Papuan Voices: An Initiative for Decolonized Filmmaking to Document Indigenous People’s Lived Experiences in West Papua

Abstract

Abstract Film making provides a tool for Indigenous peoples of West Papua to tell a story, consolidate community collective memory (solidarity), support human rights advocacy and assist trauma healing. Moreover, films raise critical awareness among Indigenous Papuans in relation to the outside world. Film making allows Indigenous voices to be seen and heard by others beyond West Papua. So, film is an important media tool with the potential to enable vulnerable Indigenous communities to produce knowledge, and tell stories about life and culture from their own perspectives. It also supports Indigenous West Papuan communities to document human rights abuses and to advocate for their human rights in the international arena. Film making therefore provides an important medium to expose the oppressive realities of Indigenous peoples’ lives in in West Papua, so often distorted by the propaganda of the occupying Indonesian military. This article explains the context of film making in West Papua. Next it shares some personal experiences of film making in West Papua before sharing three approaches adopted by Indigenous West Papuan filmmakers. These film making approaches empower Indigenous communities to tell their own stories and support their own decolonization goals.