Dan

Dan

My first impression was that it seemed as though not much thought had gone into the organization of the concepts and issues that he tried to bring to light.

As an Expressive Arts expert, I would have though that Asso Professor Michael Mel would have translated his performance into a more succinct display of the issues
However, it is the arts and his interpretation was his take I guess
As a Papua New Guinean , I kind of felt that some of the issues that he eluded to were not given any justice.

Thank you, Dan for all the work that you are puting in to this Hailans to Ailan tour/project together? Simpson Sake.

This performance raised many challenging questions about racism, nationalism, the recovery of indigenous identity and pride, and reconciliation. I found the laplap Michael wore to be a potent symbol of disenfranchisement, even as it seemed to celebrate national identity (the commercial design included national and provincial flags; it was like something one might buy in an airport gift shop).

Near the beginning of the performance, projections behind Michael included beautiful and colourful photos of Highlanders wearing traditional bilas. Then European ships arrived, and soon afterwards, a black and white photo showed plantation workers lined up for inspection, all clad in laplap uniforms. During this transition, Michael’s character went from confidently narrating in his native language to dejectedly singing patriotic songs in English. At one point, his feathered headdress was removed by a missionary. Later, he recovered himself and engaged his former oppressors on his own terms- generous terms, in which each had most to gain by listening and learning from the other, acknowledging their shared past and working together for a better future.

Dan Lepsoe