Written in a direct, honest and humble voice, the book serves as both a personal reflection and a national chronicle.

Kiki was not only a pathfinder for Indigenous leadership in a colonised land; he was also one of the founding members of the Pangu Pati and among the first Papua New Guineans to enter formal politics.

His book vividly portrays the tension between traditional customs and the pressures of colonial and Christian values.

Kiki’s move from his village to missionary schools, and later to medical training, marked profound shifts in awareness, responsibility and ambition.

He critically but respectfully assesses the Australian colonial Administration and its slow, often reluctant, movement toward local political participation.

As a firsthand witness to PNG’s formative years, he offers insight into the birth of national identity, political struggle and the hopes of a self-governed people.

Chapter 6 in the book, The Curse of the Sorcerer, is one of its most gripping parts.

It serves as a microcosm of the broader cultural conflict between traditional belief and the Western rationalism introduced by colonial rule.

In this chapter, Kiki recounts an episode where he became gravely ill and his family believed he was the victim of sorcery—a deeply held belief in his community.

His father called for a traditional healer to counter the spell. However, Albert, influenced by his mission school education and exposure to modern medicine, was sceptical.

Eventually, the family took him to a mission clinic, where he received proper diagnosis and treatment for appendicitis. That this was not a supernatural curse. provided a symbolic moment in Kiki’s life.

This chapter also demonstrates the struggle between traditional knowledge and modern science, and the emotional and psychological turmoil of navigating two belief systems and the importance of access to education and healthcare in changing perceptions.

Kiki’s personal transformation mirrored the national evolution of PNG—torn between past and future, spirituality and modernity, and village and state.

Kiki writes: ““My father and the other men in the village believed I had been cursed by a sorcerer. I was too sick to argue, but I remember clearly that I didn’t believe it.

“I had learned by now to think differently. I no longer accepted everything the old men told me. I was suspicious of their ways. But I was still afraid.

“When the missionary nurse finally saw me, she said I must be taken to the hospital immediately. I had appendicitis.

“They operated just in time. If I had stayed in the village any longer, I would have died of the ‘curse’.”

Despite being deeply embedded in his traditional world, Kiki had begun to question these ideas through education and exposure to Western medicine.

This scene captures his internal conflict. He respected his elders’ wisdom but no longer believed blindly.

He feared the unknown but trusted what he had learned in school. His life was saved because he embraced the new world.

This chapter is a powerful message about the transformative power of knowledge. It wasn’t just about schoolbooks—education gave Kiki the ability to think critically, to question and, ultimately, to survive.

Many Papua New Guineans today still walk between these two worlds. Chapter 6 encourages them to seek truth, to question and to grow while still respecting heritage.

Kiki doesn’t mock or shame traditional beliefs—he honours them as part of his identity.

But he also shows that growth requires courage to think differently. His journey is not just personal; it mirrors the national journey of PNG moving from tribal society to nationhood.

What makes the book enduring is Kiki’s tone—modest yet reflective, rooted in humility but bursting with insight.

He does not attack traditional ways, nor does he idolise the colonial system. He writes as someone negotiating change and trying to honour both worlds.

This book provides a blueprint for understanding PNG’s historical context and how identity, leadership and unity were built.

It’s accessible, authentic and relatable—and written in straightforward English. It reminds readers of the value of balance between custom and change.

I give this book full marks for historical significance and recommend it for students, teachers, leaders and anyone interested in PNG’s history, identity and path to independence.

A first rate book to celebrate the fiftieth jubilee anniversary of independence.

Peter S Kinjap is author of, Bitcoin Dream: Hope, Hype and Chaos, for students and policymakers in PNG. Email [email protected]