Natasha Patch

mummies of Aseki

There’s an atmosphere of violence in the air in Lae, Papua New Guinea (PNG). The heat feels oppressive and it’s humid. I’m here in the chaotic capital of Morobe Province in the PNG Highlands and it has one of the highest rates of violent crime of anywhere in the world, backed by an unemployment rate as high as 80 percent. Corrugated iron and tree branches are the preferred construction materials. The roads are bumpy and unsealed, riddled with potholes where bandits cut roads and rob vehicles at machete- point most days.