NI 502 - May, 2017

West Papua - Freedom in sight?

A note from the editor

Five decades of defiance

If you’ve never heard of West Papua, you’re not alone.

It continues to amaze me how this 50-year freedom struggle on the world’s second-largest island is still so little-known. But then, I might not have heard of it myself if it wasn’t for Benny Wenda.

Wenda, an Indigenous leader from the Lani tribe, was arrested by the Indonesian government in 2002 for peacefully advocating for West Papuan independence. Imprisoned on spurious charges, tortured and likely to be killed, he escaped from prison and reached the UK, where he gained political asylum here in Oxford.

An accomplished strategist and diplomat with a gentle, unassuming style, Wenda has spent years building international support for his people’s cause. From Oxford, he launched the Free West Papua campaign, which is the reason why I and many others have now heard of this struggle.

New Internationalist got there before me. Back in 2002, edition 344 was titled ‘West Papua Rising’. Benny Wenda was carrying a copy when he was arrested, which he believes may have caused the Indonesian government to hold back in their treatment of him. This evidence that the world was watching ‘protected me. It may even have saved my life.’

West Papua today stands on a knife-edge between freedom and disaster. In this issue, we hear the voices of people living under occupation and fighting to be free. We learn about the unifying power of Melanesian music, expose the extractive companies that are profiting from Papuan repression, and hear Indigenous leaders lay out their visions of the new country they want to build. With enough international support, those visions could at last become reality.

Danny Chivers for the New Internationalist co-operative.
www.newint.org

The big story

A resistance gathering in the West Papuan highlands.

Photo: Dominic Brown

NI 502 - May, 2017

West Papua - Freedom in sight?

A note from the editor

Five decades of defiance

The big story

After 54 years of struggle under Indonesian rule, is freedom finally in sight for West Papua? Danny Chivers investigates.

Features

Putting the most important information about West Papua at your fingertips.

Connor Woodman reveals the ties that bind transnational mining companies to the Indonesian occupation.

‘The struggle is in the song, and the song is in the struggle.’ West Papuan musician Ronny Kareni explains the vital role of Melanesian culture in the fight for freedom.

How does living under the occupation affect the lives of ordinary West Papuans? Veronica Koman spoke to five current residents of West Papua to hear their stories.

Join international movements to support the West Papuan freedom struggle.

What would a free West Papua look like? Benny Wenda and Rex Rumakiek from the ULMWP – West Papua’s government-in-waiting – lay out their visions for a new country.

Cyprus may want to determine its own future, but its geopolitical importance means that Britain and the US have other ideas. Darren Loucaides reports.

Michiel Driebergen and Alex Masi meet volunteers providing much-needed psychological support in war-torn Ukraine.

Opinion

Progressives have to try to maximize the liberatory potential of a growing discontent, says Mark Engler.

In a world in which 663 million live without safe water, it's a scandal that Harrods started stocking Arctic ice water for £80, writes Chris Coltrane.

Agenda

A mash-up of the pop aesthetic of US comics and the religious myths of Africa has proved tremendously popular.

Inhabitants of Agua Blanca have taken control of the tourism industry upon which they depend – and have prospered as a result

Machine manufacturing of Pashmina scarves has saturated the market, leaving artisans without hope of a secure future, writes Nathalie Olah.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is pumping billions into the economy, resulting in a massive subsidy for oil and gas business and highway construction and car production companies.

The former New York municipal employee became president of the problem-plagued Federal Republic of Somalia.

Tibetan faces rapid urbanization, dwindling numbers of native speakers, and the even greater threat of Chinese policies, writes Sam Wylde.

The experience of the people of the Oasis of Jemna is a beacon of hope in the context of neoliberal and counter-revolutionary policies, writes Hamza Hamouchene.

The law requires parent and subcontracting companies to be responsible across the whole manufacturing supply chain, reports Amy Hall.

The expansion of Austria’s biggest airport has been blocked because of concerns about climate change, writes Amy Hall.

Muppets welcome Julia; Facebook pays up; Human rivers

Regulars

Praise, blame and all points in between? Your feedback published in the May 2017 magazine.

Bolivian democracy was won from the clutches of dictators. Amy Booth meets a frontline participant in the struggle.

Cartoon by Simon Kneebone

After the 2015 earthquake, foreign governments and organizations pledged $4.1 billion in gifts and loans, but funds are yet to be disbursed, reports Fiona Broom.

Payam Boromand from Iran with ‘Trump’s View’

Donald Trump's right-hand man is at the centre of global power. And he's dangerous.

The latest cartoon from P J Polyp.

Iqbal Hossein photographs Rohingya refugees, and hears their harrowing experiences.

Thanks to the efforts of Catherine Shovlin, a Syrian refugee camp is building a community spirit. Florence Derrick meets her.

Cartoon by Marc Roberts

Sleaford Mods’ vocalist Jason Williamson talks to Graeme Green about anger, politics and anti-singing.

Film, Book & Music Reviews

The Handmaiden; Frantz: have a look at the film reviews of the month.

Mogoya by Oumou Sangaré; The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda by Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda: our music reviews of the month.

October; Good Cop, Bad War; Another Economy is Possibly and others: our book reviews of the month.

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