The meeting with a traveller: ‘The Breath of Sanguma: Papua New Guinea’
The Warsaw Gasworks Museum invites you to “The Breath of Sanguma: Papua New Guinea,” a travel and educational lecture combining reportage, anthropology, and reflections on human rights. The event will take place on October 8 at 6:00 p.m. at our museum. Admission is free.
Anka Sidor and Bartek Przepiórkowski will share their experiences from a three-month expedition to one of the most culturally and naturally diverse places in the world. The travelers observed how ancient traditions, rituals, and beliefs—including practices related to magic and sorcery known as sanguma—function in the contemporary lives of local communities.
Papua New Guinea Through the Eyes of Its Residents
During their expedition, the authors spoke with residents about their daily lives, local issues, and the changes brought about by globalization, neocolonialism, and the influence of external cultural models. They also documented changes in the natural environment, particularly those related to the activities of Chinese and Western mining companies.
They participated in rituals, ceremonies, and funeral feasts. They were accepted into clans on the Trobriand Islands, visited the communities of Bargam, Garus, Maugak, Yano, and Enga, as well as tribes inhabiting the Gulf Province.
During their journey, they also climbed the country’s two highest peaks: Mt. Wilhelm, rising to 4,509 meters above sea level, and Mt. Giluwe, measuring 4,367 meters above sea level. Mt. Giluwe is the highest volcano in Oceania and is part of the Volcanic Crown of the Earth.
Over 300 photos and video footage
The lecture will not be merely a travelogue. The authors’ personal experiences will serve as a starting point for a discussion on cultural diversity, human rights, social change, and the economy’s impact on the environment.
The stories will be accompanied by video footage from the expedition and over 300 original photographs. Participants will see Papua New Guinea not only as a distant travel destination, but above all as a country of people grappling with rapid changes and stereotypes about their culture.
Anka Sidor is a cultural studies scholar, traveler, and researcher specializing in indigenous cultures and human rights in the Amazon and Oceania. She holds degrees in, among other fields, international relations and diplomacy, as well as intercultural communication. She is preparing a doctoral dissertation on violence against people accused of witchcraft in Papua New Guinea in the context of human rights and the cultural rights of indigenous peoples.
She is the author of Storm in the Tropics, a reportage and educational project dedicated to the cultures, nature, and contemporary changes in the Amazon and Oceania.
Bartek Przepiórkowski is a traveler and photographer. He documents daily life, traditions, social relationships, and nature in places off the beaten path. He is a co-creator of Storm in the Tropics.
