the roots of culture. Countryside's backside promotion of land leases will deprive Papua New Guineans from access to their land for years, usually 99. That's about 5 generations of deprivation. The rents they will receive in return are samting nating compared to the skills to be built and money to be made off that land in the meantime.

    Customary landowners will become impoverished and deprived by land leases. Countryside talks about all the wonderful development that a few company officers achieve, ignoring that the majority get little to nothing from the so called development of our resources.

    Countryside is seeking to build a reputation on the internet as a nationalist, while in the backside is promoting land leases and ensuring that Papua New Guineans will largely be spectators of development on our own land.

    There are reports that he is a member of the Henao family, a real estate POM name well known as the 'enemy' to those fighting to keep customary land truly in customary hands.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Wantok,

    Without detracting from my recent post, I’d perhaps like to take this time to clarify your views on my articles. First, I strongly believe progress in Papua New Guinea can only come from our people. Whether its landowning companies, university graduates or leaders, it is we who will shape our future. These are the facts, out of the 7 million people, less than .02% are in a position to understand, negotiate and promote the utilization of resources that are collectively owned by their people.

    I and perhaps you are in this minority. Apart from this privilege, we also have the responsibility to empower the hundreds of relatives that daily look at us for security and inspiration. When we begin to exercise our skills to take them away from the bondages of poverty, our first reference point are the assets we collectively have.

    Been a custodian of land and intangible knowledge as well as having the blessings of been educated, it is my duty to find ways and means of utilizing these resources to empower my people. I am however realistic that developing my land or intangible property, I will need to find a suitable model to sustain the development. I am mindful that in the process of development, the environment may be harmed and in some cases a total transformation of our way of life. A host of investors will come from home and abroad. Yes, trickery, internal fighting and outright challenges from my tribe will occur but this is the reality of relationships and leadership.

    So yes, I support the need to utilize land, culture and any other resource we have. However, utilization comes with responsibility so building those models of development, investment and benefit sharing arrangements must be widely consulted I promote this notion because frankly, for some us, it is the only way we can empower our clan, tribe and people to have a fighting opportunity on what this nation has given me. A family, security, education and more importantly, a countryside full of diversity. There is a critical mass of PNGns that can do this and if there isn’t, we need to learn from each other. I’d like to learn from the gas, mining, forestry and fish landowners because they are the only reference points any of us have. So they have got things wrong and there people have suffered but there are also things they have got right and it is this exposure I’d like to learn from. I agree the legal system for resource utilization is flawed but nothing is stopping us to negotiate. If the Southern highlanders could do it under the LBBSAs, so can we. So bro, go out and negotiate it, better still lobby for its change but at the end of the day, you will be foolish not to use your skills and talent to utilize the resources.

    Quoting from one of my articles, Inap Lo Kago Boi. I’m up for change and I’ll do it the best way possible, using my knowledge because frankly, I owe to my people who hungered, suffered and in some cases died before they saw my first pay. Yes, my heritage is from the coast and the henao, lohia, badu, taugau, asiagu, gavera, rhea, mavaru, hanua, tau and seneka names are part of my identity. Are we land grabbers, no most of us are poor fisherman, gardeners, security guards at RH, cashiers at TST, pastors at Hagan, teachers at Maprik, public servants at kokopo and electricians working on the LNG in Mendi. A handful of us are doctors, lawyers and bankers. But no, none of us are in real estate.

    May the good lord continue fueling dates for our country because I see this as a great opportunity to forge consensus on progressing our great nation.

    Countryisde

    ReplyDelete
  3. Some comments on what seem to be your core beliefs:

    The 'suitable model' you have already settled on is to alienate customary land through land registration, followed by leases which means many will suffer so that a few can get rich.

    You yourself have said elsewhere that it may be a price of development that some people must suffer.

    Many would disagree. They would say that while it may be the price of western economic growth that some people have to suffer, any process which involves suffering cannot be labeled 'development'.

    You have nearly all the Somare government right on your side in your belief that 'roadblocks' such as litigation by landowners should be removed to make it easier for foreigners to swarm into our country and pick and choose the raw resources they want to bring back to their own country for their own development.

    If your ideas continue to spread in PNG, your family will do very well indeed. Unfortunately, the majority of Papua New Guineans will not.

    You may cry out to the good Lord for help in progressing our great nation, but Jesus Christ certainly would not approve of your methods which benefit a few while making the majority poorer than they were before.

    But of course you either don't get the picture or you don't care.

    Why do you support the government's land "reform" and fewer judicial checks and balances?

    ReplyDelete
  4. My view is use the resources to enhance our people. Utilization of assets is paramount. Where else can you source capital to invest in our people? Government? NGOs? Donors? Get real. Use the resources thats all we have. Ok, so the complexity of development and investment models are difficult to gain consensus but this is where the fight needs to be fought and I'm the first to admit that I have strong views on gaining traction in economic and social empowerment commitments from developers and countries. These activities include education, commerce and industry development for our people to name a few. Ok so it's not for everyone but are you proposing our people to not utilize there resources and therefore continue to live in poverty?

    ReplyDelete
  5. The issue of land registration and alienation are matters far greater than Puka Temu and the so called elite thinkers. Although I’d be interested to know who they are? You have consistently indicated that I am a supporter of land alienation? I am a supporter of land utilization on the proviso that exhaustive planning and forecasting are made. Initiatives progressed by the government are up for debate and frankly, having not read its entirety, I in all honesty cannot support or disagree with it.

    What I am a supporter of is a predictable, equitable and stable legal process of land utilization. At the moment, the current arrangements appear to have a process of dialogue and therefore negotiations may proceed. I note your strong views that this process is unfair and inadequate for the majority of our people and to this point, I agree with you. However, unlike you, I am of the view we should find solutions to address this quagmire. Whether through reform or increase the capacity of negotiations, these are areas we should invest our time and energy. If you can tell me that there is a better option than using land or the resources we have out of poverty, tell me bro and I will forever hold my peace.

    On a more personal note, with the grace of God I make my own destiny and although my clan and tribe will by my side, as a leader, address me your views. It’s only courteous and you are right, I am a nationalist and love the fact that I come from this great country. I will continue sharing my views on how awesome PNG is and bring a resonance of optimism for our future.

    Countryside

    ReplyDelete
  6. Presently I believe that land utilisation is pointing in no other direction as strongly as in the direction of land registration, which leads to people losing rights over their land as they turn the land over to some outside party that leases it.

    Until we learn to solve the potholes in our streets and the corruption behind closed doors, let's not even fool ourselves into thinking we can solve more complex issues such as equitable income generation for customary land. The 2050 plan is a perfect example of people fooling themselves, refusing to get down and dirty to solve the more immediate problems and instead purposely putting their heads up into the clouds and making lofty predictions and plans that won't come to pass so long as our heads are that far from reality.

    TAZ

    ReplyDelete
  7. You can utilize without registration. By organizing wantoks on growing and selling tradable crops, livestock or even non agricultural sectors like ecotourism. Seed capital can come from villagers that are employed. All these can be done without land registration. The importnat application is to find ways of utilization. Governments come and go, budgets come and go but our resources are our own and we don't need to wait on them to utilize it.

    Countryside

    ReplyDelete
  8. Here's the way it works, Countryside. Let the people expand big time over their land with a new business or agriculture project. The banks will offer loans. The collateral for these loans is land rights (or land ownership in Australia). Most will pay back the loans and be successful at least for a time, but look at Australia and the trend is clear. Slowly ever so slowly, one family after another defaults on the loans and they lose their land (or in PNG the land rights). Slowly but surely most people become landless while the land accumulates in the hands of a few.

    ReplyDelete

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