goodmorningpapua.com – A singer Nowela admitted that she was moved to be able to perform at the opening ceremony of the National Sports Week or PON XX Papua on October 2, 2021. She is very proud as a Papuan person to be involved in this national sporting event which is held every four years.
“Standing on a magnificent stage with international standards, the Opening Ceremony of PON XX Papua 2021 @ponxx2020papua has the honor of singing a song ‘ Aku Papua’ [I am Papua]’ accompanied by mass singing of thousands of people with tears of emotion from all the people present at the Lukas Enembe Main Stadium on October 2 yesterday,” wrote Nowela on Instagram on Tuesday, October 5, 2021.
The owner’s full name, Nowela Elizabeth Auparay, sang the song ‘Aku Papua’ with other famous Papuan singers, Edo Kondologit and Michael Jakarimilena. Since the dress rehearsal, the three of them couldn’t keep their emotions. “How very proud we are to be Papuans! With teardrops and trembling voices, we sing, ‘Black skin, curly hair, I’m a Papuan’,” wrote Nowela.
“At the past, treatment was different because my physique was different from children in general, I felt very real, every day in every gaze. Even little Nowela often felt inferior because her skin and hair were different from people in general in Java,” she wrote.
As a result, it took Nowela decades to accept the situation and began to open up to fight her negative thoughts. “It’s an eye-opening that differences are beautiful and that nowadays there are so many people who think broadly and appreciate the differences themselves. Respect and love me. Respect and love Papua,” she wrote.
Until finally, Nowela appeared at the Opening of PON XX Papua and made her even more grateful to be born as a Papuan woman. “Today I praise God, give thanks and shed tears realizing a privilege that God has given me, to be born as a PAPUA WOMAN!”, she wrote.
Previously, Nowela also performed in the latest music video from Alffy Rev, entitled The Spirit of Papua. This 6-minute-long video was released on Friday, October 1, 2021, the day before the XX Papua PON 2021. For this video, Alffy only displayes two Papuan songs, Sajojo and Apuse. The video opens with the beauty of Papua’s forests and the chirping of birds of paradise. Seen a man blowing shells standing in the middle of a meadow surrounded by mountains.
The 2014 Indonesian Idol winner told of her childhood, often asking why she was born as a Papuan. This question appeared in her mind when she was in 4th grade, as she and her family lived in Central Java.