PAC Media
Bringing the Word
Journalism students at Divine Word University, produce a compelling book.
What's the best known university journalism program in the South Pacific? Undoubtedly the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. From its Laucala campus in suburban Suva its journalism program works hard to promote what it is doing. But in Papua New Guinea and increasingly in the region there is growing recognition of another university journalism program, that of Divine Word University. From their campus in the town of Madang, on Papua New Guinea's north coast, Communications Arts Department head Joe Weber and his staff follow the maxim of deeds not words.
Now Weber, fellow lecturers Kevin Pamba and David Scoullar, and 20 of their journalism students have come up with another deed that adds to Divine Word's growing reputation. From Madang they traveled up the coast by boat and truck to reach Aitape. The result of their journey is what is being described as the first book to document the human side of the 1998 tragedy there.
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Following an earthquake below the sea a giant tidal wave swept over the low-lying coastline north of Aitape. As the survivors recount in this just-published book, more than 2,000 people lost their lives within seconds, and a whole way of life was destroyed.
The book by the journalism students, Aitape: The Road to Recovery, was launched by Aitape's Roman Catholic Bishop Austen Crapp, who said: "This is a memorial to all people in the tsunami. It's a record of their courage from the time of the tragedy till now as they pick up the pieces. It's a memorial to their great human spirit."
The book resulted from a field trip to Aitape by 20 of the journalism students. They traveled widely through the area—sometimes in difficult conditions—and their interviews were processed over a six-month period into the stories in the book.
Weber, a British journalist and journalism educator who has led the rapid development of Divine Word University's journalism program, says in the preface:
“In July 1998, for a few brief days, Papua New Guinea caught the world's attention when tidal waves swept away villages close to Aitape and killed more than 2,000 people. Within days, television crews, radio journalists, newspaper reporters and photographers, arrived by helicopter to tell the world about the tragedy. The victims' plight touched the hearts of people in Papua New Guinea and around the world, and aid started to arrive to help the survivors rebuild their lives.”
What prompted the book two years later? Says Weber: "It was a worthwhile opportunity to report on something that was no longer on the news agenda. What do the students think of their efforts?
Says Helen Kassman, one of those who took part: "Aitape was an unforgettable experience. The book is an achievement and a token of our trip there."
Aitape-The Road to Recovery. Published by DWU Press, October 25 2000. Large format paperback. 96 pages, 50 black and white photos. Price: Kina 20 plus Kina 2 per book for post and packaging. Available by mail order from Divine Word University, PO Box 483, Madang, Papua New Guinea. E-mail: dwupress@dwu.ac.pag
