Books

I have just finished reading a book I purchased on eBay. 'Kiki: Ten Thousand Years In A Lifetime’

Albert Maori Kiki (1931–93) was of the Elema people in the Gulf of Papua. I first heard of him from a staff member at the primary school I was in charge of in Arehava village. I was ‘warned’ to be careful because Maori Kiki was the cousin of one of my staff. That teacher was very difficult to work with and I knew that much of his translation of my talks at village meetings was coloured with Kiki’s problems with Australian administration officers.

Reading his book, I can see that he was a very talented man who suffered a great deal of discrimination at the hands of Europeans (whites). I have always thought that we (Australians) did a wonderful job of bringing Papua New Guinea to Independence in 1975, but as I progressed through the book I remembered many similar incidents with government officers and private enterprise people dealing with natives.

At least Independence came without any rebels in the hills.

The other book I have just finished is ‘There Where The Pepper Grows’ by Bem Le Hunte.
This fictional tale is based on fact and tells the story of one Jewish family who escaped Poland and finished up living in Calcutta, India for the duration of WW2.
3/5.