In January 2006, 43 West Papuan people arrived on Australian shores by boat to seek asylum.
In March of that year, 42 of them were granted temporary protection visas and settled in Melbourne with the final community granted protection a few months later.
A few months later, the Lombok Treaty was established. Signed by the Australian Foreign Minister at the time, Alexander Downer, and Indonesian Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, this provided Indonesia with access to intelligence in Australia on West Papua.
“Because of the arrival of the 43, the 2006 Lombok Treaty was created, about state security and how Australia couldn’t talk about Indonesia’s internal affairs, including West Papua,” says Cyndi Makabory, a Biak and Waropen woman from West Papua.
She and fellow artist Yasbelle Kerkow (iTaukei Fijian vasu Batiki, Lomaiviti) have been working on a project for two years called Kal angam-kal: Stories from West Papua. It was initiated on 1st December 2021 — the anniversary of the unifying symbol of West Papua, the Morning Star flag.
In a series of video works, six young people interviewed West Papuans Elders as a way to reclaim that story. Some even chose to interview their parents, who were part of the original 43 West Papuans, documenting never-before-held conversations.
It’s a powerful intergenerational moment that sheds light on their journey to and within Australia.
Creating space for intergenerational conversations
“That’s how West Papuan culture is — we are oral storytellers,” says Makabory.
As a West Papuan Youth Leader and recent law graduate, she has played a significant role in connecting generations within her community in this project.
“Cyndi started going to Elders’ houses and getting kids in the community to interview them using her smartphone. The youngest of the kids were 12 back then [in 2021],” says Kerkow.
Makabory, Kerkow and workshop facilitator Folole Tupuola — who met through grass roots advocacy group, the Pacific Climate Warriors — developed a community-engaged process to give the young participant’s confidence in interviewing the Elders.
“These kids have been raised in this struggle and so it was about supporting them with the right tools to talk about this,” says Kerkow.
Through a series of workshops conducted at a youth centre, they encouraged the young people to open up and talk about their culture, while also allowing them time to connect with each other on a personal level. They were provided with media training, participated in banner-making and grew their understanding of social media and activism.
“Before going into the workshops, I would chat to Yas and Cyndi about designing activities suitable for West Papuan kids, rather than getting them to do an activity that was not relevant to them,” says Tupuola.
Kerkow says that, before long, other parents and kids started to find out about the workshops, including Papua New Guinean families.
“The broader Melanesian community were waiting for an activity like this to happen,” she says.
ABC Art Works presenter Namila Benson — a Melbourne-born Tolai woman from Rabaul in Papua New Guinea — also mentored the youth on interview techniques, encouraging them to research the Elders prior to filming.
“The Elders weren’t sure about the project, but the work we had done with young people at the workshops and the film crew present made it professional and gave them reassurance in the project,” says Makabory.
Also, speaking on screen required some adjustment for the community participants.
“Being vulnerable in front of the camera was new to some of the Elders, especially those who did the interviews in front of their kids. I learnt so much from Yas and her artistic expertise.”
Self-determination through storytelling
For many communities, particularly in film, their stories are often framed by Western directors. In contrast, this ground-breaking exhibition has been led by Pasifika creatives, with the West Papuan community sharing their perspective on their terms.
“The importance of being Pacific people gives us a sense of solidarity around self-determination. That’s my motivation to do this as a Samoan person,” says Tupuola.
“There is something powerful about keeping the fight alive within the diaspora.”
There was a real sense from Kerkow, Makabory and Tupuola that Pasifika communities work with a collective mindset, and that authentic representation through community-first practices was at the heart of filming this project.
It was conducted at a gradual pace, ensuring the community was brought on the journey through regular meetings.
Even the exhibition title itself Kal angam-kal — referencing the Indigenous Amungme tribe of Timika, West Papua — was derived from consultations held during community meetings to ensure ownership over key decision-making.
As first-time filmmakers, the lead artists leant on community support to find their feet, including a residency through Melbourne’s West-based organisation Cinespace. The exhibition will be held at Footscray Community Arts, a community-engaged arts precinct with long ties to Pasifika communities through their presentation of the Contemporary Pacific Arts Festival.
“It’s an honour to work on this project. All these parents trusted us with their kids. It has been life-changing,” says Kerkow.
“I feel proud to be Fijian and work in solidarity on this project.”
It’s clear that, through their empowering approach, Kerkow, Makabory and Tupuola have established themselves as up-and-coming leaders — an inspiration to the younger generations, Elders and each other.
“When I saw Cyndi as a Melanesian woman behind the camera, it felt so inspiring,” says Kerkow.
Celebrating Melanesian artistry
The exhibition has three parts: “Roots” referring to West Papua; “Currents” about the journey to Australia; and “Ripples” depicting life in Australia.
Personal archives and news footage are featured, as well as a soundscape produced by Wantok Music’s David Bridie, featuring songs from West Papuan folk-based musical group Mambesak, pop group Black Brothers and Arnold Ap (who is the leader of Mambesak, and a notable historical figure).
A lot of care has been taken to represent the community effectively within a contemporary arts landscape.
“Islanders are inherently artistic, but we don’t see ourselves largely in the arts in Australia,” says Kerkow.
“It was an artistic choice to collaborate with professional filmmakers to ensure Melanesian people’s beauty was shown.”
Makabory and Kerkow are excited to engage with the community throughout the exhibition’s run, and to raise the awareness of the West Papuan cause.
“We are hoping there will be more talks about West Papua and conversations about the struggle within the wider Australian community. And for these conversations to keep going between the young people and the Elders,” says Makabory.
“There’s not a lot of us [West Papuans] in Australia, [but] the kids now have a deeper connection after this; this project has really brought them together. It has been a privilege to do this work.”
Posted 1 Nov 20231 Nov 2023, updated 1 Nov 2023
Australia West Papua Association Adelaide 