SIX Pacific singers, one goal – to sing about the plight of people who face injustice and to reconcile the world with its inhabitants after years of abuse. Call it fate, a fluke of nature or just the unseen hand of God, these young people from across the Pacific met in Suva last month and took to the stage. With one voice they called on regional leaders to think carefully about economic development and the models used to create progress.
That includes a review of all extractive industry – forestry, fisheries, mining on land and in the sea. The common thread for these six young men and women from Fiji and the Solomon Islands is their previous work as backup singers for the Hollywood 3D animated production, Moana, which will be released this month. In mid-October they performed for four nights at the Suva Civic Centre in the Pacific Conference of Churches musical production, Rebirth – A Mothers Call to Renewal. Their message? Stop plundering the environment for economic gain, look to the wisdom of traditional methods before making use of natural resources and treat all people justly – especially the oppressed in Indonesianoccupied Papua.
Pacific Conference of Churches General Secretary Reverend Francois Pihaatae said the theme was “self-reflection for Pacific islanders. Even though life can’t be reversed, what is needed is for us in the Pacific to find the model that suits us and addresses issues affecting the region. “People are suffering right here on our doorsteps from political oppression, not paid a just wage, trade deals influencing the country’s way of life-changing diets and the way we live.
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