Mambesak was a West Papuan folk-based musical group, formed in 1978 at Cenderawasih University

Cenderawasih University

Universitas Cenderawasih is a university in Jayapura, in the province Papua, Indonesia. The university is the leading educational institution in the province....

. Mambesak articulated Papuan political concerns (for example, opposition to environmental problems connected by the mining industry), and in 1984 the lead figure of the group Arnold Ap

Arnold Ap

Arnold Ap was a West Papuan cultural leader, anthropologist and musician. Arnold was the leader of the group Mambesak, and Curator of the Cenderawasih University Museum. He also broadcast Papuan culture on his weekly radio show...

 was killed by the Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

n military in 1984. Mambesak inspired the formation of similar Papuan musical groups.