“It is my great honour as Lord Mayor to both propose and award Honorary Freedom of the City to Benny Wenda. It is a well-deserved accolade for someone who sought asylum and sanctuary in Oxford and who, along with his family, is now contributing so much both locally and on the international stage.” – Councillor Craig Simmons, Lord Mayor of Oxford, UK
Benny Wenda is the leader for the Free West Papua Campaign. Since being granted political asylum in the UK in 2002, he has fought tirelessly for West Papuan self-determination from his campaign headquarters in Oxford.
See more here: https://www.freewestpapua.org/…/honorary-freedom-of-the-cit…
Learn more about the struggle for self-determination in West Papua in our latest documentary, “Wantoks: Dance of Resilience in Melanesia”: https://culturesofresistancefilms.com/wantoks
[Photo credit: Free West Papua Campaign.]