Growing up,
my sister and I would just love to watch dance movies.
Honey, You Got Served, Stomp the Yard.
And that was when my interest of performing started.
I, I love the idea of dance
I loved how it was able to tell stories, and I just loved the fun
that everyone just had dancing.
Hi, everyone. Hi.
I'm here as the Co-founder
and Director of Art Activism, PNG.
What we do, we go
to different communities and we address
any social issues through art.
That was my dream with my little sister.
I want to build a studio in Port Moresby and just bring all these different kids
and let's just dance.
My little sister
passed away when I was
in my 10th grade of high school.
I cried for 2 minutes, and after the 2 minutes,
I composed myself and I asked my parents, "what's next".
We have a patriarchal society,
and so it makes it difficult for men to talk about their feelings.
I never went through that grieving process.
I completely shut down and I was wondering, what's wrong with me?
Am I sick?
And that's when I realized
I was suffering from depression.
In 2020
I was part of a play called He Is Victor.
It addresses social issues,
such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis,
mental health and gender identity.
That was when I had this light bulb moment.
Why can't we use art to start thought provoking conversations around issues
that we feel aren't really talked about or discussed in Papua New Guinea?
They deal my demons just figments of my mind.
They cast aside my cries, ostracize as I sit in silence.
I carve my troubles on my sleeves.
Is there something wrong with me?
A women can’t be well-spoken, just dainty.
A woman can’t be what a man can.
Because, no, she is not the man, she is she.
At our second show, we had 30 young people address the issue of mental health
through song, through dance, through
poetry, even paintings.
And that's when we realized that
these young people had all these bottled up emotions
that they're not speaking about and they're letting it go on stage.
Why can't young people talk about mental health?
That's what Art Activism is doing,
we're starting all these thought provoking conversations that I as
a kid would have never talked about with my parents.
Just being able
to grow my network, not just in Papua New Guinea,
It's really heartwarming to know that I have people in Australia
who believe in my movement and who are willing to get behind it
and support the change that we're creating in Papua New Guinea.
Hi guys, so my name is Louie
Yeah, So Nelson asked me yesterday if I could do up a presentation for you guys.
So actually I had to write a completely new song.
I thought to myself
what should I write about.
I checked my pocket, there was no 23rd so I was like
#### I’m broke.
I’m sad.
It's very simple, right?
Singing, “I’m Sad...”
Continues singing
And then I, then I was like, oh my goodness, I think I have a chorus.
Our plan for this year is to continue visiting high schools
and telling them about the concept of Art Activism PNG
and how they can be part of the solution by standing up
and speaking about topics that they're very passionate about.
Singing, “I’m Sad...”
People ask me, What is your why?
Why do you do what you do?
My why is my little sister.
So I choreographed a piece, it's
about the different emotions that you go through after losing a loved one.
We grew up loving dance.
We grew up loving art.
She may not be here to see all my successes, but
I'm carrying her dreams with me, and with Art Activism PNG
I'm achieving both our dreams.