Kompani Bilong Yumi

1969, 26 Minutes

'Kompani Bilong Yumi' is Tok Pisin for 'The Company that Belongs to You and Me'. This documentary is about such a company—NAMASU—the Native Marketing and Supply Company of Papua New Guinea. It is the first and largest company to be jointly owned by Papua New Guineans and Europeans.

NAMASU is a big operation. It has 25 main branches and runs approximately 900 trade stores. Of the staff of 350, the overwhelming majority are Papuan New Guineans (only 30 are Europeans). Control of the company is in the hands of a board of directors. Again, they are predominantly Papua New Guineans.

The film shows the operation of NAMASU and the effect which this remarkable enterprise has had on the people of Papua New Guinea, in the cities as well as in the tiny, far flung, bush villages. It shows employees at work in administrative positions, and also producing native handicrafts for export.

© 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.