Bougainvillean Graduation Pictures of Divine Word University in 2013

Leonard Fong Roka

When we look for any marginalized people in the Oceania region, one must not hesitate to count the Bougainville people of the Solomon archipelago. These are a people belittled by colonialism and dumped into the ill political and economic tentacles of the Papua New Guinea people and state.

Here ever since, they were subjected to genocide, political and social indoctrination and resource exploitation by PNG people and their various development partners, especially the mining giant, Rio Tinto through its subsidiary, BCL.

Since the 1960s, they have struggled for self-determination; in 1988, they engaged the PNG infiltrators on an armed conflict that with lack of political leadership led to 10 year civil war that resulted in the death of 15 000 people.

The region’s power, Australia, supported PNG but the rebels frustrated and demoralized their efforts till New Zealand stepped in to quell the crisis.

Between 2015 and 2020, Bougainvilleans will hold a referendum to decide their political future.

To many Bougainvilleans education now is their priority one! They have invest into education to have their future are better one since they have paid for their island with blood and tears. The most frustrating issue is that they lack educational infrastructures on their island due to the civil war.

Many of their students now travel into PNG to pursue their tertiary education that is costly and only handfuls make it.

These pictures are from the 31^st DWU graduation that occurred on the 3 March 2013:

PNG Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill at DWU Graduation

Graduation Tent

Proud Bougainvillean graduants with their flag

Yet to graduate Bougainvilleans getting into the shoes of their seniors in their dorm where they accommodated them.

Graduants from Siwai in South Bougainville whom I, a Panguna man accommodated

Old trio meet: In the middle is the former teacher (primary school) to these gentlemen from Bana and Siwai. They graduated together

Philip Ihira from Siwai and mummy (mum first time to leave Bougainville to witness her son)

In the spirit of jubiliation: Bougainville Queens of intellectual progress

Edwin Becks, only son from the Panguna area

Proud to be Bougainvilleans!

Wanna be in the mood of graduation act out as graduants by stealing their senior's attire

Few graduants posing in my dorm area

Philip Ihira & Harding Koloura (right): It is this paper that we have worked for to contribute to the future of our Bougainville

 

These are a tiny fraction of the young population of Bougainville that needs to be educated in order to help contribute to the developmental progress and freedom of their homeland in the Solomons.

 

Many have in their hearts the thousands that have perished in their fight for independence from the brutal rule of their island by the Papua New Guineans.

 

History have shown that PNG had not an interest in their survival as a unique people but it was their will to eradicate their identity.