The extraordinary life of Ulli Beier

PETER TRIST, a close friend of the Beier family for 44 years, shares some memories of the late Ulli Beier.

Ulli Beier’s life ended in Sydney on the April 3, 2011 aged 88.
Born in Glowitz, Germany, in 1922, Ulli spent a very happy early childhood in Berlin, where his father was a medical doctor and distinguished musician. The rise of Nazism interrupted his life. Ulli’s mother realised that as a family with part Jewish heritage they were in danger and in 1933 they emigrated to Tel Aviv, then Palestine. Ulli’s father found work as a doctor for Jewish, Palestinian and Arab patients.
Ulli attended a Hebrew school, which language he had to learn, but left school early to follow his passion for horses. He first worked as a professional show jumper and riding teacher. Ulli studied at night and passed his (London) Matriculation.
When Italy entered the war in 1940, Ulli was classified by the British as an enemy alien, and was interned in a camp for several years. During this time in the camp Ulli prepared 6 young German fellow internees for matriculation. He also successfully achieved and was granted a BA (External) through London University. He gained admission at that University to study linguistics.
Throughout his life, Ulli loved and excelled at languages. Some of the languages that he excelled in were German, French, English, Hebrew, Arabic, Yoruba and Tok Pisin. His work as a translator, especially poetry, is much admired and can be enjoyed in his many publications.
After his London graduation, Ulli declined offers of an academic career, and chose instead to teach disadvantaged and handicapped children in London. He delighted in taking his students for their first experiences of going to museums, concerts and the theatre (in cheap seats that he paid for from his small salary).
In 1950, aged 28, Ulli took up an appointment in Phonetics at the university college Ibadan, Nigeria. This move was to change his life. Here he soon rebelled against the tight restrictions and “European” syllabus emphasised by the English colonial authority.
He transferred to the more flexible extramural and adult education sections. Here he was able to make the teaching subjects relevant and meaningful for the Nigerians. They were also not hampered by the demands of examinations.
Ulli developed a deep fascination for Yoruba culture. He quickly became fluent in the language and absorbed the living evidence of Yoruba art and society with great respect and sensitivity. He founded the magazine Odu and edited Black Orpheus – The First English language magazine entirely with content by African and African American writers and artists.
Ulli encouraged and promoted many writers such as Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe. With the dramatists Duro Ladipo, he founded the first Nigerian Theatre Company that toured internationally.
Ullis life then changed again when he successfully applied for the position as a senior lecture at the then new University of Papua and New Guinea.
Although aware of the great traditional arts of the country, Ulli and his wife Georgina were disappointed to find the Port Moresby of 1967 a cultural desert, inhibited by its Australian administration. On their second day there, they visited the Moresby “Town” area and went into a hotel lounge for coffee. They were denied service because Ulli was wearing sandals not “shoes and socks” – the regulation dress code.
They set about transforming the situation (but Ulli continued to wear sandals). His energy was phenomenal. He devised the University’s first courses in literature and creative writing. Because no suitable Papua New Guinean writing was available to teach, he assigned student to collect, record and translate into English their Tok Ples legends and songs. Many of these translations formed the basis of the Papua Pocket Poets series that Ulli later published.
He founded and published Kovave – first magazine devoted to PNG culture and writing, and together with his artist wife Georgina, arranged exhibitions and promoted contemporary PNG artists such at Akis and Kauage in Port Moresby and overseas.
The first Papuan that the Beiers met at Brisbane airport on their initial journey was Albert Maori Kiki who became a close friend. Ulli encouraged Kiki to tell his life story onto tape which Ulli transcribed. This project resulted in the first publication of an autobiography by a Papua New Guinean “Kiki : 10,000 Years in a Lifetime”. This was a great success and was translated into many languages including Japanese, Russian and Swahili.
Vincent Eri, then a student of Ulli’s, was persuaded to complete his story, set in Moveave, called “The Crocodile”. This became the first published novel by a Papua New Guinean and was a bestseller.
An example of the unconventional approach by Ulli to the formalities of teaching and his dislike of examinations and rigid bureaucratic regulations was evident when he granted Russell Soaba a “B” pass in his creative writing course. Russell had only attended one lecture that term and submitted a one-page story. When queried by the University administration on this mark, Ulli’s response was “here I see a person who will always be a writer”. Russell has fulfilled this prophecy by publishing novels and many short stories and now teaches literature at UPNG. Russell has also been awarded the Papua New Guinea Independence Medal for his contribution to PNG literature.
Ulli and Georgina, now with their two sons Sebastian and Tunji, returned to Nigeria in 1971 where Ulli took up an appointment as director of the Institute of African Studies at Ife.
Fortunately for Papua New Guinea the Beiers returned in 1974 where Ulli was invited to establish an Institute of PNG Studies.
At the institute Ulli set up a film unit under the direction of Chris Owen. Both saw the need to document the aspects of tradition before change transformed their societies. The film units’ first productions included “Tighten the Drums” (Enga), “The Red Bowman” (West Sepik) and “Gogodala – A Cultural Revival?” (Western Papua).
A music department and archive was also formed. Frederick Duvelle, Les McLaren, Kakah Kais and Don Niles were soon recording and preserving traditional and contemporary music from all areas of the country. Don Niles is still continuing this very important work.
Over 100 publications were produced by the Institute under Ulli’s direction. These include oral history, poetry, art history, plays, novels (Including Russell Soabas “Wanpis”) and translations of traditional languages. A journal of Papua New Guinea culture – “Gigibori” was also produced. Jack Lahui and John Kolia organised a National Literature competition of poetry and prose.
For the NBC, where I was then producer of drama and features, Ulli presented a series of radio programmes broadcast nationally. These included “Folklore from Melanesia” (with Apasai Enos and Kakah Kais), “The World Through Poetry”, “Arts from Third World”, and “Worship Through Music”.
With his passing, the world and Papua New Guinea has lost a great friend and teacher.
Ulli is survived by his wife Georgina, his sons Sebastian and Tunji, and Ulli’s grandchildren, Kelsey Nikita and Zachary Beier.