Abstract:

"In this companion piece to Yumi Yet,the villagers of Papua New Guinea recreate the British electoral system with their first independent election (ileksen is Melanesian Pidgin for "election"). The dominant impression is one of chaos: a land with rich cultural traditions and very specific economic and political problems striving to fit itself into an imported form of democracy. Without media experts to package their campaigns, Papua New Guinea's politicians employ a wide variety of techniques to secure votes: megaphones, rock bands, tea with the headmistress of a British school. Western-style campaigning may seem out of place, but the people in the film appear to understand it quite well. In the end, the significance of the community's struggle lies less in the outcome than in the process."