PAUL OATES
GOLD COAST - When I arrived in Papua New Guinea, I had a basic understanding of Melanesian culture and Pidgin English but I worked hard at it and nearly two years in the bush gave me much better communication and translation skills.
As Philip Kai Morre writes (‘The disorientation of a transitional people in a confused world’), the central issue relates to culture.
Yet, if we take a broader view, there are many similarities that exist between PNG and western culture.
Why? Because we are all human and most of us tend to think in parallel concepts.
If you begin drawing comparisons between traditional PNG cultures and western cultures, it’s a fair bet you will identify differences. If you start looking for dissimilarities, you will inevitably find them.
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