Benny Wenda is a West Papua human rights leader living in political exile in England and he is internationally recognized as the spokesperson for West Papua self-determination. As a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Benny has garnered a lot of support from parliamentarians and other notable figures, internationally. In February, Benny met with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who has urged the United Nations to review the discredited 1969 referendum in which the former Dutch colony of Papua was incorporated into Indonesia, and compared the oppression and ongoing human rights abuses with the apartheid of South Africa.

This is Benny's first visit to the West Coast and he will be speaking to several diverse communities in Southern California, delivering an intimate account about the conditions of West Papua. Information has been difficult to ascertain due to the ongoing restictions imposed by Indonesian authorities banning foreign journalists and human rights groups from traveling into the region. For more information please visit http://bennywenda.org/ Here's the current breakdown of Benny Wenda's schedule in Los Angeles/Long Beach area on Facebook and Twitter

THURSDAY MAY 14

4:00-5:30: Eastside Cafe presentation with Urban Zapatista 5469 Huntington Dr N, Los Angeles, CA 90032 http://eastsidecafe.org/

FRIDAY MAY 15

9:00am: Uprising Radio 9:00

10:00am-1:00pm: UCLA Details TBD

2:00pm-4:00pm: Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum 695 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802​ http://www.pieam.org/

8:00pm-11:00pm: The Mint Blue King Brown/Big Mountain/ AK Rockefeller 6010 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035 http://themintla.com/

SATURDAY MAY 16

11:00am-12:00pm KPFK- Freedom Now

1:00pm-3:00pm: Heritage of Aloha Festival Heritage Park, 12100 Mora Drive in Santa Fe Springs http://www.hooilinafoundation.com/heritage-of-aloha-fest

4:00pm-7:00pm: Oceanian Indigenous Communiteis of Southern California Grace Methodist Church 2325 East 3rd St. Long Beach, CA 90814

SUNDAY MAY 17th

3:00pm-5:00pm Drum Circle Leimert Park

6:00pm-9:00pm KRST Unity Center of Afrakan Spiritual Science 7825 S. Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90047 http://www.krstunitycenter.org/

  Note: All events are subject to change. I'll be tweeting on @imiponoprojects and leaving messages on (808) 218-4367