Music Overcomes Tyranny in Eye-Opening Film

14 October 2011

As the Indonesian army continues to commit human rights abuses on the indigenous inhabitants of Papua province, three men have chosen to speak out against the atrocities by capturing their remarkable stories on film.

Strange Birds in Paradise – a West Papuan Story confronts a basic question: how could these two vibrant cultures be at war and how can the rest of the world seemingly not care?

In August 2010 the Indonesian National Armed Forces arbitrarily arrested 21 men in the province of Maluku for planning peaceful political activities.

In July 2011 military forces arrested and charged seven people for their involvement in a peaceful protest and flag raising, and earlier this month the Indonesian National Armed Forces opened fire on strikers at a gold and copper mine killing one, and outside a student dormitory in Jayapura.

As Charlie Hill-Smith, an Australian filmmaker, travels to what was once a paradise, he finds the locals in Melanesia & Java opening up to him with stories of missing sons, murdered husbands and their villages that were burnt to the ground by the Tentara Nasional Indonesia.

Donny a young man who escaped the Indonesian army and is a recent exile to Australia and Jacob a former child soldier in the Papuan Resistance Movement tell their stories of escape, oppression and exile.

The film is afloat in an extraordinary musical tradition, an ancient culture and exposes a nightmare that is occurring in the modern world.

“Music and film have long been powerful vehicles for expressing outrage and challenging wrongs,” says Margaret Taylor, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand spokesperson.

“We hope this film opens the eyes of people to the grim situation in Papua province and raises awareness about the human rights abuses occurring there.”

“We’ll also be offering the audience the chance to take action on behalf of prisoner of conscience Filep Karma who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for participating in a peaceful ceremony in 2004 where the prohibited pro-independence “Morning Star” flag was raised,” adds Taylor.

Strange Birds in Paradise is a search for an answer, an extraordinary story of an imaginative, adaptable culture confronting tyranny with music.

Event

In a joint event Amnesty International, the Indonesian Human Rights Committee and the AUT Pacific Media Centre will be screening Strange Birds in Paradise – a West Papuan Story.

When: Thursday October 20th - 6pm for drinks & nibbles in the foyer, screening starts 7pm.
Where: Academy Cinema, Lorne St, Auckland
Tickets: $20 from eventfinder (no booking fee)

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ENDS

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