Until June 3, an exhibition of "Contemporary Art of the South Pacific" is being held at the Gallery of the Alliance Francaise de Sydney. TABAH SILAU, a Papua New Guinean painter, activist and member of the provincial government of Madang, spoke to SAM STATHAM about his art and the situation in PNG.
What is the purpose of the exhibition?
We have representatives from Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia and PNG. The artists have been influenced by their cultural heritage and their social situations. The exhibition was supported by sponsors in Sydney as well as in the Pacific islands to increase Sydney's exposure to these new art forms.
What experiences have influenced your art?
I come from Umun village in Madang province, on the edge of the operations of the Japanese timber company JANT. My works depict the traditional livelihood of my people as three dimensional narratives of stories and legends, dancing, gardening, cooking, ceremonies and traditional themes.
As a child I never saw a car, and at the age of nine I still wore the tapa loincloth. I used to hear and see many birds and animals in the forest next to my village. Now, the future generations in PNG can no longer enjoy what I grew up with, and this is partly why the boys in the city become rascals, because they are alienated from the values of traditional society.
I am a product of the past and see modern society as corrupt and selfish. My art tries to keep the heritage so that people will be able to see who we once were, and preserve our identity.
What role does your art play in the struggles of land holders in your area?
My band has played for the NANGO (National Alliance of NGOs) AGM in 1991, as well as students at the Wau Ecology Institute and the University.
I also play in the local villages, though what I say often creates fights. But in PNG you can't communicate with print media, and most people can't afford a radio. Performance is the best way to get to the people who really need to be reached, but it is difficult.
What changes have been occurring since the election of Julian Chan as prime minister last year?
Firstly, Julius Chan is a founder of the "People's Progress Party", which is responsible for several logging empires. When Paias Wingti came to power, he set up a committee, the National Forest Authority, which was to consider the environmental impact of logging proposals. Julius Chan seeks to abolish the NFA and give these powers to his forest minister!
At the same time the PPP is known to operate several logging firms in PNG, and will gain more power through timber wealth.
Secondly, Julius Chan seeks to abolish provincial government. Provincial government was created by John Momis from Bougainville as the only avenue for the people to have a sense of representation.
The representatives in Port Moresby completely forget the people that put them in power. They buy houses, and have so many perks and privileges and never speak to the people. The Bougainville war started because of the centralised government, which would not address the issues affecting the people of Bougainville.
They say it is duplication of government, but the budget of the provincial government is hardly on a par with the thousands of kina that go into the ministers' pockets. Each gets funds totalling K500,000 to dispose of as he pleases, even to his wife. This system is what the government wants to keep by abolishing the provincial governments.
The government should make up its mind, whether to listen to the people who elected it, or to some Korean timber investor or Australian mining company.
Can the government control rascalism through force?
No, unless the government addresses the real needs of the people. My poems and paintings give a sense of belonging and identity. But how do you do that in a society in which a minority steals money from the public purse, from the people's land, selling timber reserves, fishing rights, mining leases?
In this society you create a minority that becomes rich, and a majority that becomes poor. You make a class distinction. You alienate and frustrate people. You see the politician with a flashy car and nice things, but no time to talk. So you take things.