This website is concerned with print culture in both the colonial and independence eras in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The term print culture is a holistic description of practices and experiences generated by introduced literacy in European and indigenous languages.
We choose not to employ political independence as a marker for cultural independence. Instead, we treat print culture history as a continuum between the colonial and the national, focusing instead on those agents and agencies that were significant in the development of print culture from its inception to the present.
One general characteristic of colonial print cultures is that they are extensively mediated. The writing, production, dissemination, and consumption of print in colonies are not possible without a form of cultural mediation called sponsorship. What is more, the gradual and uneven change from colonial to national print cultures means that this sponsorship is necessary for some time after independence is achieved. These print culture sponsors can be categorized into eight categories or types:
Public Sponsors |
Private Sponsors |
administrations and governments religious organizations educational institutions affiliated individuals |
newspapers and magazines publishers and presses NGOs/foundations/associations non-affiliated individuals |
| BW | Black Writing from New Guinea |
| FNLN | Friends of the National Library Newsletter |
| KOV | Kovave |
| NGW | New Guinea Writing |
| NL | Niugini Lives |
| NLN | National Library Nius |
| NNGW | New New Guinea Writing |
| NW | Night Warrior |
| PIM | Pacific Islands Monthly |
| PNGW | Papua New Guinea Writing |
| Times | The Times of Papua New Guinea |
| VI | Voices of Independence |
| ABC | Australian Broadcasting Commission |
| CCA | Creative Centre for the Arts |
| DES | Department of Extension Services |
| DIES | Department of Information and Extension Services |
| FNLS | Friends of the National Library Service |
| GBS | Government Broadcasting Service |
| IPNGS | Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies |
| NAS | National Arts School |
| NBC | National Broadcasting Commission |
| NBW | National Book Week |
| NCC | National Cultural Council |
| NLS | National Library Service |
| NRI | National Research Institute |
| NTC | National Theatre Company |
| ACP | African Christian Press |
| CAVA | Centre for Audio-Visual Action |
| CPBA | Christian Publishers and Booksellers Association |
| CCC | Christian Communications Commission |
| CTC | Christian Training Centre |
| CWAMEL | Christian Writers Association of Melanesia |
| LMS | London Missionary Society |
| MCC | Melanesian Council of Churches |
| SIL | Summer Institute of Linguistics |
| WEB | Word Educational Books |
| Word | Word Publishing |
| ERU | Educational Research Unit |
| FESTAC | World Black and African Festival of Arts and Cultures |
| GTC | Goroka Teachers College |
| PPP | Papua Pocket Poets |
| SPFA | South Pacific Festival of the Arts |
| UPNG | University of Papua New Guinea |
Updated October 13 2016 by Library Services