°BEN BOHANE - ‘THE BLACK ISLANDS - Spirit and War in Melanesia’

To the north of Australia lies the ‘black islands’ - the Melanesian archipelago of nations stretching from Timor to Fiji. Since 1994 I have journeyed through these islands to report on the various struggles for independence in places like Bougainville, West Papua and New Caledonia, as well as civil war in the Solomons, coups in Fiji and the liberation of East Timor. Papua New Guinea (PNG) with its 1000 tribes and languages looms large as the biggest country in the Pacific, and faces many challenges, but remains a wonderland of vibrant cultures and nature.

Although initially drawn there to report conflict, I became more intrigued by the spirit worlds local people inhabit, and decided to focus on their ‘kastom’ movements and traditions so as to better understand their circumstances and struggles. It has been a journey through kastom, cultism and conflict in what remains the most under-reported region in the world. Yet the Pacific is growing in strategic significance as a new cold war unfolds between the US and China for control of the Pacific region and Australian troops find themselves increasingly drawn into both peace-keeping and peace-enforcement operations. Only by taking off our secular goggles and immersing ourselves in the 24/7 spirit world of our near neighbours can we hope to have a basic understanding of this vast, lyrical region and our own place in it.

2006