outback to jungle

Musings on experiences of volunteering in Papua New Guinea with some gratuitous domestic social and public comment

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

three languages culture

Papua New Guineans generally as a minimum speak three languages - their provincial language, the common language TokPisin, and English. Most education in schools and university is done in English. Some people close to the border with West PNG also speak Indonesian. The nationals operate the check outs at the supermarkets, they trade goods in the markets, operate heavy machinery in the mines, are the officials in banks, police stations and service shops such as computer and white goods shops. They are doctors and nurses, teachers, politicians, lawyers, engineers, computer operators. They manage and own businesses.
The Australian Way is to speak one language and to ridicule immigrants and tell the bloody wogs to go back home if they can't understand English in a taxi or if the public announcement at the Railway Station is delivered in a foreign accent. The Australian Way is to have no Aboriginal people at the checkouts or anywhere else in the workforce.
The University of the Darling River - doesn't that have a nice ring to it, teaching Aboriginal Health, Aboriginal Development, Aboriginal Law Customs and Tradition, Aboriginal Education, Aboriginal and Integration Politics. Set up in my home town of Bourke 800km west of Sydney in semi arid landscape, it would be worth trying.

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