anton lutz

So where will we walk today? Come with me and meet one of the true heroes of this nation, one of those sons of this land who answered the call to “O Arise!” His name was Elizha Joe, from Balob in the Yalis clan of the Yakumane tribe in Wapenamanda, Enga Province. I want you to meet him today.

Elizha was my Sunday school teacher when I was a boy, my big brother as I grew up and my colleague as I began to work. He was the one who came to me and asked that I help him form a community group to do regular outreaches against HIV ignorance and stigma. So we did, and he led it. When I turned to build an airstrip on the Enga/East Sepik border, Elizha persevered and got his Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) certification and set up a clinic where he could help people living with HIV/AIDS understand what was happening in their bodies and how they could better look after themselves.

Elizha fought and struggled (always non-violently) to do what he believed was right. He knew it was right to comfort the dying. He knew it was right to educate the ignorant. He knew it was right to stand up to corrupt leaders. Even if there was a price to pay, he was willing to pay it.

Elizha was the one who helped a stranger, a young woman named Shirley, who was accused and tortured in Wapenamanda District on Independence Day 2017. He stood up to the people who tried to say she shouldn’t be treated at the hospital. When we had to move her to another hospital, he stayed by her side and when they asked for blood donations, Elizha gladly rolled up his sleeve.

So many people in the highlands believe this lie that sanguma is real, that a sanguma woman can “eat your heart.” So many people stood by, just watching, on September 16, as this young woman was tortured. So many people refused to help her. But on that day, Elizha proved that there are good men left in Papua New Guinea who will do the right thing. He was never afraid to stand up for the right thing. He was even willing to give his own blood to help a stranger, a woman in need, a so-called sanguma meri.

Our brother Elizha has sadly died, but his memory lives on among our tribe and gives us strength to do the right thing, even if it is not popular or easy. When we look at Elizha, we can see a path to an even better future. “O Arise all you sons of this land…”

First published in the Post Courier, 14 September, 2022