Sistas, Let's Talk

When the Bougainville conflict erupted in 1988, Rose Pihei was living away from her village on the south of the island. After the crisis – which led to killed 20000 people and saw many more displaced – Rose saw the crucial role women played in rebuilding their communities. Inspired to create lasting change, she co-founded the Bougainville Women's Federation, empowering women and fostering peace in the region. Rose speaks to Natasha Meten on Sistas Let's Talk about the future for women in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

Child protection workers in the Pacific are seeing increased reports of child abuse including sexual abuse. According to a recent study by Save the Children, more than, 80% of the child protection workers who were surveyed in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji said emotional, physical and sexual violence had increased or significantly increased in their country. When it comes to sexual violence in the Pacific, the majority of reported victims under 16 are girls, and the perpetrator is someone they know. When atrocities happen too often in a community, people don't feel that they have the power to stop them. Sistas Let's Talk examines what it will take for communities to work together to bring an end to child abuse?

The Pacific corporate world still has a long way to go when it comes to being inclusive and supportive of both neurodivergence and mental health. It's an issue Samoan sisters Olisana Mariner-Hughes and Okalani-Mariner are addressing through their business Onelook Studio: a social enterprise helping companies with their digital transformation. But they're also addressing inclusion on a more personal level. They're sharing their own lived experiences with a touch of island humour on Instagram and TikTok, to connect with the neurodiverse community and raise awareness.

So many women in the Pacifc put up with persistent pain. It might be because they can't access the care they need. Or they can't afford to take time off work. Or it could be that women are conditioned to be stoic and put other people's needs before their own. So how do they get up every day and endure such pain? And more importantly, what needs to change so that they can actually stop and get the rest and the treatment that they need?

When Maakarita Paku was growing her family in the 1990s, it was a time of renaissance for Aotearoa's Maori people. People like her were looking to their mothers and grandmothers to learn about the rituals that enabled women to endure the pain and risk of bringing new life into the world. And she was one of many women who wanted to bring their children into a family that practiced those rituals. Now, as more and more midwives are being trained to incorporate culture into safe birthing practices, Maakarita works as a Consumer Reviewer for the New Zealand College of Midwives – in other words, a traditional Maori Birth advocate.

Bringing a baby into the world is one of the most important things a woman can do, and for millennia this experience has been shrouded in rituals designed to keep both the mother and baby safe. But in the 21st century, ancient birthing traditions have given way to lifesaving medical support. This week, Sistas Let's Talk examines the contrasting experiences of Pacific women in developing counties and colonised countries. In one place there are women who feel so disconnected from their culture that they seek out a traditional birthing experience, and in the other, the fight is to access modern medicine.

Life is easier for everyone when the household chores are done, but in most cases only half of the population is actually doing them. Women do 80 per cent of the unpaid labour in the Pacific. Work like childcare, domestic duties and caring for neighbours. And it's impacting their ability to make a paid living. It's been this way for decades so when and how is it going to change?

All over the world, dating apps have changed the way people get together, but is that happening in the Pacific? Or are there just too many logistical and cultural barriers for online dating to take hold in the region? When Natasha Yalo, a woman from Papua New Guinea living in Cairns, went looking for love on a dating app she found it hard to meet men from her culture. So she decided to try creating her own app especially for people from PNG.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 15th June 2023 Casting a light-skinned woman to play a brown character in a Disney movie is one version of colourism, but in the Pacific it's just the tip of the iceberg. Polynesian voices have managed to find their way to the mainstream - even though it is still problematic - but has that been at the expense of people from the Melanesian and Micronesian regions? Surely there's space for all of us to represent and tell our stories.

More than ninety-five per cent of the popular music made in the last decade was produced by men. That's according to a 2022 study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in the United States. So where are all of the talented women in the music industry? What does it take to break through and gain recognition, not to mention earn a living as a woman in the music industry? Especially in the Pacific where it's already so hard to gain global recognition. Sistas Let's Talk examines the ways that the gender imbalance in the music industry is being addressed.

Among the many treasures of Samoan tradition is the Tuiga, a ceremonial headdress which symbolises power, prestige, and cultural identity. For centuries they were worn by chiefs and high-ranking men and women during important ceremonies, battles and celebrations. There has been a cultural shift, with the Tuiga now being repositioned as a dance-oriented adornment. But this has not changed how culturally significant it is for Samoans.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 17th May 2023 Women now make up almost half of the Anglican Diocese of Polynesia since the church began ordaining women in the 1970s.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 10th August 2022 Throughout the Pacific, sex work is illegal and it's seen as a great sin, but that hasn't stopped many women taking up the oldest profession - and for very different reasons.

PNG Women's Doctor, Lynda Sirigoi, comes across a common problem – many of her patients simply don't know about their own female anatomy and how it works. In the Pacific, these open discussions can be hampered by taboo or religion. But without them, women and girls can face anything from being unprepared for their first period, to making uninformed decisions when it comes to health and reproductive choices...Not to mention disempowerment. So, how do we start these sacred conversations? And who do we start them with? This edition of Sistas, Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 7th December 2021

Hilda Wayne talks to the Pacific Island women who are reviving the ancient practice of making art from tapa.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 16th March 2022 While the rates of HIV infection are coming down in most parts of the world, the opposite is happening in Papua New Guinea. PNG accounts for 95 per cent of the HIV cases in the Pacific, and young women and girls make up almost two-thirds of new infections. But HIV is no longer a death sentence and there are inspirational women working to increase access to testing and treatments and caring for those affected.

Rates of Teenage pregnancies in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are above the global average, but girls in these countries also face being shamed, abused or disowned by their families if they become pregnant.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 29th November 2021 Polygamy is still practiced in parts of Papua New Guinea, but many women say it needs to be stopped. Hilda Wayne hears the stories of women and girls affected by the practice.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 6th July 2022 Many Pacific Island women who want to study have to leave their homeland and move to countries like Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. And while there are many opportunities to earn money and build their skills overseas, there are some women determined to bring their skills home and support their communities.

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.