The Old Rasta Man

From his slow and controlled movements, I got the sense Leo Isaac was a wise man. He had never attended school, but no decisions in Manda, Papua New Guinea, were made without his consent.

AGUSTINUS WIBOWO

Leo Isaac and his son, Reynolds.

Leo Isaac, an old man with dreadlocks, Rasta hair and a muscular body, looked fierce. However, from his slow and controlled movements, I got the sense he was a wise man. He had never attended school, but no decisions in Manda, Papua New Guinea, were made without his consent.

For days I lived in Manda, during which Leo Isaac, who seemed to be in his sixties, hosted me at his house. The house made of gedek (bamboo) and woven sago leaves is inhabited by his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. Papa Leo didn\'t just give me a place to live. He also provided me with food. Every day there was rice (a luxury in this poor village), accompanied by cassava, mujair (freshwater tilapia), fresh chili, venison or crocodile meat.