Mobile cinema used for referendum awareness
ABG Directorate of Media and Communication have embarked on their annual awareness outreach program for this year, engaging its radio and television mediums.
The ABG mobile cinema Ples Lain Piksa (PLP) made its maiden voyage on this awareness outreach alongside Radio Ples Lain (RPL) travelling out to South Bougainville in June this year.
PLP which has a built in 1000watts inverter in the vehicle provided the power to video show key messages on Referendum, Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) and other important government messages.
These video shows allowed a connection with the audience giving them an opportunity to participate and discuss openly on the referendum issue thus creating a dialogue for unanswered questions or queries on the matter, whilst RPL broadcasted similar programs via radio that could be heard within 50km from its broadcast location
The awareness outreach concentrated on disseminating updated information on the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA), Referendum and other government messages from the ABG and the House of Representatives and received a huge positive response from the audience.
Both teams started their video and radio awareness outreach in Kulula within the Konnou Constituency before travelling out to the neighbouring Constituencies of Lule, Laguai, Makis, Ramu, Lato, Tonnu, Motunahuyono, Bolave and Torokina.
“We are so privileged to have such mobile awareness come to our area as this is the first of its kind,” Mr Anthony Purenu, the head teacher of Kulula Primary School revealed.
He claimed that the school and neighbouring villages in Kulula and Konnou Constituency as a whole lacked the information and knowledge of what the referendum is and other government updates and the awareness video show and radio broadcast was very informative and an ice breaker to so many unanswered questions.
Mr Purenu thanked both teams and called for the government of the day and its members to support such mediums to carry out awareness in remote areas which will better inform the rural population.
Other village chiefs, community leaders and youths shared similar sentiments, adding that much awareness needed to be done and the use of the mobile cinema in rural areas helped the people to see, listen and understand what the government was doing in terms of preparing for the referendum.
In Lugakei, the Community Government Chairman Mr Paul Karepa welcomed the team into his area, encouraging the chiefs, youths and factions in the area, to unite and disseminate the information they received through the awareness.
“Bougainvilleans there is no time to waste, our government is moving and we did not lose 20, 000 lives for nothing – let us put our differences aside and vote for independence during the referendum next year,” he said.
Other Constituencies also welcomed the team and expressed that the teams visit was either a boost to support what their committees on the ground were already delivering or actually bringing in new information to areas that had little or no awareness at all and shedding light on unanswered questions.
Each area visited had its own response to the outreach being carried out and this showed that the rural populace in Bougainville are hungry for information.
“We are hungry for information; however, we are not informed of what is happening in the government because no awareness is done in our area, our elected members do not tell us what is going on and your visit here is historical and very important,” chief Damien Kaia of Motuna Huyono said.
He stressed that he was very saddened that his people especially the elderly and illiterate had no understanding of what referendum was and its requirements and the awareness was an eye opener for his people.
Mr Kaia also called on the government of the day to fund more such awareness programs so that this awareness was brought out to the rural people up in the mountains, down on the coast and up streams.
The team covered South Bougainville completing its final journey to Torokina in June and will be preparing for the next visit to Central and North Bougainville, including Nissan and the Atolls.
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