Out in the settlements, there’s a young man hard at work.
Karl Peter is his name.
While others his age go off to school or work, etc, Peter leaves his house, equipped with some killer hip hop tracks.
But he does not aim for a fancy dance studio.
For him, a group of eager boys and a big clear area is enough, even if it’s just bare ground.
He is a school leaver, like many youths in Papua New Guinea.
But instead of taking to the streets, he has pursued his passion of b-boying.
Over the last years, Peter has been teaching other young unfortunate kids the art of break dancing.
“I go to places like Tokarara, Morata, Five-Mile and Kuagere to share the b-boy hip hop culture. It’s teaching others the positive way so that they can have a hobby to keep them occupied,” he said.
Peter, from a mixed parentage of Simbu and Jiwaka, has been b-boying since the sixth grade. He picked up moves very quickly and perfected the art over time – mostly self-taught.
Now that he’s not in school, he conducts his lessons during the week to others in a similar situation.
“Those before us taught us to teach others therefore my aim is to teach unfortunate street boys.”
And he has had his share of fun through break-dancing, performing in New Caledonia as well as the opening and closing ceremony of the Pacific Games in Port Moresby.
He also takes part in the dragon dance for Chinese New Year celebrations and has competed in local competitions.
“I’ve had good opportunities with this passion and I know there’s more to come. My message to other young people is; believe in what you do, everything is possible. So long as you follow the right track.”