Divine Word University’s 8th Blaqueville Nite in Pictures

The event was created in the mid-2000s by Bougainvillean students as a fundraiser for students’ awareness programs back home in Bougainville during their breaks as way into contributing back to their war ravaged Solomon island of Bougainville.

Main arena of SVD

The island is geographically and ethnically part of the Solomon Islands but colonialism disadvantaged it and it ended up in the exploitative and suppressive hands of Papua New Guinea in 1975 despite its resistance.

In the 1960s, regional hegemonic power, Australia created a huge mining on the island to develop its buffer state PNG. Bougainvillean resistance to mining and incorporation into PNG was plastered with false promises. In 1988 unsatisfied with environmental destruction by the Australian company and the subjugation by the influx of PNGeans commonly known as the Redskins by the islanders, a armed conflict broke out shutting the mine and freeing the island from intimidating Papua New Guineans.

Kietas from Central Bougainville preparing

But with ineffective leadership of the rebel leader, the late Francis Ona, the island sunk into a 10 year civil war that PNG waged with the full support of Australia.

Peace was brokered in 1997 by New Zealand. The island now struggles to come back as in all aspects of life with a referendum backed by the United Nations between 2015 and 2020 to decide their political future.

Blaqueville Nite is one such initiative where Bougainvilleans are trying to help themselves.

Here they show-case their cultures, regions, history, politics and so on in dramas, dances, songs, PowerPoint presentations, speeches for audiences who pay a fee.

Performance of Bamboo band one featuring of the Solomon people

Divine Word University's Dr. Jerry Semos from Buka giving a discourse of Bougainville politics

Lovely Bougainvillean tunes of the kaur being blown by students of Madang Technical and Divine Word for the South Bougainville show case

My two Sepik course mates, Rachel Rekeken & Maria Dolores Biaun (center girls) could not wait to get into the bliss of the Bougainvillean tranquility

Cute in some modern Bougainvillean mood of the night...Buka islanders pose in a corner for the camera

Bougainville still the best of the Solomon island chain. 'We gotta rock the night,' the lads claim.

Too bad, man, when I am in the spirit of my beloved Bougainville

Madang Technical College girls rocking the night the Bougainvillean way

 

This year, 2013, saw Bougainvilleans from Madang Technical College and Divine Word University combining for a common good. I believe some day, Madang Techers College could be a partner.

 

The Blaqueville Nite is a major fundraiser for the Bougainville Youths Foundation (BYF) that was formed to govern all Bougainvillean students in tertiary institutions across PNG.

 

 

If you need some information of this events, contact me on email, lroka@student.dwu.ac.pg and I will pass the message on to rightful people.