Strengthening the voices of human rights defenders in the media: A case study on addressing sorcery accusation related violence in Papua New Guinea

Civil society and human rights defenders in Papua New Guinea have played an important role in bringing about legislative changes with regard to domestic and sorcery accusation related violence in recent years. Their insights in understanding how to address complex issues at the community level when accusations occur have also proven crucial to keeping people safe and providing processes to hold perpetrators accountable. However, the mainstream media has rarely reported on their stories and included their voices in the reporting of sorcery accusation related violence. They have focused on exposing the problem, often by showcasing the horrific nature of some of the crimes related to accusations, instead of further investigating possible solutions. In this paper we explore our work with human rights defenders to capture their experiences around sorcery accusations and violence and provide ways to bring their stories into the mainstream media. In particular, we explore questions around the ethics of representation when it comes to reporting human rights abuses and violence and suggest alternative ways of reporting

'I want to buy my own block of land': Representation of urban settlement communities in Papua New Guinea

Urban settlements are home to around half the urban population of Papua New Guinea. Since the end of the Second World War, PNG towns and cities have experienced significant growth of urban settlements. Urban dwellings were established on customary and untransformed state lands. With limited support for services from government, informal settlements in the urban landscape have often been perceived from the perspective of their deficiencies. However, residents of urban settlement communities play an important role in urban economies. The purpose of this article is to critically review perceptions of settlements and issues affecting settlement communities in PNG, both in the mainstream media and from within settlement communities. The authors first present a media content analysis of reporting on settlement communities on PNG’s main online media sites. Second, they examine urban market vendors’ personal experiences of the challenges and solutions of living in Kamkumung Settlement in Lae. Drawing on storytelling and photovoice workshops with market vendors at Awagasi market, they argue for the need for media actively to include the voices of settlement residents. The article suggests that, by better understanding the context and personal experience of residents, journalists and the media could make a stronger contribution to sustainable development and urban planning in PNG

Kapori: Researching local responses to sorcery accusation–related violence in Papua New Guinea through Indigenous storytelling

This article explores kapori, an Indigenous form of storytelling to investigate and report experiences, motivations, responses, and challenges of sorcery accusation–related violence (SARV) by the Yuri people, a tribal group from the Papua New Guinea highlands. SARV is attributed to the belief that some people use supernatural powers to cause illness, deaths, or misfortunes to a community and, therefore, become targets of violent accusations. We outline the rationale for incorporating kapori into SARV research and discuss the findings from a storytelling workshop with 14 participants representing 13 clans of Yuri. The findings suggest that key strategies for curbing SARV include building community capacity to respond to the challenges of SARV, addressing the physical and emotional scars of SARV, and valuing collective interventions to prevent SARV. The use of kapori in this research helped to diversify, expand, and circulate Yuri narratives about SARV to support prevention strategies

Awareness community theatre: A local response to HIV and AIDS in Papua New Guinea

This essay examines the Tokaut AIDS Awareness Community Theatre (ACT) model for HIV prevention and its application in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Key to the ACT approach was realising early on that the HIV epidemic was not only a medical issue, but also a social one. This essay explores the development of locally devised theatre content that highlights participation and agency as important to the approach. Five key considerations for sustained community theatre approaches emerged from the process. These include: the process of co-creating scripts, designing culturally relevant content, implementing a layered approach, engaging in a multi-sectoral approach and generating site-specific creative developments. The theoretical framing of this essay was drawn from concepts of community theatre and dramaturgy

Yumi Kirapim Senis - Our images, our actions (CSCM Photo Booklet Series)

Our Images, Our Actions shares the stories of people who have been actively involved in addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in their communities. It is part of a larger research and media initiative – Yumi Kirapim Senis – focused on GBV in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This photo booklet presents twenty photographs accompanied by narratives capturing people’s personal experiences, and how they have been directly affected or confronted with violence, as well the solutions they have developed

I Gat Halivim I Stap - Young and Positive

Like many young women Esther came to know she had HIV when she was pregnant. She was severely ill when she was diagnosed and through the support of others came to learn she was suffering from TB. Close to death she followed a strict treatment regime for both HIV and TB from which she defaulted. Having a HIV negative baby, Esther has found the most important support from her aunt ‘Big Mama’ and staff at St Therese Clinic in Port Moresby. Esther now takes her medication faithfully and works as a peer educator providing encouragement to others who face similar challenges. I Gat Halivim I Stap is part of Young & Positive, a series of short films about three young women living with HIV. Collectively and individually they share their experiences of the diagnosis, treatment, fear of death, pregnancy and parenthood, TB, education and making a future, and the possibility of living a normal life. Their inspirational stories weave together the importance of others, family members, children and health care workers who show kindness, love, and support to remain on their HIV treatment

When you kill the body, do you kill the spirit? Curating affectual performances addressing violence related to sorcery accusations in Papua New Guinea

In this paper, we examine the socially engaged practices of human rights-based organisations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as they perform, stage and engage with communities to unsettle and challenge contemporary justifications of violence and malice. Specifically, we explore Yumi Sanap Strong (Let's Stand Together), a PNG national initiative and a repertoire of curated performances and experiences that navigate the complexities of contemporary cultural and social engagements to create alternative narratives for change. Creative practice processes are re-imagined and re-staged harnessing indigenous performances, and resulting in the affectual experience among communities

Communicating the law: A participatory communication toolkit for human rights defenders in Papua New Guinea

In recent years Papua New Guinea has undergone key legislative changes in areas relevant to human rights. The communication of these changes to people in communities has presented challenges. The Communicating the Law toolkit is designed to provide ways in which current legal information in Papua New Guinea on human rights, children’s rights, gender-based violence and sorcery accusation related violence can be communicated using participatory communication techniques. The toolkit was developed in collaboration with human rights defenders and relevant stakeholders. As such it includes up-to-date and relevant content built on the successful strategies already used in community education programs. These collaborators were brought together at two workshops held in Goroka in November 2016 and in July 2017. The toolkit incorporates materials that have been developed by human rights defenders themselves through their work and projects in gender-based and sorcery related violence. This ensures that local narratives and contexts are integrated throughout the toolkit. The toolkit presents an innovative communication framework, to ensure impactful engagement among audiences and participants

Media practice and theatre in conversation: Creating narratives for positive social change

In Papua New Guinea, a country in the South Pacific, performance and ritual are part of day-to-day life through which social and cultural relationships are mediated. Understanding the way in which performances are woven into day-to-day experiences and political spaces lets us explore communal and indigenous processes around social change. Yet to date, there has been a very limited understanding of the value of performance for social change among development practitioners and those seeking to work with communities to impact on positive social change around certain issues. Based on over a decade of engagement in arts-based research and development practice in the Pacific, we explore the way in which indigenous knowledge systems and performances can be harnessed to co-create narratives and performances for community audiences. Among others, we explore the model of Theatre in Conversation (TiC) (Kauli 2015), an arts-based approach developed as research and a theatre for development model, to overcome some of the complexities linked to achieving social change. TiC is used in Papua New Guinea to assist community organisations and individual facilitators develop narratives of strength and resilience that highlight the challenges, create the conversations, and deepen understanding around sensitive issues. These narratives are further captured through other media such as photography or film. Workshops are designed to improve artist-facilitators’ community engagement skills and artistry harnessing indigenous ways of learning and engagement in social change. In this paper, we highlight projects on gender-based violence and sorcery accusation related violence, as examples to explore the key aspects of this approach

I Create My Future - Young and Positive

Living in Morata, Port Moresby Papua New Guinea, Cathy came to know she was infected with HIV during her pregnancy. Supported by her grandmother, Cathy shares the birth of her HIV-negative child but how in time she grew tired of taking treatment. Having stopped, Cathy returned to Anglicare Stop AIDS where she was supported and nurtured to recommence treatment. Some time on Cathy remains adherent to her treatment, has started a vocational college course and is determined to create a bright future for herself and her son. I Create My Future is part of Young & Positive, a series of short films about three young women living with HIV. Collectively and individually they share their experiences of the diagnosis, treatment, fear of death, pregnancy and parenthood, TB, education and making a future, and the possibility of living a normal life. Their inspirational stories weave together the importance of others, family members, children and health care workers who show kindness, love, and support to remain on their HIV treatment