Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Papua New Guinea – where there is no word for slavery




PETER KRANZ



THIS MAY BE CONTROVERSIAL - but I ask your advice, my friends.
Rose - my Papua New Guinean wife - discovered a video of Gone with the Wind and watched it. She asked what it was about. I explained the Americans had a war between themselves about 160 years ago. North against South.
She asked, "What was this about?"
I gave a halting explanation that it was something to do with slaves and economic domination.
Rose asked, “What are slaves?"
Have you ever tried to explain this to someone who has no understanding or concept of what is a slave?
I said, "Well European people sailed to West Africa and kidnapped local people at gunpoint and took them in chains to America and made them work on farms.
“This is where the American black people came from - mostly Nigeria and the Congo in Africa."
Rose said, "Why did this happen"?
I tried to explain, saying that white people thought the black people could be captured like animals and taken to America to work on the farms.
I made the point that many died in the process.
I asked Rose to watch some old films, including Amistad and Gone with the Wind.
My wife, being from the Highlands of PNG, has no understanding of slavery, or it's history.
For that I praise her, and Papua New Guinea.
But how do you explain this?

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