Free West Papua Campaign Infonight/Benefit, Volkseten Vegazulu

Free West Papua Campaign Infonight Benefit

Monday September 30th 2013, Free West Papua Campaign Infonight/Benefit, Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm

Jeremy Bally is a man on a mission. He is Pedalling for Papua on a Storytelling Biketour accross 7 countries: Canada, U.S.A, Ireland, U.K., the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand (12.000 km). Like the old troubadours, accompanied by his ukelele/hip-hop base songs, he will bring us stories and testimonies of a little know conflict: the occupation and repression in West Papua by the Indonesian government.
Official estimates range from 100,000 to 500,000 West Papuans having died as a result of the Indonesian government’s policies in this illegally annexed region (an ongoing media ban makes this figure impossible to verify). The slow-burning conflict is fueled by one of the highest military to civilian ratios in the world, while legal and illegal logging, mining and fishing uproot one of the world’s most diverse and valuable ecosystems. Profits from resource extraction trickle down in meager amounts to West Papuans, whose home regularly ranks last out of Indonesia’s 33 provinces on markers for development like access to healthcare and education. Poverty is rampant. […Lees verder]