Inventing Papua

Papuan culture on sale at the Hamadi art market in Jayapura (Iskandar Nugroho collection)

Iskandar Nugroho wrote a very interesting research on the role of non Papuan of the manufacturing Papuan tradition. Nugroho said that the representations of Papuan culture produced by the traders from South Sulawesi don’t just satisfy the needs of tourists for objects that symbolise their experience of Papua. These objects may be inauthentic, but they have helped create a sense of identity amongst urban Papuans.

If only Papuan and non-Papuan in the peaceful land of Papua work together to develop our motherland then most of the problem will go. Papua is not solely a problem of separatism but also a cultural understanding that has been in silence for many years. Please read the article of Inventing Papua in Inside Indonesia for further understanding.