Tano School Bell Ringing

Tano School bell ringing
Child goes back to school
Ten years your education hijacked
By the Bougainville Arms Conflict

War games you enjoy
Shooting and killing your enemy
Acting soldiers wounded in combat
Pretending you for real.

Remote control car
Your birthday I bought
No thank you from you
Toy M16 you prefer.

War-games your age
We played too
Watching cowboy movies
For you the war is real.

Mama and Papa have a problem
Your teacher has a problem
Society has this problem too
To change M16 for pen and paper.

Child learn to read and write
Love and not hatred
Peace and not violence
Respect and not rudeness.

My son Tano, was five years old when the Bougainville crisis ‘arms conflict’ started. He has seen the PNG Security Force in full combat gear and the BRAs’ in their guerrilla outfit. These kids talked of nothing but the crisis Each week they would play war games at the nearby bushes of my residence.   One group would pretend they were the PNG Security Forces and the other the BRA.

Primary and Community schoolteachers noted that children were drawing pictures of the armed conflict during the National Book Week.