麻豆社

How do you create a nation from the ruins of conflict and neglect? It is the question asked by local journalist, Louiseanne Laris, as her home island of Bougainville prepares to become the world鈥檚 newest country.

Bougainville lies on the very eastern edge of the Pacific country of Papua New Guinea. It is a lush tropical island, rich in natural resources and minerals with a long history of colonisation and occupation. In the 1980s, tension over a massive foreign-owned copper and gold mine led to a 10-year civil war between local rebels and government forces. Thousands were killed and displaced by the fighting. When peace was finally brokered, Bougainvilleans demanded a referendum on their future.

In 2019 this finally happened. More than 98% of Bougainville鈥檚 population voted to separate from Papua New Guinea and become fully independent. Still scarred by the conflict, people are struggling to rebuild their lives and the country around them. They want justice, economic opportunities and assurances of safety. But how can Bougainville meet these demands? And does the island have the capacity to govern itself after years of neglect?

(Photo: Bougainville residents queue to vote at a polling station in an historical independence vote in Buka on 23 November, 2019. Credit: Ness Kerton/AFP/Getty Images)