Decolonising the Mind: The impact of the University on culture and identity in Papua New Guinea, 1971-74

By Ulli Beier, Canberra: Pandanus Books, 2005, 170 pages, paperback, . Reviewed by Daniel Vujcich in the July 2006 issue.

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Ulli Beier came to Papua New Guinea after having taught African literature at the University of Ibadan. While in Nigeria, he edited and published the ground-breaking Black Orpheus magazine, and worked with the likes of Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe. Ulli's wife, Georgina, was (and remains) a prolific artist of international fame. In Decolonising the Mind: The impact of the University on culture and identity in Papua New Guinea, 1971-74, Ulli Beier recounts his experiences as senior lecturer of the 'New English Writing in Developing Countries' course at the then recently established University of Papua New Guinea.

Despite the book's title, a reader who expects an exposition of the Papua New Guinean literature/art scene between the years 1971 and 1974 is likely to be disappointed. Most of the chapters in Decolonising the Mind relate to the late 1960s, when the Beiers first arrived in Port Moresby. The final chapter focuses on Ulli and Georgina's departure in 1971. Between 1972 and 1973, the couple returned to work in Nigeria and, as such, these years are omitted from the author's narrative. In the Epilogue we are briefly told that the Beiers returned to Papua New Guinea in 1974 to establish a National Cultural Council. However, 'that is another story'. (p 166)

Of course, it cannot be denied that the 1960s were an important time for Papua New Guinean nation-building. The devolution of administrative power from Canberra to Konedobu was in full swing and independence seemed inevitable. The arts had a special role to play in forging a self-confident post-colonial identity. In Chapter Six ('The Papua Pocket Poets'), the reader is treated to extracts of poems and oral literature composed and recorded by Beier's first year students: 'Get up, come to us / we'll sit and sing / the beautiful songs tonight'. (p 45) In Chapter Seven ('Finding Their Own Voice'), the author recounts the history of the first novel to be published by a Papuan, Vincent Eri (who would later become Governor General). Beier draws a comparison between the Papuan and New Guinean writers of the sixties and the African nëgritude writers of the forties and fifties: 'there was a group of young men and women ... who were anxious to interpret their own history and their own culture in their own terms rather than have it interpreted -- and often denigrated -- for them by white people'. (p 56) In Chapter Eight ('The Future is Their Concern') we are informed that pidgin later served as a useful vehicle for achieving that end: 'As they became more politically conscious, they wanted to share their ideas with or even influence all levels of society'. (pp 64-65)

At times, the theme of the book is lost amidst Beier's personal recollections. The chapter entitled 'Encounters' is described as 'a mosaic of little anecdotes, of the small encounters of daily life that form the colourful backdrop to the actions of the protagonists'. (p 141) However, the author's choice of 'small encounters' seems out of place in the context of an otherwise forceful and disciplined narrative. For example, the reader struggles to appreciate the significance of the Beiers being befriended by a young boy who 'was not lucky with his puppies' (p 150) or of the fact that they served as 'a private bank' to a local man. (p 143) While undeniably touching, such reminiscences add nothing to our understanding of decolonisation and the role of the university in the development of an Indigenous arts scene.

Moreover, Decolonising the Mind contains a number of frustrating contradictions. Although Beier taught his students that 'they could inject their own speech rhythms, metaphors and images' (p 3) into formal English, there are moments when he portrays Papua New Guinean culture as static and fundamentally incommensurable with its Western counterpart. The 'sad, pathetic' (p 14) figure of Allan Natachee -- the 'Papuan Poet Laureate' whose writing was inspired by Tennyson -- is described as being 'hopelessly confused between two irreconcilable worlds'. (p 16) [my emphasis] For Beier, Natachee's redemption only comes when he reconstructs and translates an ancient war song from memory. By contrast, the future Foreign Minister, Albert Maori Kiki, is cast as a hero: '[H]e had a calm dignity about him and a poise that suggested he was firmly rooted in his culture, in spite of the European clothes he wore and the foreign language he spoke so fluently'. [my emphasis]

Nevertheless, the book is well worth reading. Beier provides an intimate insight into a predominately overlooked period of intense intellectual fervour, cultural change and socio-political activism. Decolonising the Mind is dedicated to John Gunther (the first Vice Chancellor of UPNG and the man who many believe should have succeeded Donald Cleland as Administrator of the Territory) and Mathias Kauage. (undoubtedly Papua New Guinea's most renowned contemporary artist) In the past, very little has been written about either of these two important figures. Beier's rare and entertaining memories represent an important contribution to historical scholarship and Papua New Guinean popular consciousness more generally.

Citation

• Daniel Vujcich. 'Review: Decolonising the Mind: The impact of the University on culture and identity in Papua New Guinea, 1971-74 by Ulli Beier' [online]. Network Review of Books (Perth, Australian Public Intellectual Network), July 2006. Availability: <please cite the web address here> ISSN 1833-0932. [accessed 25 May 2013].

Back Cover Blurb

• An unusual memoir that tells the story of Ulli and Georgina Beier's experiences in Papua New Guinea during the 1960s and 70s. Beier was employed as a lecturer in new English writing at the University of Papua New Guinea and he and Georgina collaborated in the establishment of a centre of art and literature in Port Moresby that stimulated the careers of some of the regions most celebrated artists and writers. This memoir reveals how the support, encouragement and foward-thinking of the Beiers and their supporters within the university created an environment in which the indigenous culture of Papua New Guinea flourished.

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