About Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is an island country that lies in the south-western Pacific. It includes the eastern half of New Guinea and many small offshore islands. Its neighbours include Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south and Solomon Islands to the south-east. It is mainly mountainous but has low-lying plains in southern New Guinea. The country has several active volcanoes.
Region
Population
8.947 million (2022)
Area
463,000 square kilometres
High Commissioner
Her Excellency Ms Winnie A Kiap
Capital
Port Moresby
Joined Commonwealth
1975, following independence from Australia-administered UN trusteeship
Top Exports
Episode guests
Betty S. Chapau
Writer
Betty S. Chapau is a writer and has a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Betty is 34 years old and comes from Manus Province in the beautiful island country of Papua New Guinea. As a Pacific Islander, her rich cultural heritage holds many traditional stories and legends that she grew up listening to. That being so, it stirred up her passion for story-telling and the desire to write and keep her culture alive through writing. Betty’s first published essay was titled “Harim Mi,” and it was a contributing essay to the first anthology by PNG Women Writers, My Walk to Equality, in 2017. Her recent published writing was a poem titled “A Love Letter” that was published on an online magazine called Pasefika Presence in 2023. Betty is currently a full-time mother and runs her small writing website called Pihindras www.pihindras.com where you can find out more about her work.
Our Love
The morning sunlight glistens upon your face
A peaceful slumber through the call of the chauka
As the morning fishermen go out at sea
“Mandra-lao awian!” greets the spirits of the ocean
Oh to exist in this bliss is my notion
I use to envy people who found love early in life
Until you showed me infinity between moments
And ours could never be measured by time
I could lay in the warmth of your body forever
I find comfort in the roughness of your palms
For life has seasoned you well
I no longer fear the future
For the first time my heart can dance
As the setting sun brings the fishermen home
Radiating this glow from our embrace
I promise to slow this dance with you
Through all the hues of life
A Love Letter
Dear Drekein:
Your soul is pure like a dove
Stemming from a place of love
A gift from our Father above
Rush not your playtime
Slow count these moments so prime
Listen to Sasim’s stories at bedtime
For each ending has a dime.
Dear Pinchuel:
Let not the world control your self-esteem
Listen to Ina as you pick the colors of your theme
Her words are important to build your dream
Mind not the airspeed, you will find your Jetstream
Look not outward for happiness but within
Embrace the content of your skin
Burst at the seams, it is not a sin
It’s okay to cry but always raise your chin
Dear Ina:
I appreciate the story of your smile
Strength fashioned like Mulberry textile
Gracing my life with kindness acts of style
Diverse radiant beauty like Papua New Guinean Isle
Your life illustrated stories so selfless
And they wonder why I am so relentless
Because you are a Queen so fearless
You summon within me nothing but greatness
Dear Sasim:
Thank you for your tumbuna stories
A library of timeless wisdom allegories
You spoke strength into my feet like fairies
That if I lose my way, I know where home is
You drew a blueprint of hope like a lighthouse at sea
Your footprints near the garamut made tamana easy
The lines in your palms speak of a life lived fully; I see
And this life that I have, is a testament of your legacy
Dream, Island Boy
Maybe someday l’Il know
That one day I’Il grow strong like the fishermen of my island
I’Il sew my own sail
I’II carve my own canoe
And someday I’Il be brave
That’ll one day I’Il paddle pass the reef
Into the roaring waves
Then someday finally arrived
And that one day I saw my strength through my blistered palms
As I battled with the tides of this great ocean
All that I have learned came into play
Maybe someday l’Il know
That one day I’Il lookout into the ocean again
From the beach that I have wondered
And know that I have conquered
