Fiji made me, but which Fiji is mine?
By Brij V Lal ‘Three scores and ten’ is the age allotted to humans, the Good Book tells us. Modern medicine might add 10 odd years, but the end is in sight, the shadow lengthening visibly. By that measure, my time
Opinion: Framing a “new Pacific consciousness”
By Kaliopate Tavola Outgoing USP Chancellor, H.E. President of Nauru Lionel Rouwen Aingimea, recently penned an editorial, which, having fulfilled his one-year stint as Chancellor and on the way out, can be regarded as
Visiting gentle Yasur
By Len Garae. Photos: Kersom Richard The closure of borders has seen many Pacific islanders explore their own backyards. For more than one hundred of Vanuatu’s senior public servants, this year’s National Week of
Movers and Shakers
The inaugural Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership ‘Excellence’ Award has been granted to Fiji’s Vasiti Soko, Director of the National Disaster Management Office.
Niuean musician, actor and entrepreneur: Glen Jackson
By Rowena Singh Niuean musician Glen Jackson did not know that he came from a musical family until he returned to the Rock in 1985. “Growing up in Otara [New Zealand], my mum introduced me to the guitar, I was already
View from the West: The COVID 360 shuffle
By Dennis Rounds Kava sessions in Western Fiji can be quite “intellectual” with discussions around the tanoa ranging from fishermen’s tales to “bush lawyer” arguments about politics, democracy and the economy.
Wish you were here: Tourism inches closer to relaunch
Just a few months ago, whether travellers to the Pacific would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was still a matter of debate. But that discussion has moved as quickly as the Delta variant, and it now seems fait
Tourists trickle into Micronesia
By Bernadette Carreon Palau’s cautious return to tourism this year is being closely watched by its neighbours as it has had to respond to fluctuating case numbers in its tourism source markets. Palau slowly reopened
He was lost in the system: Now he wants to change it
By Jason Jett Fiji Airways Flight 360 from Singapore arrived at Nadi International Airport before I did the morning of 18 July 2018. I lost that race by minutes, and found myself in a pre-pandemic, bustling hub where
“We stand by what we said”
Micronesian leaders discuss transport, COVID and the Forum split By Nic Maclellan Leaders of five Micronesian countries have moved to strengthen their sub-regional co-ordination at the 20th Micronesian Presidents’
More than skin deep: The Pacific’s beauty sector
Coconut oil is a staple in most Pacific households. It perfumes the air at many traditional events. We massage our babies with it, use it to treat hands roughened by sea, salt and soil (and a bowl too many of kava),
Loloma Fiji: A labour of love
The makers of the Loloma skin care range liken the experience of unboxing its product to opening a husk to find a coconut inside, with its distinctive golden ball packaging resembling its key ingredient, coconut oil. It
Paddling Reverend creates global ripples
By Anendra Singh Mother Earth speaks volumes when it comes to defining life, but the Reverend James Shri Bhagwan believes a more universal dialect does that better.In trying to put global existence on its axis from a
Boosting networks against transnational crime
By Nic Maclellan Last month Tongan police confirmed that more than 14 kilograms of cocaine had washed up on beaches in Vava’u. Police say the drugs have an estimated sale value of over $5 million pa’anga and more
PNG edges closer to sovereign wealth fund
By Kevin McQuillan The PNG Parliament approved establishing a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) more than a decade ago but it’s only this month that Prime Minister Marape indicated moves towards its establishment. In
Changing prescription for regional leadership
By Ambassador Kaliopate Tavola The former Secretary General (SG) of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Dame Meg Taylor, discussed her prescription for Forum leadership when she participated at the Blue
A trip to Tanna
By Len Garae The thousands of people who converged on Laminu Stadium on Tanna Island for the recent National Week of Agriculture were living proof that Vanuatu is ready to produce, value-add and market its agricultural
Small Jam: Waiting to rock Pacific dancefloors
By Rowena Singh A couple of months ago we profiled Papua New Guinea’s Justin Wellington, one half of the team behind global TikTok and iTunes reggae hit “Iko Iko”. This month it’s the turn of the Solomon Islands
Olympic Glory unites nation and the Pacific
The medal-winning performances of the Fijian men and women's teams at the Tokyo Olympics have united the nation and the
The Pacific looks to Glasgow
By Dr Ian Fry As wildfires take lives and ravage property around the Mediterranean and North America and floods destroy lives and property in other parts of Europe, China and Nepal, Pacific Island countries are bracing
France expands Pacific reach
The French government is expanding its engagement with Pacific Island nations, following the fifth France-Oceania summit, a visit by President Emmanuel Macron to French Polynesia, and increased support by France and the
