INTO MUSIC

 

In 1992 after the first cease fire when the PNG security forces were back on the Island again the fighting was very hot in parts of Morgen junction, Tunuru, Loloho and Arawa. Three choppers had been flying back and forth over my village. When they came through we used to run to the bushes or under houses so that they wouldn’t see us.

I was in my early twenties at the time. One particular week we saw one chopper dropping leaflets, lots of them and they looked like birds been shots in the air and dropping downwards lifeless.  Out of curiosity we rushed to where we could get a good view and than we managed to pick a few of them up.

It read: THE MOST DANGEROURS MILITANT ELEMENT IS CHRIS UMA AND HIS BAND OF MILITANTS. They killed innocent people, men and women like pigs.

Wah, Chris Uma is from the next valley to ours, however I hadn’t met him personally and didn’t know him well at that time. We knew him as a BRA B Company Commander and a freedom fighter. Never the less, nobody took any action in bringing him to the security forces or us going down to the care centre for safety as they mentioned on the leaflet.

Later on when I got to know him well I didn’t know that he played guitar or is interested in music. When we talked about music briefly he used to tell me that he likes one of my struggle or freedom songs best. In 2011 when I was working on my film Saving Our Land I made an appointment to interview him. After the interview he told me that he and his boys are buying musical instruments and that only drums are yet to be bought.

This year when he saw me in Arawa, he called me and said that they bought the drums already and they will have a talent night on Saturday. He invited me to go over to section 5, so I went there with my three brothers. Upon arrival there were some young boys singing but we couldn’t locate him. One of my brothers went over to his house and called him, telling him that Clive is here and wants to see him play and sing.

After a few other bands his band went on to the stage, The Karioi Band. I was very surprised because I haven’t seen him playing the guitar and singing before, so it was a great moment. His first song is about the long leg bird, which used to follow the river we call Kovi and the second song is a song of freedom, followed on by a few others.

Later he told me and my brothers that when he plays guitar and sings with the boys he feels better and has peace of mind from the jungle of politics. Here we are, music is playing its part into turning a Freedom fighter or the most dangerous militant into a peace loving Mekamuian.

SUNRISE GUESTHOUSE ARAWA

The owner and managing director of Sunrise Guesthouse in Arawa told me that he offers the best rate for his Guesthouse which is affordable for anyone who comes to visit Arawa or passes by to go to Buin, Siwai or even from Solomon and vice versa.

One thing that stuck me most is, the kitchen provides and cooks local food like taro, yam, potato, banana and vegetables. Many locals who come late in the night from working outside of Arawa, when they don’t want to start up a fire and don’t want to eat rice, they go to Sunrise Guesthouse kitchen for dinner. It is also very cheap.

Mr Nathan Miringtoro told me that before the war he never thought about running the Guesthouse but when the peace came about he then changed what he run as a store to a guesthouse because he saw the need for accommodation in Arawa when rebuilding Bougainville.

He personally doesn’t want mining, he mentioned that the government should make the agriculture sector a first priority and put more money towards it, as all works of life will be employed, not like in the mining industry. He stated that after the war there were more widows and they can’t work at the mine, they work at the subsistence farming.

He further commented that tourism is the best as we will save our land and preserve our culture. It is the best gold and copper so the government should put more into tourism as well. With tourism there will be no bloodshed as in gold and copper.

He welcomes any visitors to Arawa to come and try out his guesthouse and the local food. On the security side, he says, this is not Port Moresby, this is Arawa people are friendly and it is safe for anyone.

 

BUIN MONTIES GUEST HOUSE

I jumped on a 3-ton truck from Arawa to go to Buin. The road was not good as from Arawa to Buka, there were bridges but one in particular was in need of replacing the timbers. This highway has been closed for a couple of years when there was the internal fighting among the Wisai people but after the cease-fire was signed last year it opened again. This is a good thing for the people of Buin because they used to travel to Siwai and Nagovis to go to Arawa and Buka, which is a longer way.

We reached Buin in the evening so I was a little taken by surprise that there are many changes since my visit in 2005. More shops and mobile telephone services and a Police station. There are a few Guest Houses, I went straight to my contact and we went to the first Guest House but the owners were out so we went to the next one the Monties Guest House, it is run by Anthony Montai and he called it Monties.

I checked into the Monties and got the room for K120 per night with breakfast and dinner. The food was so good so I was not hungry for the two nights I was there. Anthony arranged a transport for me and the contact David to go to Kangu beach the next day.

After returning back from Kangu beach I went to Buin Hospital. When I last visited the Hopsital in 2005 it was in bad condition but now some overseas volunteers where there and it  is much better. I talked with one of the nurses and went to the children’s ward than gave 3 presents to the 3 babies.

I met many friends whom I had known during the war and after the war. The next day Anthony Montai again arranged transport for me back to Arawa, he is well known with the truck owners and other drivers. There is a live TV to watch latest happenings in the world so when you are thinking of going to Buin, the last place they say on Bougainville check out Monties Guest House.

SIWAI

Siwai is in the South West of Bougainville. I was in Siwai for one week filming a homecoming film for a Siwai man.

As to Bougainville culture and especially to the people of Siwai when a relative or brother, sister or whatever in the family has been away for long there will be cultural ceremony as in this case.

I went to visit Monoitu Hospital and was moved because everything was run down, no mattress, no mats etc. The Dr in charge took me around the wards. There were two newborn babies in there so I gave them each a beani from the friend who gave them to me to give to my fellow island babies. In fact the sad thing about the two babies is, one got only two toes and the other can’t suck the milk from her mums breast so the Dr and nurses had to feed the baby from the cup.

The most unforgettable thing about Siwai is the sweet pinnaple and Abika with pitpit when you go there on the right season.

However travelling to Arawa and Buka from Siwai is a pain in the neck because the roads were in bad condition and the bridges in Nagovis area were broken down so when it rains and flooded they have to wait hours but that is life and you will get used to it. That’s Bougainville.

 

WOMEN PROTEST MARCH ARAWA

On the 23rd of February I was in Arawa when a women saw me and said: I know you make films so I am inviting you to film our protest march tomorrow.

I asked her some details what the protest march was about than she told me that it is about the loss of 47 Bougainvilleans in a single day on the MV Rabaul Queen off the coast of Morobe, Png on the 2nd of February.

She told me that they want the Bougainville Autonomous Government to build schools such as Universities and colleges on Bougainville so that Bougainville students will not have to go faraway for education. I told her that the Government will say there is no money the only way is to re-open the mine, so you the leaders must have something to say when it comes to that.

The march started from North Nasioi Council of Elders office and ended up at Mari mari haus lotu where they presented a petition to the member for North Nasioi and minister for Agriculture in the ABG Linus Daku.

Three ABG ministers from Central Bougainville were there, upon receiving the petition Minister L Daku said that they will bring the matter to the cabinet this month and cabinet will look into it.

Everyone was concerned that day that the Government must do something about the schools because there are no higher schools on Bougainville.

However, the leader lady of Education told them that there was no money to go forward and build the Universities and colleges and that Panguna mine must be re-opened. So she appealed to the Panguna landowners but she was cut off by Mekamui Commander Chris Uma that Panguna won’t re-open and that made the hundreds of women and men give a big cheer.

The most moving part was when the survivors arrived from Buka, those from Kieta Central Bougainville. This ceremony took place at the youth centre.

                                               Photo credit: Jacob Ienu

People cried and cried when they remembered the relatives lost or their sons and daughters who didn’t make it. There were prayers and services held, the religion comes in to play its part to give hope and comfort in times like this.

                                                   Photo Credit: Jacob Ienu

                                                    Photo Credit: Jacob Ienu

SAM KAUONA RECONCILIATION

On the 28th of February I made an arrangement to go to Dantani to film the Damako Genesis School or actually I was there last year but the students were out on Holidays so for the film to look better the students must be in the class. Therefore, Clytus the head of the school arranged the transport to pick me up in Arawa. When we arrived at the school there were a lot more people than I expected, the men were sitting in a small building and the women were busy preparing food.

 

I thought Mmh this is something special but to do what I was there for I took out my camera and told Clytus that I wanted to film the students and started filming. After I had taken enough footage I saw Josephine Kauona the wife of former BRA Commander and asked her what was happening? She told me that she and her husband where making reconciliation or some kind of ceremony to the BRAs and the people of that area to say thank you for looking after them during the war.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                    Kare kara

It was an emotional one because after the peace was signed Sam and Josi had been far away from the BRAs and the people they had been so close to and who were like family members to them during the war. Most of the BRAs or bodyguards for Sam were young in those days but now they are in their 40s and 50s.

The ceremony started with speeches from Sam Kaouna, the chiefs, BRAs and the women than it ended up with Kare kara or eating betel nuts and finally sharing of food and pigs. Another life has begun, the BRAs and the people were happy that Sam and his wife came up with the idea of making this small ceremony and the BRAs and the people will have stories to tell their kids when they are getting old.

AITA

My brother told me that a friend of his will go to a village in Aita and asked me if I wanted to come with them to take some pictures. I said yes and off we went. After the Aita river bridge we turned left. We followed the road, which as usual in Mekamui/Bougainville was not good for cars but fit for landcruzers and four-wheel drives.

After some time a guide stopped us and hoped on the truck. We drove til we came to the village, the villagers were in the church so we waited for them. Some joined in.

The people came to see us after the church. I went straight to the Aita River and took some shots. Finally I had a chance to talk to the leader of the women group over there. My question was: What is it like now after the war?

She told me that they have the freedom that they didn’t have before though there are some internal problems.  The village is near the Aita river and below the mountains so they enjoy the beauty of the Island at its best.

With the chiefs and some men we had taro and corn, we sayed goodbye to them and headed back to Arawa.