Today
West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda with some other members of the Free
West Papua Campaign visited Brighton where Benny gave a talk at local Radio Station, Radio Reverb.
After
playing a traditional song, Benny spoke of the terrible suffering in Indonesian
occupied West Papua and how music was being used to spread the message of
freedom from colonialism to the rest of the world. Benny said that music was
very important in Papuan and all Pacific culture, despite many Papuan songs
being banned by the Indonesian government.
After
the radio interview was held, Benny gave a talk at a Brighton University
lecture theatre and many students and others came to listen to the message about
the Free West Papua struggle.
Benny
talked about the history of West Papua and how it came to be illegally occupied
by Indonesia. He shared the message of the West Papuan people, who are
suffering 21st Century colonialism under Indonesian rule. Although colonialism
is ending all around the world, West Papua in the Pacific is still struggling
against Indonesia's colonialism of Melanesian West Papua.
After
speaking, Benny received a standing ovation and the audience joined him in
singing another traditional Papuan song.
Many
ideas were raised about how further support from Brighton and around the world
can be raised for West Papua to be free. A university lecturer suggested that
everyone commit to explaining to 5 friends about West Papua and making sure that
they told 5 of their friends to do the same too!
Benny
and all the audience felt that the message for a Free West Papua was spread and
recieved very strongly with a lot of more support expected from Brighton and
the University.
We
would also like to mention and thank Sam Mui, a University student from the
Solomon Islands who helped to organise this event. With his fellow students
they raised a lot of awareness about West Papua and the talk today.
We would like to thank everyone who attended the event and all those who continue to support West Papua to be free.
We would like to thank everyone who attended the event and all those who continue to support West Papua to be free.
One
day, we are sure that it finally will be!
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