Papua New Guinea Storylines
Nau em Taim (“Now is the Time”) and Echoes of Change each follow three separate transitional characters through the trials and tribulations of their lives as they face daily struggles with poverty, violence, family size, educational barriers, land ownership and destruction, the downward spiral of drinking and drugs, HIV/AIDS, and sexual behavior decisions. Audiences will find themselves deeply engrossed in the dramatic lives of the characters while simultaneously learning through the characters’ experiences about family planning, avoidance of risky sexual behavior, community organizing, communication, alternatives to violence, environmental protection, and improving the status of women in society. Through the course of the dramas, both the characters and the audience have the potential to emerge profoundly changed. The dramas help to serve as a stimulus for discussion around these very important and sensitive issues, as audience members will be shown a reflection of their own lives through the stories that play out. The characters also provide a way for audience members to talk about the challenges in their own lives, as it is often easier to talk about the challenges within ones own life through the experiences of another, particularly when dealing with sensitive issues.
In the first storyline of Nau em Taim, we meet Avia, a smart 18-year-old from a middle-class family, who is ambitious about school and looks up to her best friend and cousin, Luana — a star soccer player and the most popular girl in school. Luana is strong, focused and has big dreams for herself and her friends. Avia, meanwhile, is struggling with issues of self- confidence and is swept off her feet by a smooth-talking, confident young man, Luka. While Luka can do no wrong in Avia’s eyes, he slowly introduces her to a world of partying, drinking, and unprotected sex that all begin to take their toll on Avia’s school performance, health, and family life. Avia finds herself facing the hard consequences of her actions as she is called in front of her school’s academic performance committee and as the relationships she really cares about begin to fall apart. Avia must try to complete her education and repair her relationship with Luana and her family, all while Luka continues to pressure her and other paths that may be detrimental to Avia’s wellbeing continue to be an allure – the question is whether Avia can resist all of the temptations presented to her and move forward to achieve her dreams?
The second storyline of Nau em Taim takes place in a coastal island fishing village and focuses on Tomaru, a 35-year-old widow with two children. Tomaru has big dreams for his children, including providing them with a good education so they can succeed in life. Tomaru is a skilled fisherman, but he is struggling to provide for his kids with his sometimes meager catches. When Tomaru is approached by Badu, an unskilled fisherman but cunning businessman, to help him with his fishing business that is known for using illegal fishing practices such as dynamite fishing, Tomaru is torn between the idea of providing for his children and destroying the reefs he has spent so much time on. Meanwhile, a beautiful marine biologist, Oini, concerned with sustainable fishing practices, is doing research on the coral reefs and trying to track down and punish those responsible for illegal fishing practices. Oini and Tomaru fall in love, but everything they have is questioned when she finds out he has been making fishing bombs with Badu. Tomaru must face the hardest decisions of his life. He finds himself in a challenging position where he needs to weigh the benefits of dynamite fishing and the fast cash and immediate gratification he gets from being in business with Badu against the consequences of introducing his son to the dangerous life of dynamite fishing and the love he feels for Oini and the work she is trying to accomplish. Oini and Tomaru go through a dramatic set of events including a terrible flood, which nearly kills some of the community members. Together, they ride the waves of life – in the end will their love for each other, their community, and the reefs persevere – and how will Tomaru overcome all of the temptations life puts before him?
The final story arc of Nau em Taim introduces Pita, a man with good intentions, but who is struggling under the pressure of his mother and cultural norms of his society. He is married to Mundi, a confident woman who does not take well to her mother-in-law. Pita and Mundi have a smart, strong-willed daughter named Agnes. Pita’s ways are similar to those of many in Papua New Guinea where domestic violence is a norm, however one day when he lashes out at Mundi, she decides not to take it quietly. Instead she joins together with other women in the community to create a support group, where women can learn to read, and eventually the group takes a stand against violence in the community. Meanwhile, one day when Agnes was on her way to school, she is attacked and nearly raped. Furious and terrified, Pita removes her from school and tries to convince her to stay home and do traditional woman’s work. Agnes and Mundi stand up against Pita because they know how important it is for Agnes to get an education. Mundi also works through her women’s group to bring the community together to protect the girls on their way to school. All the while, someone is still lurking in the community, trying to abduct and rape young girls, and Pita’s relationship with his wife is threatened by his violent temper. Pita truly loves Mundi, and he desperately wants to change his ways and be a gentle husband, but his evil mother has a strong hold on him, and she will do anything to keep him from siding with his wife and daughter. Will Pita’s relationship survive? How will the women’s group change the future of the community and come together to protect the future of its girls?
The first storyline of the English language program, Echoes of Change, follows Nini, a strong- willed and passionate woman who is married with five children. Her husband is a violent, reckless man named Lobby. At the start of the program, Nini is physically weak from malnutrition and caring for their undernourished five children when she finds out she is pregnant again. Her husband, who is involved in illegal business ventures and often spends the family money at bars, is rarely home and often abuses her physically and verbally. Eventually Nini decides to take her life into her own hands and through the help and support of her friends, Rosie and Matthew, Nini tries to open her own baking business and acquire a micro loan to support her family. But encounters with her husband, the police, and her big brother – known for selling illegal firearms and chasing women – continue to press on her from all sides, testing her limits and drawing her into life-threatening situations.
The second storyline of Echoes of Changee takes place in a small mining town and introduces the audience to Amah, a 35-year-old subsistence farmer with a Grade 6 education, who is married to Betty. They have three children. Amah is struggling both with his family life, where he has lost the trust of his wife because of his infidelity and he is struggling to find a way to afford to send his daughter to college, and he is also caught up in land arguments with the local villain, Gago. Gago is an abusive yet cunning man who is looking to bring a mining company into the area, but must first get consent from all the landowners. The landowners are open to the company, however they want to ensure that the community receives adequate opportunity and compensation and that it does not cause damage to the land and environment. Amah is interested in sustainably harvesting sandalwood, but Gago keeps ripping up his crops; Gago struggles to find proof. Gago continues to pressure Amah to join him in making lots of money from the deal and not to worry about the impact on the community or the environment. As the story unfolds the audience will see how communities can come together to work with companies to find positive solutions and how together they can work toward a sustainable and healthy future. The story promotes community organizing and non-violent forms of communication.
The final storyline of Echoes of Change follows 18-year-old Ben, who has moved in with his aunt and uncle in order to attend the school in their town and finish his studies. Almost immediately, Ben battles against positive and negative influences, which he later learns have a dramatic impact on his future. His family is in a difficult financial situation, with his mother contracting malaria, his school fees, and his responsibilities as the oldest son in the family to compensate his sisters’ suitors. Ben is also introduced to domestic violence through the violent ways of his uncle on Ben’s dear aunt. Ben’s grades begin to fall when he meets Daffen, a young temptress who introduces him to drugs, alcohol, unprotected sex – and some of the consequences that come with these things, like AIDS. All the while, another girl named Kiri is in love with Ben and tries to influence him for the better. Through the push and pull of good and bad decisions, Ben finds himself in the midst of a love triangle, peer pressure, violence, and a world of drugs that will profoundly change him – if he can survive.
