TV Drama in Papua New Guinea: a Case Study in National Identity

The single television station serving Papua New Guinea transmits between ten and twelve hours a day of programmes that – apart from the new and a musical slot sponsored by Coca Cola – lack and significant national interest. Yet an eight-episode television drama, Warriors in Transit – conceived, written, shot, and performed entirely on location by local artists and talents, and with the potential to develop into a long-running series – has for three years remained unseen, despite several good reviews and sneak previews. The assertion of the Tv executives that Papua New Guineans do not want to watch their own programmes, and the inability of the production, alike bear witness to a problem typical of the develpment of television in the Third World, as traditional national cultures ineluctably give way befor the easy attractions of homogenized imports – a problem that can only be tackled by affirmative action on the part of governments whose best intentions too often conflict with financial constraints. The author, Joseph Chika Anyanwu, teaches in the Facutly of Creative Arts of the University of Papua New Guinea, and first presented the present paper at the 1994 conference of the Australasian Drama Studies Federation.