Little is taught about history: Kantha

By SAMUEL BARIASI
VERY little is taught about the history of PNG so many young Papua New Guineans know very little about early PNG, former chief migration officer Solomon Kantha says.
Kantha, who is now a political science lecturer at the University of PNG, was speaking to UPNG students yesterday when former Sumkar MP Ken Fairweather was presenting his autobiography.
Kantha said Fairweather’s autobiography titled ‘Farewell White Man’ contained several significant segments of PNG history that people should know.
“People know so much about the first and second world wars but the same cannot be said about our own history,” he said.
Kantha appreciated Fairweather’s efforts for sharing his life experiences about how it was like in the years leading up to Independence and afterwards.
Fairweather, who described himself in his own book as a larrikin (badly behaved young man), said even though his autobiography was not a history book, he was happy to share his experiences with PNG and the world.
“This book is dedicated to all those expatriates who supported and participated in the growth of PNG as a nation, especially those whose adult life began in the 10 years leading up to independence,” he said in his book.
Fairweather also described his experiences in PNG as a farmer, trucker and politician as fortunate as well as unfortunate.
He added that writing about his own life was not an easy task.