Ben Bohane's portrayal of spirit and war in Melanesia

Abstract

As a photojournalist, writer and producer of television documentaries, Ben Bohane has spent the past 12 years posting stories about life on the islands of Melanesia to the Western media—illuminating the struggles and the spirit worlds behind the news. Melanesia is as close to Australia as a 150km cruise from the tip of Cape York across the Torres Strait to Papua New Guinea, connecting Australasia to the rest of Oceania and Asia. Until recently, though, these islands have seemed distantly removed from Australia and New Zealand’s notion of its international community.