I know that one day all of New Guinea, from Sorong to Samarai, will celebrate true independence and enjoy God’s creation on our green island.

This is our long-term dream. With one half unfree, our island is not complete.

We are one island, with one ancestor. Just because a colonial border separates us, does not mean we are destined to be apart forever.

One day this artificial line will fall like the Berlin Wall, bringing our people together once more.

It is my heart’s dream to see elders from each half of the island meet and watch their grandchildren dance together in peace like the Bird of Paradise.

We continue to dream of liberating the people of West Papua from tyranny and the 21st century colonialism imposed by the Indonesian government.

You have reached your 46th year of sovereignty – we have been fighting for the last 58 years for independence and freedom.

We will pray for your celebrations and thank the forefathers who liberated PNG.

Benny Wenda - "We will stand together and celebrate together"

On the other side of the island we still struggle for our freedom, but our forefathers have already set our destiny.

Now the new generation, in West Papua and PNG, must fight to liberate the rest of New Guinea.

One day we will join these independence celebrations hand-in-hand, with the Morning Star raised alongside the PNG flag.

We will stand together and celebrate together.

I wish you all the best. God bless your country. Wa wa wa.

Benny Wenda is Interim President of the Provisional Government established by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)

Source: With thanks to David Robie, Asia Pacific Report