THE LITERATURE OF HIGHER LAWS

                                                                      

No one feels and knows the impact of good literature until he or she experiences it first hand.

When we read Alice Wedega we think we are reading stuff that is conservative, out-dated, irrelevant. But the teachings of this great woman remain as powerfully contemporaneous as ever. When she says, for example, that for a Milne Bay woman the choice is either to serve God or marry, she ain't kidding.

There are no in-betweens.  The in-betweens usually spell disaster. Those that are descendants of this great writer must therefore be extremely careful how they conduct themselves and the life style they choose to lead. You either are married or are serving God.

In a Sophoclean drama things are much more tragic than that. Antigone, following the rules of those higher laws, marches forward to meet her fate. In a Shakespearean tragedy it is wise to take heed of the lessons imparted in a young general who calls his would be followers "curs", or a mighty general misled into thinking that his young bride is unfaithful.

And so with us in our country. And how we regard literature.

For those who study literature know that as far as the laws are concerned you are the invisible legislators, your are the unofficial ombudsmen of your society. The literature you create remains as powerful as Shakespeare had willed it in composing Coriolanus or Othello.

And so the message left by Alice Wedega remains as powerful as ever. Listen, and you will never go wrong.

                                                                                        

TALKING ABOUT MY PORT MORESBY

                                              
O friend
O fellow mariner
How can I ever forget you?
At 16 I sailed into your harbour
tired, hungry, lost somewhat
yet fascinated when I woke up the next day
from the Koki Mission Station
to look upon your stilled waters again
your ever enduring beauty.

There and then did I first
set my sight upon you
my eternal lover

I will never forget you
I will never abandon you
my Port Moresby!

                                    
I first set my foot on Port Moresby's soil at 16. The township then was the most beautiful in the Territory. There were no such places as Tokarara, Gerehu, Waigani, Erima or Morata. These were bush, the hunting grounds of the Motu/Koitabus. 

In fact, as recently as the 70s we could see some maganis come out at dawn, lick their paws before the morning sun and start chomping away at the lawn that surrounded the Waigani campus. That is how fresh and hygienic Port Moresby was then.

Today, the whole city is so overridden with trash and filth not a single one of our so-called "social engineers" knows how to clean the mess up. Sad... so sad.

                                        
This post is dedicated to Gerard Dogimab and Michael Midiwabu.                

NIGHTFALL

                                                                           

 A poem by Naka Tauna

Darkness steals across the sky

An explosion of colours on the horizon

Lit fires dot the island, mothers hush children

Aroma of smoked fish mingled with coconut milk

Smoke spirals endlessly towards the heavens

A musician’s tune drifts slowly on the breeze

Scent of jasmine and frangipani saturates the air

                                                                      

A lone fisherman pulls up his catch

Creatures of the night stir and fly hither

Echoes of distant thunder

                                                                             

Swaying palm trees whisper softly to the wind

Rain comes falling

A moist blanket encompassing all

The stillness of the night is drowned

Cool southerlies calm the storm

Billowing clouds disintegrate like vapour

A slight breeze settles the windswept beach

                                                                                  

The silence is captivating

A silver sphere rises majestically

Covering the sky in abundant light

An eerie glow illuminates the earth

Shards of light spill softly thru thatched roofs

Filtering thru windows, toying with dark shadows

Playing havoc with one’s imagination

Cicadas and crickets lead the crescendo

Fireflies resemble floating fairy lights

                                                                             

Night fishermen gather quietly

Waves lap gently, canoes side by side

Paddles slice thru water

Following a shimmering path

Ghostly apparitions disappearing into the mist

A lone owl hoots overhead

Black figures materialize out of the shadows

Silhouettes of women drift endlessly

Onward towards a secret destination

Children slumber with dreams of a new day

                                                                       

Milne Bay Cultural Day

Photos: Artie Soaba using the Blackberry.

The UPNG Milne Bay Students Union recorded yet another success story by fall of evening Saturday, 29th September 2012, at its cultural day celebrations observed at the Bisini Softball grounds.

Hundreds of participants turned up for the occasion bringing the anticipated heart warming presence of parents and supporters for the Milne Bay student population of the Waigani campus. Never before had each parent or stall participant left the festivities much, much more satisfied.

Traditional dances, mainly those of the surrounding township of Alotau (Tawala), combined with the Dobu and Misima performances became the highlight of the day. This was coupled with modern day popular individual singers and musical bands from the province. Virtually all the students walked away from the Bisini field content.

And so they should be.

                                                                        

Earlier in the year and throughout the President of the students’ union, Chester  Tolo'ube, ensured that his students benefited from each fund raising venture. These were observed similarly throughout the city: in the form barbeques, clean-a-thon activities and solicits of monies and gifts from individuals and charity organizations. Each small contribution gathered added up as the year wore on.

All that would culminate at the Bisini festivities that Saturday, of course.

The aim of such student union activities covers a lot of areas of paramount importance in the general trends of development in Papua New Guinea. One area of note and in the words of Chester Tolo’ube, is this: “To visit all the high schools in the Milne Bay this year in a drive to empower students in their studies and hopefully to boost the number of Milne Bay students entering tertiary institutions.”

And the President further substantiates that remark: “The funds we raised last year were used to buy four computer sets for the four secondary schools; Cameron, Hagita, Holy Name and Wesley. We also talked to the students of the variety of courses offered at UPNG and encouraged them to aim for university education.”     

                                                                           

To that call, there were individuals who responded favourably.  Senior members of the Milne Bay communities living in Port Moresby, such as Mr Allan Tarua, took up the challenge in organizing meetings and similar group activities to bring awareness to all the communities at large that the objectives of groups such as this student union were important. The response noted there was positive as much as favourable.

The end benefits for such ventures in participation are also worth noting. Says Mr. Tarua, “It is not only a matter of helping our students fund raise. Such activities also give us the opportunity of catching up with all the wans in POM city whom we hardly get to see.”

Even the stall owners walked away from Bisini much satisfied. One such stall owner claimed by 11.30pm the same evening that she was still counting coins from the day’s takings.

Overall, the entire cultural day of festivities was a success. Although the students’ union reported little participation from the MP’s of the Milne Bay Province, that can be understood as much of the year was taken up and absorbed by the National elections.  The Governor together with the member for Alotau Open donated K5, 000 and K2, 000 respectively. Fingers crossed some better participation will come from that sector next year.
     

                                       

Text: first published by Post Courier, Monday 1st October, 2012.