John Kasaipwalova

John Kasaipwalova is an author of Papua New Guinea. He was born in 1949 of indigenous parentage in Okaidoka Village on Kiriwina Island of the Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. He was originally destined to be a tribal chief, but he was instead sent to Catholic school where he earned an academic scholarship to attend University of Queensland, to study veterinary medicine. Before finishing that degree he enrolled at the University of Papua New Guinea, where he began his literary career and gained a reputation as an anti-colonial radical.

Published works

• Hanuabada (a compilation of poetry)(1972)
• Reluctant Flame (a compilation of poetry)(1972)
• Kanaka's Dream (satirical play)
• The Rooster in the Confessional (satirical play)
• The Naked Jazz (satirical play)
• My Brother (satirical play)
• My Enemy (satirical play)
• Sail the Midnight Sun (co-author with Greg Murphy)(folk opera)(1980)
• Betel Nut is Bad Magic for Airplanes (short story)^[1]

Other work

Kasaipwalova also developed the grass-roots co-operative and cultural movement in Trobriand Islands. He was briefly jailed over alleged mishandling of government funds. He went into business and now lives on his traditional tribal land.^[2]

References