Details

Latitude

-4.180055

Longitude

152.34

Start Date

1993-06-11

End Date

1993-06-11

Tape# 1: Musical Journey and Background of Roboam Mael Side A&B: Roboam Mael comes from Molot in Duke of York Islands and trained as a Methodist Church Minister at George Brown College Vunairima in the north coast of Gazelle Peninsula from 1947 to early 1950s. He also learnt music and taught choirs on christian hymns and songs and became very involved with his own local community with his own Ramoaina language of the Duke of York islands. Roboam's musical journey was influenced by Ms Woolnough with music lessons to being mentored by pioneer Methodist choir masters in Hosea Linge, Mickael ToBilak and William Waldima. During the second world war under Japanese occupation he worked and also learnt many Japanese songs. Roboam supports modern gospel music with musical instruments in guitars, keyboards in praise and worship in church services. There are other perspectives to modern music but Roboam refers biblically that these musical instruments were created to praise and worship the Creator God, having faith and living a christian life. He has mixed views about contemporary rock, pop music performed in local bands as although the music is skilfully played which he likes, the composed folk songs are usually about women, love affairs, broken marriages which has destructive influence to the community. (Steven Gagau, October 2019)

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