Time Capsule Expedition, Papua — His hands were shaking as he held the microphone. His voice sounded tense, but still sounded sturdy with a distinctive eastern Indonesian accent.
“I had a dream…West Papua became free……” the boy started to speak.
The atmosphere was suddenly quiet. The expedition team and the Haridins focused on the tall, skinny boy with black skin and curly hair.
“….free from ignorance and poverty…., and education can be the same as other islands!” the boy continued.
The students who participated in the socialization of the capsule movement at SMA 1 Manokwari spontaneously cheered and clapped. Relieved.
“Anyone else want to share their dream?” asked Mas Viddy, a member of the time capsule expedition who was the resource person at that time.
The little hands immediately excitedly raised their hands.
They each expressed their dream about West Papua. The dreams of these schoolchildren are largely the same: Want a better education. At least equivalent to in Java.
“People want to learn computers,” said one elementary school student.
Dodid, a member of the EKW expedition team from West Papua — who coincidentally also met his elementary school teacher here — told the students not to only see Papua from an inside perspective. But also from the outside. Travel. Study outside and come back to fill spaces in Papua. Be creative. Control government. And most importantly: Let’s get to work!
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Captain Dika landed the Casa C212 plane nicely at Rendani Airport, Manokwari, the capital of West Papua province. When parking the plane, you can see from the window Papuan children lined up ready to welcome us with a welcome dance Yaspen.
The capsule is lowered. The team was immediately greeted by the West Papua Police Chief and the Deputy Governor of West Papua. Not long after, the paskibra immediately lifted him to the top of the car to be paraded around the city of Manokwari.
The capsule convoy directly divides the city of Manokwari. In the leading position behind the police escort were several Papuan State University students wearing orange jackets riding motorbikes. They helped enliven the convoy.
From Rendani Manokwari Airport, the group passed the Manokwari coast, through protected forests, to a market filled with durians at a price of five thousand rupiah. “The air is still very clean,” said one team member.
The capsules were brought to Manokwari Harbor, raised inside speed boat belonging to the Department of Transportation with two 250 horsepower engines. The ship was speeding towards the historic island of the starting point where the Bible first touched Papua: Mansinam Island. In 1855, it was here that two German evangelists assisted by the sailboat of the Tidore Sultanate landed.
At the Mansinam pier, again the team was greeted by a yaspen dance to welcome the team. Dozens of elementary school children also lined up neatly on both sides of the road to welcome the arrival of the time capsule. The team was greeted by the village head and immediately transported by car like an ambulance with the words “Mobile Health Center”.
“From the island of Mansinam, civilization has emerged for all Papuans. From this mansinam island, light rises for the Papuans. And with the presence of this capsule, hopefully it can also create a brighter Papuan civilization!” said the Head of Public Relations of the West Papua Provincial Government in his remarks.
Some team members ride motorbikes to climb up the hill where there is a statue of Christ as high as a three-story building. Here, the capsule is prayed for in solemnity. As was the case in the previous provinces, capsules are always prayed for in the manner and belief of the majority in their respective provinces. To the extent that Viddy Supit, a member of the time capsule expedition team, stammered and sobbed with emotion when he gave his welcome speech.
“There will be no more crying and calamity among the earth of Indonesia. We from the land of Mansinam hope that in the coming years there will be no more crying on the land of Papua, no more massacres on the land of Papua, we hope that there will be good changes in the land of Papua, “said the head of the village of Mansinam.
We couldn’t hold back our emotions.
Not long after, the team and entourage returned to the city of Manokwari and had lunch at the old governor’s office not far from the port. There were already hundreds of school children waiting for the time capsule. The deputy governor’s mother gave her speech. In the middle of his speech, he called representatives of each school child around Manokwari to the front of the stage.
“What kind of person do you have father and mother?” asked the deputy governor of West Papua to one of the straight-haired Papuan children.
“My father is Papuan. My mother is Bugis!” said the boy wearing the red and white uniform.
“So this tong is a Papuan child, isn’t it?” the vice governor asked the other children.
“Yeah,” they answered in unison.
“That’s right! Apart from native Papuans, one of whose father or mother or mother is Papuan, or who has a Papuan culture, all of them are Papuans according to the law!” said the deputy governor
“Whether there are curly children or not in Papua in 2085 when the capsule is opened, right?” said the deputy governor with a smile.
With the addition of buses containing school children, the group resumed their journey to the new Governor’s office on the hill. The view of the city of Manokwari after the rain looked very solemn that afternoon. Layers of hills piled up like a layer cake and the Pacific Ocean is the backdrop for this magnificent West Papua provincial governor’s building.
Next to the ceremonial inspector’s podium, there is a stage that is ready with large speakers and a stage backdrop with the words “PESTA OF THE PEOPLE: WELCOME TO THE CAPSULE EXPEDITION OF TIME 2085.” Coupled with the writing of a list of local artists and singers who will entertain the people of Manokwari.
But before the people’s party, the main event first begins, namely the reading of dreams by West Papuan children. The governor instructed the ceremonial commander to rest the troops. One by one, seven Papuan children entered the field and read their dreams.
“We, the nation’s children from the province of West Papua, dream that the people of West Papua can live in an atmosphere full of peace, love, and mutual respect without violence, intimidation, and terror by abandoning the interests of ethnicity, religion, race and inter-groups,” the first child read his dream with loudly.
One by one the dreams were read. After the seventh dream, West Papua Governor Abraham Oktavianus Alaturi came down to sign this dream. He couldn’t hold back his tears. Maybe the mandate of these dreams is too heavy to carry out. However, this is the hope of the people of West Papua that has been written down, and must be done.
“If not now when, and if not us then who?” The governor closed his remarks which was greeted with loud applause.
Troop disbanded. The stage lights were turned on and the MC stepped out of the stage and started the folk party.
“The rain handler is already working. Let’s party from light to dark to light again! Mitha will hypnotize all of you!”
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