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This photograph documents an artistic intervention by collective Oceania Interrupted in Auckland against the long-term brutal occupation of West Papua by Indonesia (since 1962) and the New Zealand government's support of Indonesia.
Sāmoan writer, teacher and artist Leilani Salesa led a collective of Pacific and Māori women (called Oceania Interrupted) in the staging of 15 artistic interventions to raise public awareness of the plight of indigenous West Papuans and to mark the 15 years that activist Filep Karma was jailed for in raising the Morning Star flag (the independence flag of West Papua) in Jayapura, Indonesia, on 1 December 2004 (he was freed in 2015). The collective works in association with West Papua Action Auckland. The aim of the collective is to raise public awareness about the human rights abuse endured by the people of West Papua; intervene in spaces using art ('art is the way we see as the most powerful'), and lobby the New Zealand government to stop training Indonesian police and cease financial dealings with Indonesia.
1 December is a special day for West Papuans because on that day in 1961 the Morning Star flag was raised for the first time. The Dutch colonists were sympathetic because they had put West Papua on the road to independence. However, hopes for a free West Papua were dashed when Indonesian troops invaded the country shortly after. Ever since, anyone who raises the flag is dealt with harshly.
Oceania Interrupted called their first performance 'The Rise of the Morning Star', and it took place in Queen Street, Auckland, on Sunday 1 December 2013 as part of a network of global events to create awareness and activate support for the struggle towards independence in West Papua. The women raised the Morning Star flag at three intersections along Queen Street. They stood shoulder to shoulder and raised their fists - encircling the Morning Star flag - as a 'brown sisterhood salute to support a free and independent West Papua' (tewhareporahou.wordpress.com). Leilani designed the performance. This particular photograph captures the collective standing in the intersection of Customs and Queen streets.
Since then, Oceania Interrupted has undertaken further actions such as seminars, colouring competitions, and a silent march through Pasifika Festival.