The Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery

Welcome to the depth and diversity of Papua New Guinea in the National Museum and Art Gallery.

The Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery is the “spiritual house” for the rich natural, cultural and contemporary heritage of this country.

The museum is owned by the people of Papua New Guinea and to date has well over 30,000 anthropological collections, more than 25,000 archeological collections, more than 18,000 natural science collections, more than 20,000 war relics and more than 7000 contemporary art collections.

It consists of three premises which are the main museum located at Waigani in Port Moresby, the Mordern History (sometimes known as War Museum) at Gordons in Port Moresby, and the J.K. McCarthy Museum at Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province.

The main museum at Waigani consists of five display galleries which are the Masterpiece Gallery, the Independence Gallery, the Sir Allan Mann Gallery (for temporary exhibits), Life and Land (natural history and prehistory) Gallery and the Sir Michael Somare (new acquisitions) Gallery.

In addition, there is a central court yard with live animals and birds, a theatrette, amphitheatre, amenities area, souvenir shop, four large storage rooms, conservation laboratory, photographic laboratory, carpentry workshop, graphic rooms and editing equipment rooms.

It is one of the “must visit” icons of Port Moresby like the neighbouring National Parliament and the National Capital District Botanical Gardens at Waigani.

It is open to the general public from Monday to Friday (8.30am to 3.30pm) and Sunday (1pm to 3pm).

It is closed to the public on Saturdays except for organised visits.

The Mordern History premises at Ahuia Street, Gordons, consist of office space, two storage rooms, display room and a library.

The collection includes aircraft, vehicles and war artifacts from pre-independence and post-independence.

Some of the unique objects in the national collection include a P-38F Lockheed Lightning aircraft, the oldest P-38 in a museum in the world.

The J.K. McCarthy Museum in Goroka consists of six display galleries which are the Niugini Room, Giddings Gallery, Leahy Wing, Soso Subi Gallery and the Archeological Room.

It also has offices for scientific and administrative staff, a storage room and a gift shop.

Its main collections are artifacts and specimens from the Highlands region.

Artifacts include wooden dishes, stone mortars, stone blades, magic stones, and sandstones for making stone blades.

Independence Gallery

This gallery features a stunning Kula canoe from the Trobriand Islands of the Milne Bay Province.

The upper section of the exhibit contains a fine collection of traditional fishing equipment, bilums (string bags), pottery, traditional ceremonial and casual dress and cooking utensils.

Traditional musical instruments and a variety of PNG’s renowned kundu and garamut drums are also on display.

Masterpiece Gallery

This gallery brings to you a unique selection of the museum’s most-important cultural objects in terms of religious significance and aesthetic excellence.

In this collection are tall posts from the Sepik which are used to decorate haus tambarans (spirit houses), ancestral boards from the Sepik and intricately-carved Malangan masks from New Ireland.

Papua New Guinea’s astonishing diversity and depth of spiritual expression is demonstrated here.

Michael Somare Gallery

This gallery is named in honour of Papua New Guinea’s first Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and displays temporary exhibits.

It was opened in 1986 with an exhibition of Independence and State gifts Sir Michael received over the years.

Life and Land Gallery

This exhibition records the lives of the early inhabitants of New Guinea who arrived up to 50,000 years ago.

Archeological excavations have revealed the early Highlanders were among the world’s first farmers.

Within this gallery is a colourful collection of preserved bird specimens including a variety of birds of paradise, while seashore to mountain diorama shows the variety of PNG vegetation and wildlife from the swampy mangroves to the cool of the Highlands.

Sir Allan Mann Gallery

This gallery is named in honour of the Museum’s first Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

The gallery makes the display of traveling and temporary exhibitions possible.

This gallery has displayed a variety of important exhibitions over many years.

Other Features

Right in the heart of the museum is an enclosure of live birds and animals including hornbills, parrots and ducks.

The museum bookshop is located at the front of the entrance.

The bookshop sells a variety of carvings, bilums and cards as well as books on Papua New Guinea, which are excellent gift ideas.

A pleasant shady courtyard/reception area is also available for hire at a reasonable rate.

Within the museum is a small multi-screen lecture room, normally used for educational activities and a theatre that can hold up to 250 people.

Science and Research Division

The Science and Research Division consists of Mordern History, J.K. McCarthy Museum, Anthropology, Prehistory, Natural History, Conservation and Contemporary Arts.

These are specialised scientific and research areas that carry out the main functions of the museum’s heritage and cultural collections.

Export Permits

Please be aware that an export permit is needed to take artifacts out of the country.

The permit, as gazetted under the provision of the National Cultural Property (Preservation) Act, is issued at the National Museum.

To obtain a permit, consult the museum and provide either the artifacts or a photograph for inspection.

If the items are permitted exports, an export permit will be issued.

Contact details:

Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery
P.O. Box 5660
Boroko
National Capital District
Papua New Guinea
Telephone: (675) 3252522
Facsimile: (675) 3251779
Email: pngmuseum@global.net.pg

Colourful history of Seeto Kui

Seeto Kui

James Seeto

Seeto Kui in Wau, 1939

In James Seeto’s Lae office is a larged framed photograph of his father Seeto Kui, his mother, as well as places precious to him such as Salamaua, Wau and Lae.

Theirs is a story of Salamaua, Wau, Lae, the horrors of war, and starting a company with only 100 Australia Pounds in war-devastated Lae into what is now a thriving business.

Seeto Kui was the founder of the current Seeto Kui Organisation, now a substantial multi-million Kina business with nearly 1000 employees, distributing throughout Papua New Guinea in the grocery, variety, supermarket, plumbing supplies, hardware, construction, and stationery and office supplies market.

He traveled from Canton, China, by ship and arrived in Rabaul, East New Britain, in 1914, at the tender age of 13 years to work as a tailor.

Some years later, he was sent to the then-thriving Salamaua, Morobe, to work as a trade store manager, where he earned himself sufficient money to go back to China in the early 1930s, where he married and returned to continue work and traveling back and forth to China.

James Seeto, Seeto Kui’s first son, first arrived at Salamaua with his mother and sister, Joyce, in 1938, to be with their father.

Unfortunately, his mother died some time after and was buried in the local cemetery.

“My memories of Salamaua are very limited,” Mr Seeto tells me.

“I went there when I was two or three years old.

“I went there about a year ago and the people made me feel very welcome.”

The family then moved to the gold rush town of Wau from Salamaua, where Seeto Kui opened his own trade store.

“Wau has always had a very cool climate,” Mr Seeto remembers.

“I would run around, playing.

“I remember one day, when I went over a cliff and got hurt.”

In early 1942, World War 11 came to Wau with Japanese aircraft bombing the area.

“All I can remember about Wau is the bombing.

“We were glad to evacuate.”

Men women and children were to be evacuated by two aircraft but unfortunately, one of the aircraft was damaged when a vehicle accidentally struck its landing wheels, disabling it and leaving only one aircraft to take the women and children.

The men, including Seeto Kui, were forced to escape the invading Japanese by trekking the whole way from Wau to Port Moresby over the infamous Bulldog Trail.

The family was reunited in Port Moresby and then evacuated by the famous ship “Macdhui” MV to Sydney, Australia, where they stayed in a refugee camp until the war ended.

During April of 1948, the family returned to Lae by Qantas DC3 aircraft, which then took two days to arrive, with an overnight stop at the Queens Hotel, Townsville, Australia.

Seeto Kui arrived in Lae with only 100 Australian Pounds in his pocket from war compensation, and with this, he built his own trade store in the Lae Chinatown area.

He was assisted in building the store by fellow Chinese residents, displaying the community spirit that was possible in those days.

Young James Seeto commenced boarding school in Sydney during early 1950 but was recalled back to Lae in 1952 due to his father’s illness and to take over the running of the family trade store.

He has been involved in the running of the business ever since.

Seeto Kui passed away on March 18, 1972, and was buried in Lae.

James Seeto has been active in the Lae community over the years including participation in fundraising committees, social clubs and organisations, local government councils and government statutory institutions.

He has held the following positions in the past, by election, appointment, or voluntarily:
Lae Chinese Club – Foundation Member, President for many years;
Morobe Chinese Association – Foundation member, President for many years;
Lae Rotary Club – member, all directorships, President;
Lae Golf Club – member, Vice President, Life Member;
Bank of Papua New Guinea Board – board member by appointment;
Lae Harbour Board – board member by appointment;
Town Advisory Council – board member by appointment;
Lae City Council – Elected, as board member of 14 years, the various positions held from times as Executive Finance Chairman, Building Board Chairman, and Vice President.

Mr Seeto has also been a member of committees in various organisations including:
· Salvation Army;
· Red Cross Appeal;
· Heart Foundation Appeal;
· University of Technology Appeal;
· Lae Chamber of Commerce;
· Disaster appeals created as required from time to time and supported by the Seeto Kui Group of Companies.

His efforts and contribution to the community have been officially recognised with the award of an MBE in 1980, and more recently, a CSM and the PNG Anniversary Medal during 2006.

The Seeto Kui business was further developed extensively with the assistance of James’ brothers, Robert, Ronald and Danny, and included the establishment of further wholesale and distribution outlets in Lae, dealing in trade store goods, general merchandise and supermarket lines.

Additional branches were subsequently established in Port Moresby, Mount Hagen and Goroka.

The Mt Hagen and Goroka outlets have since been sold, but the business with the Highlands has in fact grown since then through trading with clients based in those areas, serviced by traveling representatives, who also travel extensively throughout the country to service customers.

James Seeto and the Seeto Kui Organisation has been involved in Mainland Plumbing Supplies (N.G.) Limited, based in Lae, since its incorporation in 1972, in both a managerial and minor equity capacity.

The majority shares in the company were purchased by the Seeto Kui organisation during 1989 and a branch has since been opened in Port Moresby.

Ardrossan Investments Pty Ltd, trading under the name of Bowmans – Lae, was purchased in 1991 and this hardware and construction business has further grown with diversification and the development of the stationery and office supplies division.

The business that was started by Seeto Kui with 100 Pounds nearly 70 years ago is now a substantial multi-million Kina business with nearly 1000 employees, distributing throughout Papua New Guinea in the grocery, variety, supermarket, plumbing supplies, hardware, construction, and stationery and office supplies market.

The Seeto Kui Organisation holds an enviable portfolio of local and overseas agencies including many internationally-recognised brands and the component of this business continues to grow.

The development of training facilities within the organisation has been highly successful with a large number of in-house training programmes on offer.

This is considered an important investment in, not only the development of the workforce, but also in the long-term success of the business.

The Seeto family has traditionally preferred to reinvest in growing the business and creating employment within Papua New Guinea, rather than transfer profits offshore.

The establishment of the Food Mart supermarket in Lae is a recent example of this policy and represented a huge investment in the local community.

The Seeto Kui Group of Companies underwent a company amalgamation during early 2005 and the organisation now trades as Seeto Kui (Holdings) Limited.

James Seeto and his family have lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for four generations and their shared vision is to continue to invest and assist in the development of Papua New Guinea for now and the future.

“Seeto Kui, from day one up until now, has never looked back,” Mr Seeto says.

“We always try to look forward.

“We keep adding.

“We keep going into trade that is compatible with our business.

“I think our company is now in a much better situation.”

Now aged 71, Mr Seeto has not retired, and remains active in running the company.

He also has a lot of time for wife Anna, children Belinda, Anthony, and Raymond, as well as his six grandchildren.

“I’m in the process of activating the next generation to take over,” he says with a smile.

“I know that I will not last forever.

“In my own way, I do my part in looking after my company, my family and our interests in Lae.”

Mr Seeto makes no secret that Papua New Guinea, and particularly Lae, is in his blood, and particularly stresses that Seeto Kui is not a “fly by night company” and is here for the long haul.

He remembers the country’s Independence in 1975 when a lot of paranoid expatriates moved out of the country.

“A lot of people moved out of Lae because they feared Independence would cause chaos and problems,” Mr Seeto says frankly.

“I stayed!

“All I can say is that the company has confidence in Papua New Guinea.

“We’d like to think that we help the country by providing employment.

“Papua New Guinea has been good to us and we hope that we, in turn, can help Papua New Guinea.

“If I wasn’t confident in the country, I would not be here now.

“I’ve been here for too long and I think Papua New Guinea is in my blood.”

A Tribute to Kumalau Tawali

His name is echoed over and over again.
Through a tribesman's heartbeat
Through the beat of the garamut
Or a crescendo of waves cascading along the shores of PNG

Sometimes you hear his name whispered
Across the silence of the ocean
Especially when the moon is high
And the turtles are on shore
Gently kicking sand in the air
But spoiling for a fight to survive

But most times you hear his name mentioned
In the classroom
And at orientation meetings
When a new batch of young men and women
Comes to colleges and universities
To study to learn and to write.

That is Kumalau Tawali.
And that is how he is known
Here in PNG
And all over the world.

In reality he is the soul of the nation.

I am always conscious of Kumalau as that man in attendance at each gathering of writers, artists, musicians, dancers and choreographers. He is the one seated at the gate and next to the garamut announcing the arrival of PNG scribes and intellectuals. The feast is at its peak. People of all walks of life come along to the gathering and Kumalau's poetry in correlative accompaniment of the garamut beat announces the presence of all.

That is how I picture those colorful days of 1970, 1971, 1972 and beyond. The poet indeed, as the dawn singer would, proclaimed the arrival of PNG Literature. At that time names such as Vincent Eri, Albert Maori Kiki, Ignatius Kilage, Michael Somare and others came into prominence through the written word. These were followed by John Kasaipwalova, Leo Hannett, John Waiko, Rabbie Namaliu, John Kadiba, Percy Chatterton, August Kituai, Wauru Degoba, Bedus Mapun, John Kaniku, Arthur Jawaodimbari, Jack Lahui, John Kolia, Bonita Jill Tiwekuri, Sally Anne Bagita, Josephine Abaijah, and Alice Wedega et al. Some years later we would hear other names such as Nora Vagi Brash, Loujaya Dunar, Toby Kagl, Michel Mel, Steven Edmund Winduo, Regis Stella, Carol Kidu, Moses Maladina and, of course, the list braces to build on.

But the poet has accomplished what he had set out to do. It was to put on record Papua New Guinea's true sentiment of what being a Papua New Guinean really means. How we feel about the weather, the environment, the topography that surrounds, the rivers we swim in and the seas that bring in a wealth of food and pleasure. How we view ourselves as contemporary citizens of our country. Kumalau said it all through his poetry, being one of the first of Papua New Guinea's poets to do so. His work is studied at universities everywhere, among them the famous poem "The Bush Kanaka Speaks", which often poses as one of the country's most significant commentaries ever made in its bid to gain political independence from Australia. His other works have been translated into many languages, and have also been represented in the pages of some of the most prestigious publications in the world.

- Russell Soaba.

Internet is the way to go for radio

We have recently been hearing a lot from our politicians about the development of radio and television stations, in an era when the Internet is now king

Our MPs should realise that computers take centre stage in the massive Information Revolution currently sweeping the globe.

In the near future, as wireless networking (Wifi) comes into play in Papua New Guinea, as in other countries, radio and television may become obsolete.

The newspaper you are reading may also follow the same trend because you don’t need to buy a newspaper when you can read it online.

Radio has played a pivotal role in our development, however, times are changing.

Internet radio is the latest technological innovation in radio broadcasting since the business began in the early 1920s.

Internet radio has been around since the late 1990s.

Traditional radio broadcasters have used the Internet to simulcast their programming.

But, Internet radio is undergoing a revolution that will expand its reach from your desktop computer to access broadcasts anywhere, anytime - and expand its programming from traditional broadcasters to individuals, organisations and government.

Radio broadcasting began in the early ‘20s, but it wasn’t until the introduction of the transistor radio in 1954 that radio became available in mobile situations.

Internet radio is in much the same place.

Until the 21st century, the only way to obtain radio broadcasts over the Internet was through your PC.

That will soon change, as wireless connectivity will feed Internet broadcasts to car radios, PDAs and cell phones.

The next generation of wireless devices will greatly expand the reach and convenience of Internet radio.

Traditional radio station broadcasts are limited by two factors:

The power of the station’s transmitter (typically 100 miles); and
The available broadcast spectrum (you might get a couple of dozen radio stations locally).

Internet radio has no geographic limitations, so a broadcaster in Wabag, Enga Province, can be heard in Japan on the Internet.

The potential for Internet radio is as vast as cyberspace itself (for example, Internet radio network Live365 offers more than 30,000 Internet radio broadcasts).

In comparison to traditional radio, Internet radio is not limited to audio.

An Internet radio broadcast can be accompanied by photos or graphics, text and links, as well as interactivity, such as message boards and chat rooms.

This advancement allows a listener to do more than listen.

The relationship between advertisers and consumers becomes more interactive and intimate on Internet radio broadcasts.

This expanded media capability could also be used in other ways.

For example, with Internet radio, you could conduct training or education and provide links to documents and payment options.

You could also have interactivity with the trainer or educator and other information on the Internet radio broadcast site.

Internet radio programming offers a wide spectrum of broadcast genres, particularly in music.

Broadcast radio is increasingly controlled by smaller numbers of media conglomerates.

In some ways, this has led to more mainstreaming of the programming on broadcast radio, as stations often try to reach the largest possible audience in order to charge the highest possible rates to advertisers.

Internet radio, on the other hand, offers the opportunity to expand the types of available programming.

The cost of getting “on the air” is less for an Internet broadcaster, and Internet radio can appeal to “micro-communities” of listeners focused on special music or interests.

What do you need to set up an Internet radio station?

CD player;
Ripper software (copies audio tracks from a CD onto a computer’s hard drive);
Assorted recording and editing software;
Microphones;
Audio mixer;
Outboard audio gear (equaliser, compressor, etc.);
Digital audio card;
Dedicated computer with encoder software; and
Streaming media server.

Getting audio over the Internet is pretty simple:

The audio enters the Internet broadcaster’s encoding computer through a sound card.

The encoder system translates the audio from the sound card into streaming format.

The encoder samples the incoming audio and compresses the information so it can be sent over the Internet.

The compressed audio is sent to the server, which has a high bandwidth connection to the Internet.

The server sends the audio data stream over the Internet to the player software or plug-in on the listener’s computer.

The plug-in translates the audio data stream from the server and translates it into the sound heard by the listener.

There are two ways to deliver audio over the Internet: downloads or streaming media.

In downloads, an audio file is stored on the user’s computer.

Compressed formats like MP3 are the most popular form of audio downloads, but any type of audio file can be delivered through a Web or FTP site.

Streaming audio is not stored, but only played.

It is a continuous broadcast that works through three software packages: the encoder, the server and the player.

The encoder converts audio content into a streaming format, the server makes it available over the Internet and the player retrieves the content.

For a live broadcast, the encoder and streamer work together in real-time.

An audio feed runs to the sound card of a computer running the encoder software at the broadcast location and the stream is uploaded to the streaming server.

Since that requires a large amount of computing resources, the streaming server must be a dedicated server.

•For feedback and comments, email malumnalu@yahoo.com or SMS 6849763/72580278.

An emotional pilgrimage

It was truly a touching and very sad moment as three Australian brothers paid tribute to an elder brother they lost 65 years ago on the bloody battlefields of Buna, Oro Province, on December 2, 1942.

Picture above shows Maurice, Roger and Robert Blake at the grave of brother William at the Bomana War Cemetary

They cried, hugged each other, and talked about the love they had for William Dennis Blake, who was barely out of his teens when killed by a Japanese sniper in Buna during the dark days of World War 11.

All of us there, including me, had tears in our eyes as we watched this truly-moving ceremony.

Private William Dennis Blake was only 20 years of age when he made the supreme sacrifice for peace whilst a member of the 2/6 Independent Company of the Australian Infantry Forces.

He left behind a heartbroken young family who have never let got of their memories.

His three surviving brothers Robert (84), Roger (80), and Maurice 77, together with nephew Bill (53), made the emotional pilgrimage to his graveyard at Bomana War Cemetary last Sunday, December 2, the 65th anniversary of his death.

Earlier, last Saturday, they flew over their brother’s battlefields of Buna and Gona.

They said a prayer for peace, read a message from their family members, and then laid a wreath on the grave of their brother.

“It’s a very sad and emotional time,” Robert said after the poignant ceremony.

“He (William) was born in Waikerie, South Australia.

“We left home when he was 14 and I was 13.

“We went to a boarding house and attended school.”

The winds of war were blowing across the world during those days of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s and both brothers joined the Australian army – William with the Infantry and Robert with the Navy.

“When we joined the army, he (William) had a horse,” Robert recalled.

“He rode the horse 120 miles to join up (with the army).

“That was quite a thing to do, to ride a horse for 120 miles.

“He trained in Victoria and Townsville before being sent to New Guinea.

“He served on the Kokoda Track and then Oro Bay.

“He was shot by a Japanese sniper at Buna.”

Robert, meantime, joined the Royal Australian Navy and served on the HMAS Corvette in the waters of New Guinea and Borneo.

He was earlier on the HMAS Adelaide when news came of the death of his beloved elder brother.

“I was in Melbourne on the HMAS Adelaide when the news came,” Robert remembers.

“You break down, that’s all, it’s really, really sad.

“My mother took it very bad, and my father, he didn’t show much because he served for four years in the Great War at Gallipoli and in France and was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry.”

William was survived by his parents, four brothers and a sister.

Robert last visited the grave of William on what would have been his 50th birthday in 1972, and since then, had been planning a pilgrimage until this year

This was the prayer read last Sunday: “Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we remember with thanks William who made the supreme sacrifice for us in time of war.

“We pray that the offering of his life may not have been in vain.

“May your Grace enable us this day to dedicate ourselves to the cause of justice, freedom and peace; and give us the wisdom and strength to build a better world.

“May your strength and peace be ours as we mourn again the loss of William, and may your peace surround us this day of remembrance.

“We make this prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

And this, the message from his many nieces and nephews, for their perennially-young uncle: “Although we never had the privilege and honour to have met you, we feel we have come to know you through your letters to the family.

“What a tremendous uncle you would have been to us.

“Today, we feel your spirit would be happy that your three brothers have come to visit your final resting place.

“So we say today:

Remembrance is a golden chain
Death tries to break
But all in vain.
To have, to love, and then to part
Is the greatest sorrow of one’s heart.
The years may wipe out many things
But some they wipe out never.
Like memories of those happy times
When we were all together.

“Uncle Bill, your legacy will never be forgotten.
“Love from your nephews, nieces and our children.”

Russell Soaba’s world

Welcome to Russell Soaba’s world.

He is the portrait of the odd man out, an individual, and a great thinker.

Russell Soaba is also one of he greatest, if not the greatest, writer in Papua New Guinea.

His works, particularly novels Maiba and Wanpis, are studied in universities all over the world by students of literature and philosophy.

Followers of the existentialism philosophy all over the world dote on the writings of Russell Soaba.

It is, however, a paradox that Russell Soaba is not even recognised in his own country Papua New Guinea for his great contribution to the country’s literature.

Only recently, he was awarded a Papua New Guinea independence medal, something that was supposed to have been given in 2000 but deferred because of the troubles on the University of PNG campus.

For this he is grateful, and adds that it is something for all the writers of Papua New Guinea, both young and old.

The 56-year-old, who speaks in parables, was born the “day after the 4th of July in 1950”.

“I think it’s about time,” he tells me in a rare interview.

“The only writer we have honoured, but in that matter for some other reason, is Sir Paulias Matane, with Michael Somare, Rabbie Namaliu, these people.

“But they are being honoured for some other reason than writing, and that’s the saddest thing.

“What these men must realise is that we deserve the same type of recognition as they do, even though they may think that the work they do differs from us.

“If you look at it closely, it all boils down to one important aspect of our society, and that is ‘communal service’.

“Every other journalist or scribe does exactly the same thing.

“So we must all be recognised on an equal footing.

“Ultimately, there is no denying that we all serve our community with the same amount of determination, commitment and dedication.

“What’s the difference between a good accountant who gets all his figures correct at the end of the day, and a writer who records the same sort of events in our lives, but in a different form?”

“It always comes back to what I always complain about.

“A writer is an unofficial ombudsman of the country.

“That means duties more in the area of human relationship.

“By that, I mean that as an ombudsman, or as an unofficial ombudsman, he does not set out to correct his neighbour, rather, what he is doing as that type of ombudsman, is lightly tapping a colleague on the shoulder and saying ‘listen brother, let’s no overdo this. It might have some negative results for both of us’.

“A writer is an ombudsman in that sense.

“He’s likely to correct a brother, who is likely to make a serious mistake.

“He’s acting more as a friend than a colleague or neighbour.”

Soaba then speaks three parables to me - that of the girl who does not serve him at Big Rooster, Asian efficiency as compared to his owned beloved country, and Alotau laziness – to point out the very serious attitude problem Papua New Guinea has.

“We as Papua New Guineans have this very bad attitude,” he says.

“If we change these bad attitudes, how much more easier, better and happier it would be?

“Looking at the way a writer looks at the society he lives in, and how he feels about certain things, why are things suddenly so wrong?

“We can’t blame the politicians too much.

“He is merely behaving like why is he a politician.

“The real wrong lies within out attitudes.

“I could write a long, long book about these bad attitudes we have as Papua New Guineans.

“You’re seeing the writer passing over as an unofficial ombudsman; a friend who cares to give some good advice because he cares about you.

“I see all of our writers as unofficial ombudsman of the society we live in.

“It comes back to the age-old slogan that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’.

“Its might is seen when there’s so much of small detail faithfully recorded without any grudges, put with a great amount of passionate zeal.

“Because of its sense of simplicity, it lasts forever.”

Soaba, Australian-educated high school student from Cape Vogel in the Milne Bay Province, talks fondly about his schooling days including the visit of Prince Charles to Martyrs Memorial High School in 1967.

“We were able to push him and given him a nudge.

“It was quite an experience.”

In 1968 and 1969, this precociously-talented Papua New Guinean was awarded an Anglican Church Scholarship to Australia to complete 11 and 12 at Baldwyn High School in Melbourne.

“Around that time I read in the Melbourne Age about 10,000 Years in a Lifetime (by Albert Maori Kiki) and I became excited about a Papua New Guinean writing a book,” Soaba tells me with emotion.

“And then I read I bit in Melbourne about Uli Bier (literature lecturer) influencing on (UPNG) campus.

“Even when I qualified to enter any Australian university then, I discovered that it would be far more exciting if I came back to UPNG.

“I was able to terminate the church scholarship, come back, and apply for government scholarship at the university.

“In 1970, I became so excited meeting Leo Hannett, Uli Bier, Arthur Jawodimbari, Rabbie Namaliu, a certain angry student politician called John Kasaipwalova, and a certain angry young man from outside called Michael Somare.

“These people I felt thrilled in meeting in person in the years 1970 and 1971.

“And of course, the personality who really thrilled me most was Vincent Eri, author of the first Papua New Guinean novel called The Crocodile.

“There was another quite personality I felt proud to meet: that was the poet Kumulau Tawali, and also another poet called Jack Lahui.

“In a way, I felt proud to be among this famous group of PNG writers.

“That was it.

“Since then I attended Uli Bier’s creative writing classes.

“He exercised that same sort of influence he had in Nigeria.

“His presence merely motivated PNG writers to emerge into worldwide recognition like Vincent Eri, Albert Maori Kiki, and the plays of Leo Hannett, Arthur Jawodimbari and John Kasaipwalova.

“Writing flourished at that time.

“Since then I have enjoyed the privilege of being among these famous people.

“Since then, of course, I consider myself as a writer.

“But whether or not a successful or great writer, that is highly questionable.”

Soaba’s greatest works are Wanpis (1977) and Maiba 1986 – studied all over the world - and poem anthologies Naked Thoughts (1978 and Kwamra (2000), among various others.

“Since then, I sort of became lazy, not really lazy, but too much of teaching commitments,” he laughs.

“As such, much of the writing that I do has dwindled.

“It’s good to work and write at the same time.”

The government, Soaba feels, must give more support to writers.

“What the government of Papua New Guinea must do is institutionalise a writers’ and artists’ endowment fund, a grant programme,” he tells me.

“The government of PNG has no choice but do what is honourable by creating a grant programme for our writers and artists throughout the country.

“There is a place where this can be housed.

“This is the National Cultural Commission.

“The National Cultural Commission does have a Literature Board.

“What the government needs to do is use the literature board as the clearing house for this grant programme.

“The Somare government must recognise that, along with any government that comes along into power.

“It’s only honourable that they entertain it, support it in the best way possible.

“Consider the percentage of tax that government solicits out from business houses, companies, corporations.

“What I would ask for is 2 per cent tax money to go towards the writers’ grant scheme.

“The government can enjoy its 98 per cent.

“We have been ignored for too long.”

I ask Soaba about how he describes in writing, which I – personally – would describe as way beyond its time.

“My writing is highly personal, very intimate,” he replies,

“It addresses the individual man than the community as a whole.

“This is because I believe that this is where things start.

“Everything starts off with an individual and progresses to two people, on three, and then the community.

“Also, the characters that I create are these Papua New Guinean individuals.

“So really, if I concentrate on an individual, that doesn’t mean that I am working alone.

“In fact I’m speaking for the whole population.

“Each of these individuals gets born, cries to be heard, becomes an individual, and becomes a Papua New Guineans man or woman.

“Their fears, the hardships that they go through, their romantic experiences, tragedies, and all these things that is most human to us.”

So how this he feel about his books being studied all over the world by students of literature and philosophy?

“The books themselves are studied not only in literature out there, but also in philosophy, social work and cultural studies.

“There are a great number of universities throughout the world who use the novel Maiba as a textbook.

“There is a women’s university in the USA who use the book Maiba every now and then as a textbook.

“I recall how pleased I felt with that school at one time.

“The principal wrote to me about the book, and that they were happy to teach the book at the school, they regarded me as an up-and-coming African woman writer.

“I replied and said ‘thank you’,” Soaba laughs wickedly.

His future

“I am really anxious to publish one more novel before I call it quits

“I have had an offer from an Italian publisher who wants to translate Maiba and Wanpis into Italian.

“I also have recently selected a biographer to write my biographer.

“The other thing I would like to add is that I want to encourage our young writers of today to write seriously about us as Papua New Guineans.

“Give ourselves some kind of identity on the face of the world.”

About Aaron Hayes

Aaron Hayes first came to Papua New Guinea in 1997 to work with the Education Department as a guidance officer.

Part of his job involved providing careers counselling to students in the secondary schools, and helping them prepare for life after Grade 10 or 12.

Hayes wrote a book called the PNG School Leaver's Handbook which is still available in schools.

“In the book I tried to present all kinds of ideas for young people to be self-employed in the village instead of hanging around unemployed in the towns,” he says.

“While researching village tourism for the Handbook I found out that hardly any tour companies were offering village-based tourism products to overseas travel agents and tour wholesalers.

“When I enquired, tour operators said that village tourism was unreliable, difficult to book and difficult to sell.

“They also said they couldn't make any profit out of it because village guest houses didn't pay commissions to agents who send them tourists.”

Hayes took the bull by the horn, and when he finished his contract with the Education Department at the end of 2002, he decided to stay in Papua New Guinea and start up two companies.

One is PNG Development Services which helps design community projects and business ventures for people in rural areas and the other company is Ecotourism Melanesia. Ecotourism Melanesia is an inbound tour company which specialises in sending tourists into the rural areas of PNG.

“My company has a policy that every one of our tours must include at least one night in a village guest house or rural lodge, no matter ‘how high’ the tourist is,” Hayes says.

“We offer tours all over PNG and also do Kokoda Trail trekking.

“My main aim was to prove that village tourism could be successfully packaged and sold through travel agents all over the world and I have already proven this because my company is growing after four years.

“My main frustration is that I cannot do enough to promote village tourism in PNG because I am only one person and one small tour company.”

In 2004, Hayes and a few like-minded people set up a non-profit organisation to help village people get involved in ecotourism and to help market PNG village guest houses overseas.

This organisation is the Community-Based Tourism Foundation of PNG Inc.

The organisation plans to run proper training for village guest house operators with training books and videos in Tok Pisin, and have its own website with all the village guest houses in PNG listed on the website and provide a booking service for all the guest houses, and market village tourism on the internet.

“We printed an awareness pamphlet about village tourism and distributed the pamphlet through provincial tourism officers and we have been flooded with hundreds and hundreds of letters from village people all over the country requesting help and advice on village-based tourism,” Hayes says.

“What an opportunity to help the rural people!

“But the CBTF only ran well for a year with funding from the Tourism Promotion Authority and since then we have been unable to get any more funding so the Community-Based Tourism Foundation is currently inactive.

“Letters continue to arrive every week asking for help but we are unable to respond at the moment.

“This was the only organisation dedicated to supporting the growth of the village guest house industry in PNG so it is sad that this organisation cannot be better supported.

“Requests for help sent to various donors and government departments have not been answered.”