On be(com)ing happy
'A few days after cyclone Pam destroyed his home, a twelve-year-old boy taught me a paradoxical lesson about happiness,' writes Dan McGarry
Embracing change the Pacific way
What became apparent at the Pohiva-Bainimarama discourse is the setting of a new course in the way Pacific states are willing to carry out diplomatic relations. They are applying the Pacific way in which leaders can dialogue– without necessarily highlighting opposition on matters they differ on, writes Kalafi Moala.
An urban custom story
Wan Smolbag’s new play, Kaekae Rat is a broadly acted but subtly layered allegory of life in modern Melanesia. The play has a bit of a Cinderella quality to it, but here, it’s the rats that are riding in coaches. It is the most ambitious of Wan Smolbag’s plays in terms of its storytelling, writes Dan McGarry.
Women as peacemakers during conflict
Pacific women have played vital roles in peacemaking although they have been neither consulted, nor included, in formal peace talks. Betty Gigisi recalls how she and four other women risked their lives to meet Harold Keke in the height of the 1998- 2003 ethnic tension in the Solomon Islands.
A muzzled Melanesia or indignant Indonesia?
With trade and investment dressing up the shop front, it’s possible to sideline frank discussions on headline domestic issues in Indonesia if red carpet, tight security and 21-gun salutes supersede media and civil freedoms, writes Dulciana Somare-Brash.
Restoring forestry and fisheries after cyclone Pam
Lai Sakita proposes some long-term solutions to restoring forestry and fisheries on Tanna to help develop local production capacity and ensure long-term sustainability after cyclone Pam. Tanna island was one of the worst-hit areas in Vanuatu.