Muman Minggil (Road to the Ancestors) is a unique documentary that focuses on the work of anthropologist Arnold Ap, the museum where he worked, and the music group Mambesak in West Papua in the 1970s and 1980s.
This unknown history comes to life thanks to interviews with the surviving members and their radio shows and cassette tapes.
We follow the filmmakers Yonri Revolt and Mahardhika Yhuda in their search for the oral history of this legendary group, which served as a school for the Papuan people while they were suffering under the impact of (neo-)colonialism.
The music and dance group Mambesak from West Papua was founded on August 5, 1978. Their weekly performances at the university museum ensured that the museum was full every Sunday.
The music was collected from all over West Papua by anthropologist and curator Arnold Ap, leader of the group.
Mambesak was so popular that they were seen as a threat by the Indonesian authorities. Arnold Ap was murdered in 1984; his widow, children, and grandchildren live in the Netherlands.
This film shows how art was used as a medium for education and activism in Papua in the 1970s and how relevant this is to the current situation in society.
The 149 minutes long film is the result of a collaboration between the Yoikatra Association in Timika and the Cenderawasih University Cultural Museum in Jayapura.
