WHY THE NAME - A THOUSAND NATIONS

The Central Sepik students at the University of Papua New Guinea perform a traditional dance during their provincial day celebration in September 2010. They have their own unique culture - one among thousands of others in Papua New Guinea.

Bonjour! (Hellow!)
You may have wondered why I named this blog a A THOUSAND NATIONS.
Well, as you may already know, PNG (my country) has more than 850 languages. That is almost about a thousand - which means there are about 1,000 different people groups in PNG.
Before you doubt this take note of this.
Take the Motu-speaking people along and around the Port Moresby coastline.
There are a good number of Motuan villages stretching over about 100km east-west along the coastline. All the people in those villages - of Manumanu up west, to Hanuabada in Port Moresby and to Gabagaba in the east - are Motuans and speak Motu (the language).
But when a local from each different village speaks Motu you will notice that they have their peculiar way of speaking, possibly what the linguists may call the "dialect".
Thus, if you count all those different dialects, then the number of languages in PNG may really be over a thousand.
That makes us, Papua New Guineans, unique.
My big question to my friends is: Can we find a way to trade our skills in languages?
That is: Can we create something with our skills in language that we can trade with the Western world without destroying our forests, seas, rivers and atmosphere?
Think of it, in PNG, the typical person grows up learning at least three different languages.
For a rural kid she or he already knows the local language.
In school s/he learns Pidgin to communicate with friends from different language groups and also learns to read and write in English (the language of education from secondary to tertiary learning).
For those who move from district to district or province to province for various reasons (e.g. parents transfer from one posting to another) pick up many more languages.
The typical person in the Western world grows up learning only one language, work and pass on with that one language.
It is a wonder and blessing, isn't it? I mean, to come from a country that has more than a thousand dialects/tongues, hence, a thousand nations.

USING PIDGIN AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS

Yesterday, I happened to listen to NBC Karai Dabai Talk Back programme and one of the topics discussed was about introducing the Pidgin as the language to educate students in schools, colleges and universities.
The elderly man who promotes this idea, and has brought this up from time to time with Radio host Mathilda Gaveva, was a certain David from Wewak, East Sepik.
I decided to give a call and make a statement.
I said Pidgin, as a language, is not our language as some people like to think.
It is a Creole; it is made up of a mixture of words borrowed from different languages.
It is also a trading language, promoted more by the Chinese traders in the Asia and Pacific region. Our Pidgin - which is generally understood by Solomon Islanders and Vanuatuans - is a mixture of English, German and local language words.
When we think globally, we will note that English is the best language to learn, not Pidgin.
We, PNG, have the natural resources, western countries want to make deals with us regarding the resources. The best language to use is a language they will understand - and it is English.
We must not be lazy and entertain our children coming home complaining that English is hard. We must urge them to work hard.
All the best things in life are not gained by simple means.
We must also remember that our parents and grandparents went to school in the 1960s and learnt everything in English. For most there was no preparatory school.
But today some of them speak better English than many of us who have more books, more radio stations, see a lot TV and see more movies.
I also mentioned that many people today do not speak correct Pidgin.
How many university students today speak as well as write correct Pidgin? What about the students in primary school?
So, it is not easy to just adopt Pidgin as a language to educate students.
Then, there is also the task or rewriting all the textbooks and readers.
How will you translate all the technical terms in English and words that you do not have substitutes for in Pidgin?
We must think globally.
If we were to trade with a country like France, it would be to our advantage to have a knowledge of French.
About a third of the French population can speak English but all their books, textbooks, signs, etc are written in French.
In the same way as we must push ourselves to learn French to deal with the French, we must urge our children to learn English.
Of course, it is hard, but we must still urge them to learn the language.
A wealth or sea of knowledge is already captured in the form of books, magazines, web-blogs, etc in English - not Pidgin.
Teach the children English to give them legs to go out and capture the knowledge already out there. English enables them to get those information.
I said the Sepik man must know that there are Sepiks that are now working as engineers in Australia or associate professors in western countries - Australia, America and Europe.
There are Papua New Guineans flying planes in the Arab Emirates.
All these professionals learnt English to get there.
We must urge our children to learn English. It is the way to go.

BIO-FUEL: GOING THE CLEAN ENERGY PATH

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011
In August I visited a Cassava Bio-Fuel Project Site outside Kwikila in Rigo, Central Province. The project is initiated by the Korean company Changhae Ltd. I was invited by a pal and the company's environment officer, Joseph Pahau.
I enjoyed my two nights and a day there.
By listening to what the workers there said I was reminded of my Energy Physics lessons decades ago.
It is the way to go.
From what we know fossil fuels would be all but exhausted in half a century.
Developed countries are already investing in renewable energy sources like wind, hydro, tidal, wave, solar and biogas.
PNG is rich in all these resources but then, as most in the world, we have yet to harness those forms of energy and save whatever other fossil fuel sources that we may have - which includes oil and gas.
In the picture above are PNG University of Technology students, Crystal (left) and Susie, with harvesting supervisor Thomas Ond showing some of the huge cassava tubers that the harvesting excavator unearthed in one of its runs.
Crystal and Susie are two of more than a handful of students who were at the cassava plantation for a three-month practical training programme.
When they return to campus after the 12-week outing they have to present to their lecturers a completed research paper.
The plantation site is beside the ever-flowing Kemp Welsh River.
The place is quiet and spacious.