"One people, one nation" are words we hear and utter automatically. It's been ingrained into us as Papua New Guineans. It's easier said and recited than done for how do you unify the Land of a thousand Tribes? A land through history was likened to Babel, eight hundred and fifty plus languages all merged together on an island of gold floating on a sea of gas. This to onlookers seems like a recipe for disaster, hence many critics predicted that we would potentially become a failed state. The Colonizers thought that their way was superior and the best for us. For a long time, our people believed that as well. Arriving at a realization that the Colonizers did not always have our best interest at heart our people became more aware of the systems set up to introduce modernity into our society as being favorable towards the Colonizer. It is imperative that we mentally deconstruct all that we know about ourselves through the Colonizer's lens to fully be independent stewards of our own destiny as a people. I propose Decolonizing one's mind is one of the best ways forward.
I haven’t written on this platform in a while, call it a classic case of writer’s block or the fear of becoming vulnerable again. It's mostly that of the latter for my first post on Decolonization was a personal one which placed me in a default position of sheer honesty leaving me with doubts of sharing my journey again. I then realized that the benefits of sharing my experiences outweighed my insecurities. For if we are to be fully confident in our own identities as Melanesians then we have to collectively enrich each other. Many things have changed since that last post on decolonization but the underlying questions I asked initially remain true.
How do I remain loyal to the ways of my people in an ever-evolving culture especially in a global village where the Colonizer seems to still have the upper hand in everything?
There’s no one right answer to it but I believe there are mechanisms through decolonization that we can utilize for our benefit in making sense of it. It begins when you choose intentionally to decolonize your mind. In the following, I briefly give my account of how I went about starting this process as a Melanesian Millennial.
The first step to decolonizing your mind I believe is to
1. Develop an independent body of thought.
The ability to form a culture of an independent thought process should be present as a foundation in mental decolonization. In national standing and sovereignty, we are free as a people physically but we will always be captive to the ways of the colonizer if we are not free mentally. Through my personal quest for decolonization, I looked at two tools to help me, and they are pacific literature and philosophies. I guess one makes way for the other as well in another sense for it is through Pacific Literature that one comes to understand Pacific Philosophy. Our philosophies are to be protected for not only are they ancient and unique but they capture the essence of who we are as a people.
What’s pacific philosophy in a practical sense you ask. I would explain it in layman terms as wisdom or stori tumbuna that have been passed down for generations. A more academic definition of Pacific Philosophy would be a specific stream concerned with the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. It’s important because it gives our people are unifying foundation. It influences their worldview which then affects their actions. It enables us to think critically and reflect on various ideologies we use as a lens to frame our worldview. To further solidify my confidence in this process of mental decolonization I looked at the experiences of others. When embarking on something new it’s only natural to attempt to find if the process has been undertaken before and if so, by whom and what was their process like?
2. Learn from the Decolonization journey of others
What are some thought processes I can emulate to ensure I am on the correct path to decolonizing my mind? Have other Pacific Islanders specifically Papua New Guineans that have undertaken these processes? The answer is yes, there are many and that is a good sign to note that our people have and still understand the importance of embarking on such a journey. This journey of learning to unlearn needs to continue if we are to fully establish ourselves as a people independent from external influences. The need to develop indigenous philosophy and Pacific epistemologies is further heightened when more of our people understand the importance of it. Pacific Philosophers are one such group that has undergone the process of decolonization and have written about it.
In the words of a Papua New Guinean philosopher himself: "Today, we Melanesians stand at the crossroads. More than any people in the world, we can ape the West and the East or we can choose to be ourselves in our philosophy, our lifestyles, and our whole beings” (Bernard Narokobi – The Melanesian Way). It sure is comforting to know I along with other Pacifica peoples follow in the footsteps of great Pacific Philosophers when we embark on this decolonization journey. I believe it's paramount for Pacifica people to be established in thought, as this would contribute to the establishment and affirmation of our pacific ethics and values and more importantly, the freedom to be confident in our own beliefs and ideals.
Of course, there are skeptics to discredit this unique body of Pacific thought. Many may oppose and argue that Pacific values and ways of being and going are obsolete; that they are not adapted to the demands of the contemporary world with its emphasis on the market economy and liberal democracy. I believe solutions to our problems in society have to be made by our own people and it has to be a system we created by ourselves with our best interests at its core. After all, we wanted independence and we have to show that we are able to conduct our own affairs in a smooth functioning system. We have to rearrange our mindsets and put our ways above the white man's. Our collective self-esteem has to be robust to withstand foreign influences.
We must not look down on our own way of life. Why do we consistently think we are incapable of providing solutions to our own problems? Why do we doubt the abilities of our own people but support that of the colonizer? Has their way of life looked so appealing that it has been ingrained in us to be copycats of their lifestyle and behavior that we dismiss that of our own as being irrelevant to the standards of modernity in our world today?
Have we stooped that low to place the very thought process of our colonizers before our own and deemed that of our forefathers unworthy when theirs was in fact what kept and preserved our sacred traditions for generations. We must remember that our ways are not irrelevant for they are founded on ancient principles and therefore are timeless. I believe it’s time to claim what’s ours for it’s the way to ensure we move forward in a society that we can fully function by first being free mentally from the ways of the colonizer. It's time we share our experiences, collectively strategize, indigenize and decolonize.