Ambassador Profile

My name is Aileen Zuhukepe, I am 28 years old from the Province of Morobe in the beautiful country Papua New Guinea (PNG). I have completed my Degree Program (Bachelor of Medical Imaging Science) at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) in 2019. I have a total of 3 years working experience from the medical field (radiology). I am currently tutoring at the School of Medicine (Health Sciences) at UPNG.

Ambassador Interests

As a young academic, medical professional and youth advocate, my interests spread across various fields; medical profession, clinical research, social science research to youth work including culture and tradition. I also have a keen interest in my career pathways, international opportunities within my field and outside, youth driven work as my passion in the hopes of sharing knowledge, ideas and networking. As part of youth in the emerging nation (Pacific) where there is suppression due to socio- economic challenges as opportunities, I was so fortunate that through the engagement of youth activities, I have developed and harnessed leadership skills that really contribute a lot in my professional career as a young academic in the field of Medical Imaging Science (Radiology) in Papua New Guinea. due to my leadership experience, I was privileged enough to have been sponsored by the Australian Awards for PNG Women in Academia to attend the 30th International Conference of Australasian Sonographers Association in Sydney, Australia (31 st May to 2 nd June, 2024) as the only first ever participant from PNG and the Pacific to attended the prestigious conference. As I look back to it, I truly appreciate the work of youth engagement which has positively impacted me and influenced my career, not just in medical field, but also in the scope of civic engagement which I am also passionate about.

Ambassador: Youth Engagement, Challenges and Concern

In my youth engagement as the previous 2023 Ambassador of Pacific Australia Youth Association, alongside other youth groups which I am part of in PNG, I have seen the importance of sharing ideas, knowledge and communication (networking) at the local community, national and international levels. Also, as an active youth in my region, country and my profession, there are exceptionally many concerns, issues, challenges that youth around the world (including the Pacific and PNG) are facing at the moment.

PNG Culture and Concern on Cultural Extinction

In today’s current context, there are also increasing challenges, issues and concerns that are faced by youths in PNG and the Pacific as a whole. One of the most challenging concerns is cultural extinction. On the basis of this discussion, I intend to share my personal observation about culture extinction of PNG as a main challenge that any youth can address or advocate for to embrace, promote and preserve the unique of PNG culture, tradition and custom.

Papua New Guinea, as according to several documented studies and archives by national and expatriate anthropologists, have found out that our country has the most diverse culture in the world. We have over 800 different languages, making it most unique in the world, and many customs and traditions that are mostly still practiced today. However, due to modernisation and outside world influences, modern contemporary, inter-racial/inter-cultural breed has a huge impact of influencing the real unique culture and tradition that defines a society, community, province or region in PNG. Cultural extinction is a major concern in PNG currently.

An example of my Morobe Province Culture that makes it unique and significant from the rest of the province is the traditional attire – bilas amongst other unique cultural identities. This includes the native language spoken, traditional carrying bags – tulip woven bilums- different traditional songs, dances, ceremonies, different folklores and traditional icons of different parts of districts of Morobe Province. Our tradition or way of life of each nine districts, its people, their interaction and behavior, and how they live is partially or perhaps totally different from the other district of the province and even other districts of other provinces. With over a thousand tribes, clans and societies, each clan has different customs – a set of traditional guidelines, rules and belief. Each clan, tribe, region and province practices their customs which are maybe partially the same, or totally different from each other. This is not only in the province of Morobe in the Momase region of PNG, but also other the 21 other provinces as well. This makes PNG a multi-cultural, diverse cultural country in the Pacific and wider world. And so, with such cultural diversity, the loss or extinction of culture is a major concern because culture, tradition and customs define a society and adds value, standards, morale and beliefs which makes it so unique in its own ways.

Summary

Hence, in my country PNG which has over 22 provinces spread across the landmass of 785, 753km 2 in Melanesia region in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean, culture is very important as it defines oneself, it gives value and sense of belongingness to a person (us) yet it is dying – cultural extinction. Our greatest concern as PNG indigenous youth is, even if we tried to preserve the culture through songs, practices, dances etc... the culture is dying. What do we do next so that the Generation Z in PNG and other generations to come will not lose their Identity as real Papua New Guineans?