The Properties of Perpetual Light
By Maureen Penjueli I was invited to write a review of my dear friend Julian Augon’s book ‘The Properties of Perpetual Light’. The task was a little daunting given his book has received the highest praise from the
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Pacific artist soars to the top of the world
Justin Wellington By Rowena Singh Spend a bit of time on TikTok and the chances are you will pretty quickly come across someone dancing to the iconic track “Iko Iko” performed by Pacific music star Justin
The new diplomacy: Vaccines and soft power
Despite efforts to coordinate coronavirus vaccine delivery on a regional and global basis, Pacific Island governments are increasingly meeting their vaccine needs through bilateral arrangements, a situation which is
Putting Fiji first; a Chiefly sacrifice
By Netani Rika When Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara sailed over the horizon to his chiefly home on Lakeba in May 2000, it was perhaps the most incongruous exit of any Fijian politician. As the patrol boat Kiro carried
Opinion: COVID-19, the Western Front and Stealing Thunder
By Dennis Rounds Faced with a second COVID-19 lockdown, just 12 months after the first, I’ve convinced myself that I now have a better understanding of the term “Western Front”. During the First World War, a large
Samoa on tenterhooks
By Monica Miller Almost two months after voters in Samoa went to the polls to elect a new Parliament , the 51 men and women whom voters picked in the 9 April general elections had still not been sworn in at the time of
Luve ni yali: Lost son of a seasonal worker
By Satish Chand Luve ni yali, a newborn, was issued a fresh certificate of identity by a Pacific diplomatic mission in Canberra so that he could be repatriated home with his mother, a temporary migrant worker who
Summits on the road to Glasgow
By Nic Maclellan As countries prepare for the next round of global climate negotiations in Glasgow, major powers are organising a series of summits and initiatives to ramp up ambition towards the targets set by
Giving it his best shot
Ernest Gibson wondered if it was a hoax when he was first contacted about joining the Earthshot Prize Council as it came completely out of the blue. The Council, which includes Prince William, Queen Rania Al
Connected by the ocean and history
The University of the South Pacific has a proud history of student activism. ATOM (Against Testing on Moruroa) formed in Fiji in 1970, and many of its founding members were USP students and academics. In 1975,
Opinion: Managing leadership for Pacific regionalism
By Ambassador Kaliopate Tavola If there was a time when leadership was critical for Pacific regionalism, it would be now. A new Secretary General (SG), former Cook Islands Prime Minister, Henry Puna, is taking over the
How two unis are responding to COVID
When Islands Business met with leaders from the University of the South Pacific recently, they were just hours away from making the decision to cancel the year’s graduation ceremonies in Fiji. It was the start of the
Delving into digital: Kina finds its sweet spot
The entry of Papua New Guinea’s Kina bank into the fairly competitive Fiji market later this year will bring a range of digital products that should stimulate further innovation in the sector and more choice for
Oil exploration talks revived in Palau
By Bernadette H. Carreon Proponents behind the efforts to drill exploratory oil and gas wells in one of Palau’s outlying states are reviving the plan, optimistic that the administration of President Surangel Whipps
Collected conversations: Iliesa Samu’s ‘They Said’
By Iliesa Tora First it was Sandalwood Blood. Now it’s They Said. Two books in a space of seven years, authored by a Fijian in Tonga, Iliesa Samu Lala. Now 72 years old, the almost-7-foot giant of a man’s
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
Opinion: The lowdown on Fiji
By Ambassador Kaliopate Tavola In drawing to conclude ‘What Is to Become of USP?’ (see Islands Business August 2020), I acquiesced to the prospect that the University may already be undergoing transition from a
Opinion: Forum’s moral failure for Melanesians
By Professor Wadan Narsey During the recent crisis over the appointment of Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat's new Secretary General (former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna), much public debate occurred
Lordi- Where’s your daddy?
By Dennis Rounds I recently built up enough courage to take a pot-holed ride from the growingly decrepit western division to Fiji’s seat of power and burgeoning wealth, Suva. Along the way, I was entertained by
Palau travel bubble hits a snag
By Bernadette H. Carreon The travel bubble between Taiwan and Palau is in danger of popping following low interest from Taiwanese tourists to take a holiday from a year of COVID-19 border restrictions.
Training Coalition faces a reckoning
By Samantha Magick A multimillion-dollar program aimed at supporting “a more prosperous Pacific driven by a skilled, competitive and productive workforce” is undergoing controversial changes which could have