Near horizons: Vunilagi’s community literacy efforts

Our children are valuable and we have the responsibility to ensure that they are educated;  that they have the basic needs to go through school.” That’s the firmly-held belief of Vunilagi Book Club founder

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Tuvalu’s ‘Mother of all information’

On any given weekday afternoon, the small Tuvalu National Library and Archive building on Funafuti is a hive of activity. Under the leadership of Chief Librarian and Archivist, Noa Petueli Tapumanaia, the library offers

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Obese? Fat? No!

In early 2014, a group of ‘fairly decent’ runners living and working out of Fiji’s capital, Suva decided to pursue the idea of creating a platform to promote marathon running for Pacific islanders, and to use it

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Jewel of the Islands

The Maria Daulato kei Jisu Na Gone Sau mai Nasareci (Immaculate Maria and Jesus the Child King of Nazareth) is a masterpiece in mosaic depicting Mother Mary and the child Jesus. The magnificent mural is the first of its

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Kayboy perseveres through COVID

“Roots and culture is so vital and important for myself personally,” says Kayboy, a popular young Solomon Islands musician. “I pay homage to my culture and traditions. Blending traditional chants and dialects with

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Fiji @ 50: Losing the arts is to lose our soul

The arts have clearly shaped Fiji’s trajectory these last 50 years but have the arts and our creative industries been afforded agency to flourish and continue their critical role in nation-building and nurturing? Have

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Fiji resilience: Sigatoka’s Masi Lady

From the masi (tapa) making island of Vatulele is Anareta Ketenilagi, pictured here at her stall inside Sigatoka’s main food market. She specialises in masi costumes for brides and bridegrooms. “Before the

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Review: Behrouz Boochani’s No Friend but the Mountains

I have resisted reading Behrouz Boochani’s No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison, because as a Papua New Guinean and someone who identifies as being from Manus, I am angry about and

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Massacre, memory and music

Yudha Korwa was just 17 years old when he was attacked by Indonesian soldiers during the Biak massacre on 6 July 1998. “A soldier used a big gun and hit me hard on the head. I saw them kick my friend,”

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Traditional knowledge needs to be at the heart of the Ocean Decade

Harnessing traditional knowledge of the oceans in a way that isn’t exploitative or tokenistic is emerging as a strong theme at a regional ocean meeting currently underway in Noumea. Scientists, policy makers and

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SAD DAY FOR FIJI MUSIC INDUSTRY – COSTELLO PASSES AWAY

BY: PENI KOMAISAVAI The passing of the late Daniel Rae Costello is a very sad day for Fiji’s Music Industry says Fiji Performance Rights Association Limited (FPRA) Director, Laisa Vulakoro.  “I am really

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Marching and singing for independence

By Nic Maclellan in Noumea, New Caledonia A small but vibrant group of women marched through the streets of downtown Noumea on Saturday, calling for a ‘Yes’ vote in New Caledonia’s referendum on

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