A PAPUAN ‘Mama’ (respectful older woman) once told me that the name switch from Irian to Papua made her feel closer to the people’s suffering. In a moderation in religion training in Merauke, she led us in solemnly singing Indonesia’s national anthem Indonesia Raya. Afterwards, she asked us to follow her in singing Hai Tanahku Papua (Papua My Land). 

She was visibly emotional. 

The song, this woman explained, w