Orwell would recognise the logic of postcolonialism at play in West Papua

In many respects, the West Papuan struggle is the story of Indigenous peoples the world over: exploitation

West Papua Activist

Few people know that George Orwell, better known as the author of the dystopian novel 1984, is one of the earlier founders of postcolonial studies. Orwell’s best known contribution to the field is Burmese Days, but his earliest contribution was How a Nation Is Exploited – The British Empire in Burma. Published in the French journal Le Progrès civique, Orwell describes how the land, labour and resources of one country – that is, Burma - are used to finance the industrial development of another – in this case, Britain.

"Care is taken to avoid technical and industrial training [in Burma]. This rule, observed throughout India, aims to stop India from becoming an industrial country capable of competing with England."

The role of the colony, then, is under-development for the sake of the coloniser’s development. This is the logic of colonialism.

One might think this is merely of historical interest. If only. There is a newly industrialised country on our doorstep and it is using a colony to finance its growth. Orwell would recognise the coloniser – Indonesia – and the logic of colonialism in the West Papua region.

Indonesia annexed West Papua in the 1960s. Thus began and thus continues the deadliest postcolonial struggle in Oceania. In the past half century the Indonesian security forces have killed as many as 500,000 West Papuans. Last year the Asian Human Rights Commission released The Neglected Genocide, a report on atrocities committed in 1977 and 1978. Survivors describe how they escaped the killing fields while others recount their run-ins with the torture squads. Violence wasn’t just something that happened in West Papua, it was a form of government.

More News: The Guardian