West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda will give his free Global Awareness Talk in Lupton Hall at Bedales School on December 7 at 7.30pm.

Benny was born in the highlands of New Guinea and his village was bombed, with many of his family killed, when he was a small boy. The bombs came from Indonesia, which began colonising West Papua in 1963.

He became a tribal leader and by 2001 was recognised across West Papua for his advocacy of independence. He was subjected to assassination attempts and jailed but escaped and gained asylum in the UK, where he works to free his people.

He founded the Free West Papua Campaign, won the Freedom of the City of Oxford and chairs the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.