BY GEORGE HERMING ALL member countries of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) have finally confirmed their total number of delegates attending the Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival (MACFest) in Honiara this July. Chair of the MACFest Programmes and Events Committee and Director of Culture, Dennis Marita have received confirmation of numbers from his counterparts in PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia last week. PNG will send a total of 150 participants, followed by New Caledonia with 147, Fiji with 80 and Vanuatu with 62. Solomon Islands as the host nation has confirmed the highest with a total of 300 participants taking the total number of participants to 739. Face of Solomon Islands Mr Marita said the total is expected to reach the 1000 mark once the other invited countries send in their participant numbers. The invited countries include the Melanesian populations of West Papua in Indonesia, East Timor, Torres Strait Islands of Australia and the Indigenous

WHILE there are signs that attitudes to domestic violence are changing in the Pacific Islands, the fact remains that most women are likely to experience some form of abuse at some time in their lives. Annie Kiriau has survived many years of abuse and continues to be an advocator. Annie Kiriau receiving her award from Governor General (Ag) for her service to commerce, business and raising awareness against domestic violence (2016)  Remarkably Annie Kiriau, a mother of eight, and grandmother to 36 is still with her husband, and she has been recognised by Queen Elizabeth for her contribution to the development of the Solomons, after becoming the first woman to rise the top of the banking profession in her country. These are the links to her story. On ABC and SIBC http://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/solomon-islands-domestic-violence-victim-retells/8334934 An inspirational story by a survivor of domestic violence. mp3 audio

BY GEORGINA KEKEA CLIMATE change and sea level rise, care and sustainable harvesting of Pacific Ocean Resources were some of the issues that the Solomon Islands government had re-emphasized during the recent meeting of Pacific Island Leaders (PALM) in Japan.  Speaking to local media and dignitaries, Prime Minister Rick Hou says these are some of the issues high on the agenda, during PALM8. However Prime Minister Hou says they haven’t covered the specifics from Solomon Islands point of view on climate change. He says under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy (FOIP), the climate change issue will be covered for the whole pacific rather than on specific countries.  “So it will be up to Solomon Islands now, we would be taking this directly with Japan how we want to address our program in terms of addressing the climate change and sea rise. For us we have to take it separately from this Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”.  Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy

BY GEORGINA KEKEA BEAT Plastic Pollution”, the theme for World Environment Day (WED) 2018, is a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time.  As countries plan their events for this year’s WED, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) hopes people do not have to wait till June 5 to act. “This year’s WED provides an opportunity for each of us to embrace the many ways that we can help to combat plastic pollution around the world”. In Solomon Islands, Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has said that there are small ways to demonstrate participation, commitment and contribution towards tackling the problem of plastic rubbish, environmental and marine waste and pollution. Sogavare made these remarks during a beach cleanup last month to commemorate Commonwealth day. Meanwhile Friends of the City (FTC) a new Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) established to discuss issues surrounding the city says

BY GEORGINA KEKEA A SOLOMON Islander, is set to be the next director of the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS) in Hawaii.  Dr.  Tarcisius Kabutaulaka started his journey from Haimatua village in the Tasimauri area of Guadalcanal on the southern side of the island. Tasimauri simply means ‘alive sea’. Educated in a Catholic Primary school in Avuavu called St. Michael, Kabutaulaka recalled those days through an article he wrote called Kabutaulaka Tuhu-Vera.  In this article he spoke of how he used to walk two miles each day, to and from school in the morning and back at the end of the day with cooked sweet potato, taro or yam for lunch. “When it rained, we used banana leaves as umbrellas folded our clothes and wrapped them in leaves and ran naked in the rain”.      Dr. Tarcisius Kabutaulaka in one of his recent visits to his beloved 'Tasimauri' region   Kabutaulaka recalled that life was difficult and he was constantly homesick when he left his parents a