Blue King Brown Drop New Clip On Papuan Activist Website

Melburnian roots band Blue King Brown have made sure to send a message with the release of their newest clip and single, All Nations, putting out the work via the website of the offshore Free West Papua political movement.

The affiliation-free, "determinedly non-violent" Free West Papua movement formed in the UK a decade ago, and has since grown from a volunteer organisation to an international network, with permanent offices in Oxford, The Hague (Netherlands) and Port Moresby. They describe themselves as "a peaceful, public campaign, whose aim is very simple: to give the people of West Papua the freedom to choose their own destiny through a fair and transparent referendum".

In explaining the band's decision to release All Nations through the campaign's site, frontwoman Natalie (Nattali) Pa'apa'a said in a statement: "We’ve chosen to give freewestpapua.org the exclusive premier [sic] of our new video to help draw attention to the ongoing need for dialogue and action in support of self determination and freedom for West Papua.

"All Nations is at its core ... about people power. Calling out to All People from All Nations to recognize their power and reclaim it, use it, assert it in these times of shifting consciousness, a time of discontent with the current world system and paradigm. People all around are waking up to the reality of current world culture and its relentless assault on our environment, our freedoms and our higher intelligence.

"Dedicated to those who fight daily for justice; they’re the ones inspiring and making real change in our physical and mental reality."

Putting out new material on such a website, effectively wearing their political beliefs for all to see and running the risks such a move entails, was not a choice the band made flippantly; in fact, its roots go back a handful of years, Pa'apa'a says.

"In late 2011 we were approached by a newly forming campaign/action group, Rize Of The Morning Star; we spoke deeply about the West Papuan struggle," she told theMusic.com.au today. "The group were gearing up to engage in actions through music, the arts and creative industries. Everything resonated, and we engaged as an extended family, and brought the message into our music and on to our stage.

"This is an international issue; to remain silent was not an option for us. We played for the launch of the campaign in 2012, and continue to shine the light on the issue of West Papua." 

Papua and West Papua have been seeking independence for more than half a century, since their original occupation by and forced assimilation into the newly independent Indonesia in the early 1960s following that country's release from Dutch control.

All Nations itself is the second single to be released from Blue King Brown's eagerly awaited third studio full-length, Born Free, which is due for release on Friday, November 7. Its accompanying clip was filmed in Vanuatu and Melbourne, championing the Free West Papua movement's cause of unity through nonviolence as well as promoting independence.

Have a watch of the politically charged clip below.