He left bilums in Paris

COVER STORY

By LULU MARK
THERE is nothing quite like a bilum; its bright colours are eye-catching and everybody always asks questions about it, Dagia Aka, back from a recent trip abroad says.
“The bilum has been a great conversation starter for much of this trip. I remember overthinking how I would represent Papua New Guinea in what I wore when the answer was very simple; karim ol bilum blong yu na raun! (go around with your bilums).
Dagia brought a couple of bilums with him to Paris, France and left them there hoping the bilums will lead his new friends to PNG to explore the beautiful stories behind the art and history of the creations.
He definitely will return because 10 days was not enough to explore the amazing city of Paris and of course to see how the bilums were telling the PNG story there.
Dagia travelled to Paris in March at the invitation of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in its Pipa (Programme d’Invitation des Personnalités d’Avenir or Future Leaders Invitation Programme).
It was a week full of meetings, appointments and conferences with civil society organisations and people working in the same space as him.
Future Leaders Invitation Programme (Pipa)
Pipa was created in 1989 and run by the Strategy Analysis and Policy Planning Centre of the France Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Every year some 75 promising young leaders (aged 25 to 45) from around the world are invited to attend the programme.
It seeks to provide these future leaders with an in-depth knowledge of France, based on high-level professional contacts relating to their activities and areas of interest. It also aims to create special ties with France.
Since the programme was launched, more than 2,000 people from 159 different countries have taken part.
Dagia and The Voice Inc
Dagia, 25, is a young Papua New Guinean leader that is passionate about change in the country and does his work with fervent dedication.

He started working in the youth empowerment space at the age of 15 when he was a student at the Jubilee Catholic Secondary School in Port Moresby. Over the 10 years he has worked with various organisations, involved in a lot of programmes, represented the country in international forums and conferences and received many distinguished accolades as well. He is particularly known for his fight against corruption which included him being elected to the board of directors of Transparency International PNG at the age of 19.
Currently he is working with The Voice Inc (TVI) which is where he first volunteered when he was in secondary school. He is the producer and host of Youth Tok at TVI. Youth Tok is a television show that provides a platform for young people to have their voices aired and heard.
“TVI is a youth developmental organisation whose vision is to create a world where generations of young people are driven by purpose and are confident in the value of their contribution to their communities, their nation and the world. Over the years young people in the thousands have been a part of or been impacted by The Voice through its Clean Generation Campaign. TVI has a footprint that has stretched into all four regions of PNG.
Meetings in Paris
Dagia left PNG on Wednesday, March 16 and arrived in Paris the next morning. He had the weekend to explore the city before serious business kicked off.

Youth leader Dagia Aka took PNG icons to one of Europe’s melting pots with the hope that an inquiring visitor would one day be drawn by them to his homeland

“My meetings in Paris ranged from having conversations with individuals that worked within the civil society space whilst also having time to drop by and chat with individuals with very high level government roles. I had three notable meetings that I would like to share.
“As a producer and host for The Voice Inc, I was extremely happy to meet with an executive of France TV as I wanted to learn as much as I could about media in France. It was a wonderful meeting with the France TV deputy director of marketing and communications Antoine Boilley who was kind enough to share his experience of working in television and gave me an overview of France TV.
“We spoke mainly on Slash, a new TV channel they have created that caters specifically to youth issues and is geared towards an audience of 15 to 30-year-olds.
“He shared about how they approached issues that were somewhat taboo and ensured that a youth voice was heard on when it cames to their shows on Slash.
“I had the opportunity to share about what I am doing with the show Youth Tok and other television projects that TVI hopes to soon launch. He (Boilley was extremely impressed and was able to offer me great advice on how to approach sensitive topics.
“I greatly appreciated his honesty, especially from his wealth of knowledge being in television for more than 20 years. The meeting ended with a tour of their studios, all impressively setup. I hope to foster a partnership that would allow for greater exposure of PNG and our content within the region.
Engaged And Determined
“I had the opportunity to chat with Claire De Sousa Reis and Arthur Beaute from the youth movement called Engaged and Determined.
Also at this meeting was Sarah Bilot who is the General Delegate for Animafac, the main French network for student associations. Our meeting took place at 6th Arsenal, a venue for student movements and somewhat of a co-working space for youth-run NGOs and associations.
“The three shared about the work each other’s organisations was doing and were keen to learn about PNG and our landscape when it came to student movements and associations.
“We discussed possible avenues for collaboration and similarities between the work we do. We spent a good portion of our time talking about 6th Arsenal, the co-working space offered to their student movements. This allowed for collaboration when possible, especially if student movements worked in similar thematic areas.
“A co-working space for their student movements also allowed for knowledge sharing, especially from those who were experienced and intended to eventually transition out of the youth space.
“It has been very eye-opening to learn about co-working spaces that are dedicated to nongovernment orgnaisations and initiatives in Paris. It seems to be a model that promotes greater solidarity and the opportunity to speak with a unified voice.

Meeting with The Determined
“The next meeting was with Mousa Camara, President of the association Les déterminés. Camara’s association works towards increasing entrepreneurial opportunities especially for citizens from low income or rural areas within France.
“He encourages his community of entrepreneurs to not only create businesses, but initiatives that have a lasting impact on their communities.
“After a brief meeting with Camara I was given the opportunity to share with a cohort of entrepreneurs that are part of the association. They were very interested in PNG thus I was given the opportunity to share about our country, the various organisations I have worked with, especially The Voice Inc and from the entrepreneurial landscape in PNG.
“The group was very interested to have knowledge sharing opportunities with their counterparts in PNG, to learn about the market and possibly work towards creating linkages between both countries.
“A question was raised about the market for cosmetics and hair care products for natural hair and though I am not too familiar with this particular space, I was happy to share about my two favorite places, Bilas Studio and Pomcity Hair Station who they should follow to connect with and learn more about these amazing businesses.
“I can’t wait to make the necessary connections with this amazing association and interested parties within the country.
Reflections, future plans
“Whilst France is a world away from many within the region, it has so much to teach us when it comes to the conservation of culture and the encouragement of citizens to treasure and learn their heritage.
“One of the things I enjoyed the most during my time there was the daily lines of students that were at museums and the fact that the government incentivises certain days for things such as the opera.
“One of the key things that I hope to do is connect local groups to what I would term as their French counterparts. I would like to ensure that there is opportunity for knowledge sharing not just from me as someone who has returned from this programme but between the respective organisations. I have already commenced this process and will continue to do so in the months ahead.
A word from the French Embassy
French Ambassador Lemoine Guillaume said many people in France and probably also in Europe, did not know very well where Papua New Guinea is.
“With the word “Guinea”, some of them think this is in Africa,” he said.
“After having consulted a map, they realise this is the western part of this huge island at the north of Australia.
This is quite different for the others, who have travelled, who are more open to the world, interested in geopolitics, in environmental issues, in ancestral traditions and culture, who know that somewhere in this part of the world, there is a unique and fascinating country, with many islands, rich with unique biodiversity, of a huge rainforest, of an amazing quantity of natural resources, rich of traditions and hundreds of tribes and languages.
“So, having Dagia taking part in this programme was a unique opportunity to create contacts in France with this young, dynamic, very well connected, charismatic and influential leader from PNG, to expose the country and to try to establish and foster relationships with likeminded young leaders in France.
“Under this programme Pipa, each year, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs invites some 75 foreign personalities and members of international organisations to spend one week in France and enable those personalities from the political, academic, community, trade union and economic scene to gain an enhanced knowledge of France in all its aspects.
“This year was the first time a leader from PNG was selected and he was also the only one from all the Pacific.
“The Ministry in Paris organised a well-balanced programme for Dagia, with him visiting youth organisations, government officials including the French Senate and the French public TV channel France TV.
“I just regret a little that we were not able to have him meet more people from the fashion world because I know Dagia is very committed and involved in this in PNG and in particular the Fashion Week in PNG. And everybody knows that this is one of the aspects which contributes to France’s fame and reputation, even if there are so many other aspects.
“Regarding the meetings with youth organisations in Paris, it is important to acknowledge that no matter where countries are on the globe, in Port Moresby or Paris, in Marseille or Lae, as the earth is a global village, concerns for youths are the same everywhere, representation, human rights, gender equality and gender-based violence, lack of employment opportunities, environment and protection of our planet.
“As such, everyone needs to work together in addressing them.
“I really hope – and since I have the pleasure and honour to know this young man, I can say that I don’t only hope, but I am sure of that – that the visit by Dagia to Paris is the beginning of a flourishing relationship between the two countries when it comes to civil society and youth organisations.
“You know, as a diplomat, apart from meeting with political and economic leaders, authorities and government officials, I feel it is also important to meet with the future leaders of the country who represent the PNG of tomorrow.
“Thanks to Dagia Aka, I am happy to have now some contacts and I sincerely thank him for this. Indeed, he is a wonderful ambassador of PNG!
“The embassy will continue to work together with the youths and civil society organisations wherever it can. PNG has an amazing potential and dynamism.
“And I already had the chance to meet with very high potential individuals, in so many different areas, people who are very able and qualified, with a high standard of skills and people who have a vision for their country. I am happy if the kind of programme we offered Dakia Aka to attend can help and support.
“Sometimes, you just need a little push to believe in yourself, and to be confident in yourself,” he said.
You can learn more about Dagia’s trip to Paris and the work of the French Embassy on their Facebook page @FranceinPapuaNiugini.