Any development comes at a cost, but what are the consequences of development at any cost? “Canning Paradise” tells a story which finds resonance in much of the developing world today. In the name of implementing economic progress pushed by neo-liberal agendas, nations are prescribed a unique pathway for development. A unique pathway where words such as “economic growth” or “national interest” are mixed with promises for a better life, better education, better future for populations and this equation needs to be vigorously debated. This narrative also comes with the underlying assumption that progress can solely be achieved through favourable economic reforms and deregulations that benefit a few; and that the people impacted by the transitional shift towards industrialization (and large scale exploitation of their resources) need to turn a blind eye to the human, cultural and environmental sacrifices they have been burdened by.
 
Papua New Guinea is one of the last places on earth where people still have access to land, and is probably one of the last places yet to discover the full impact of globalisation. This young nation, that only obtained independence from Australia in 1975, is recognised as one of the most bio and culturally diverse places on earth with more than 800 languages and countless endemic species. People have remarkably been able to sustain another way of life, the Melanesian way – far from the western ideals of consumerism.