Bikpela Bagarap
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A documentary revealing the “human face” of logging in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea today remains one of the few countries in the world that still allows the export of raw logs. As this practice has been banned in Malaysia and Indonesia, Asian logging companies are exploiting this to export huge amounts of raw logs from PNG. The World Bank estimates that 70% of all logging in Papua New Guinea is illegal, although most unofficial sources put the rate even higher than that.
The story of Bikpela Bagarap is told through the voice of regular villagers, without narration. It is a tale of exploitation and broken promises, where local people are treated as second-rate citizens in their own country by Malaysian logging companies and corrupt politicians.
Customary landowners are forced into signing documents they don’t understand, for the promise of “development” – fresh water, roads, health and education, but these essential services are never provided. Instead, their traditional hunting ground is destroyed, and their traditional way of life is ruined forever.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Bikpela Bagarap
A new documentary, Bikpela Bagarap, reveals the human side of logging in Papua New Guinea, where local people are treated as second-rate citizens in their own country by Malaysian logging companies and corrupt politicians. It is estimated that an average of 200,000 logs are exported every year from Sandaun Province, with an open market value of...
