Sistas, Let's Talk

Growing up in the Pacific Island culture, one of the many commandments we have to live by is to respect our elders.  At times this means dealing with certain members of family that we just have to tolerate for the rest of our lives - -  our overbearing aunties.But, of course, we do more than just, tolerate them. We adore them, we look up to them, and we love them. And most of all, we obey them.  ABC broadcasters Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche and Agnes Tupou share what made their aunties so special and how being an aunty has shaped them.  

For many girls in the Pacific, talking about menstruation, sex and childbirth is so taboo that their mothers are not the ones to explain it to them.But understanding sex is vital for so many reasons.If you don't know about sex, you can't know about sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.So how can we encourage people to have more open conversations about sex?This week on Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to Rachael Tommbe from the Meri Lida Project, a program that trains women in peri-urban communities to talk about sexual reproductive health, so that they can share this vital information with their peers in rural villages.She also speaks to Youth Nursing Officer Primrose Famane about why women should seek help if they experience painful sex.This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 21st November 2024

With gender-based violence an inherent problem within many families and communities across the Pacific, how do we teach men to respect girls and women?This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 12th April 2023

Hilda Wayne talks to Pacific Island women who are the eldest sister in their family about the challenges and rewards of this unique role.This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 21st June 2022

This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 9th May 2024Bringing 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.

This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 6th June 2024Child 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?

This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 7th December 2023PNG 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 week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 11th April 2024More 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.

This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 8th June 2023It's easier than ever to test for the virus that causes cervical cancer and more screening programs means fewer women will die from this preventable cancer.

This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 25th April 2024All 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 week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 1st March 2023The best chance of survival from breast cancer is with early diagnosis, so you can receive life-saving treatment, but this doesn't happen for many Pacific women. 

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.This edition of Sistas, Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 13th June 2024

Women-led tourism operators in the Pacific show how small-scale community-based tourism is possible, even with the most modest of beginnings.  

Having time off after giving birth not only gives new mums time to physically recover and bond with their baby, but it has significant health, economic and community impacts.  

From Miss Papua New Guinea to corporate highflyer, Lisa Linibi says success has only been possible through her parents' support.   

Grandmothers are not only a great source of wisdom and traditional knowledge, they also play a nurturing and vital role in our lives.  

In December last year, Vanuatu went to the International Court of Justice, which heard a case about climate change for the first time. Meet two of the women who were part of this. 

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

While the film industry is notoriously difficult for women and people of colour to break into, there are female filmmakers from the Pacific using the medium to tell important and beautiful Pacific stories.

Family is so important to across the Pacific, and while many traditions are similar like the feasts, and the singing and dancing, every family has its own special things to look forward to at Christmas.In the last episode for 2024, Sistas, Let's Talk celebrates family gatherings with Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche who is going home to Samoa for the festive season and Aggie Tupou who will celebrate in Australia, a long way from her extended family.

For proud Samoan Fa'afafine and trans woman of colour, Amao Leota Lu, Islander food and church hymns kept her connected to her Samoan heritage whilst growing up in Australia.And then there's the heart bells that rang when Amao journeyed back to Samoa after many years away; where seeing her beloved Fa'afafine community proudly represented on billboards and in influential roles across society couldn't stop her from smiling.Sistas Let's Talk discusses connection — but also isolation, when living in a Pacific diaspora.

For arts scholar and curator, Aunty Sana Reana Balai, living as part of the Pacific Island diaspora in Australia offered her new opportunities – and challenges.Carving out a new life abroad where she rarely saw other Pacific Islanders, Aunty shares stories on how she kept herself grounded and connected to culture, whilst removed from her beloved homeland of Buka Island, in Bougainville.And how her yearning to see other Black people led her to an Olympic legend.

Matilda Sweman thinks deeply about education. Particularly for girls in Papua New Guinea.That's because she went to school just after her country gained independence, at a time when very few girls were being educated.She went on to become a primary school teacher in the East Sepik region for almost two decades, and now she's an author and a lecturer in teaching at the Papua New Guinea Education Institute.On Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to Matilda Sweman about educating girls, working with limited resources and thanking her father for sending her to school.

For many girls in the Pacific, talking about menstruation, sex and childbirth is so taboo that their mothers are not the ones to explain it to them.But understanding sex is vital for so many reasons.If you don't know about sex, you can't know about sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.So how can we encourage people to have more open conversations about sex?This week on Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to Rachael Tommbe from the Meri Lida Project, a program that trains women in peri-urban communities to talk about sexual reproductive health, so that they can share this vital information with their peers in rural villages.She also speaks to Youth Nursing Officer Primrose Famane about why women should seek help if they experience painful sex.

The Pacific region, has some of the highest rates of gender-based abuse in the world.Far too many women suffer physical and sexual violence at the hands of a family member or a former spouse.But domestic abuse is not just physical. It can come in the form of emotional abuse — like controlling behaviour, isolation, and insults intended to damage a woman's state of mind.This week on Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to survivor and advocate Alicia Sahib, human rights defender Anne Pakoa and Renata Nataf from the Bible Society of the South Pacific.

You probably know about the last moments of the Rainbow Warrior. But what do you know about the Greenpeace ship's last voyage before it was bombed by the French in New Zealand in 1985? Where had it come from, why was it there and what was it doing? Find out in The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior.

When you educate a woman you educate a nation, however, in many parts of the Pacific it's still difficult to access a good education, because of distance, or the cost, or even family obligations.And when parents have to choose whether their sons or daughters will go to school, girls are still missing out.Fortunately, that is changing as more young parents are graduating from high school and university and bringing their knowledge back to their villages and communities.This week Sistas Let's Talk speaks to business and training leader Susil Nelson-Kongoi, education analyst Anne Pakoa and university students Leah Lowonbu and Yuri Hosei about the importance and challenges of keeping girls in school.

Debbie Kaore was a well-known athlete in Papua New Guinea, but behind the scenes she was one of the many women in her country going through domestic violence.When her partner hit her with a hot iron she let her friends share a video of her injuries.Debbie tells Natasha Meten on Sistas Let's Talk why she wanted the world to know what she was going through.

Getting to the Olympics is no easy feat. Especially when you're from Pacific Island nations that don't always have the professional sporting facilities and funding to support you in your training.  We meet three women who dedicated their time and efforts to achieve excellence in sport and at the same time, have pushed the boundaries and narratives of the role of women in their countries. Hear from Yuri Hosei, a swimmer from Palau, Ellie Enock a parathlete shot-putter from Vanuatu and Leonie Beu a sprinter from Papua New Guinea.  

Growing up in the Pacific Island culture, one of the many commandments we have to live by is to respect our elders.  At times this means dealing with certain members of family that we just have to tolerate for the rest of our lives - -  our overbearing aunties.But, of course, we do more than just, tolerate them. We adore them, we look up to them, and we love them. And most of all, we obey them.  ABC broadcasters Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche and Agnes Tupou share what made their aunties so special and how being an aunty has shaped them.  

The internet and social media have changed our lives in so many ways. It's connected us to communities and family, helped us express ourselves and share our stories. But there's also a dark side to using social media that can be unsafe for women. Hear how we can use the internet to grow and connect and at the same time tackle online abuse. 

This week we've selected some of our favourite episodes that celebrate women taking the lead and doing amazing things for themselves and their communities.

Women are the backbone of society in Papua New Guinea, but when it comes to who has the power to make big decisions, particularly around resources, it's the men who dominate this space. Women are often excluded, dismissed or told to focus on domestic chores. But more and more organisations are actively working with women to empower them with leadership skills to help address climate change.

When Tongan woman Alisi Jack-Kaufusi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 24-years-old, she was in disbelief. The subsequent surgeries and treatments have taken their toll, but, after seven years living with the disease, Alisi is passionate about sharing her story to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer and ensure it gets more resources into research, treatment and prevention.  

We discuss the power of self care and community support to help you escape violence and create a path that's healthier and safer.

Women face many challenges, but there are many across the Pacific making it in business and leadership

Florence Swamy's job is to build peace, ranging from working with relocated climate-affected communities to dealing with violence in villages and working with Fiji's military.

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

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

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

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

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 28th September 2023Changes to Australia's PALM scheme have been life-changing to many families across the Pacific. We've heard from women who have made the sacrifice for their families, signing up to contracts that can be as long as three years. For those in Australia, it is often a culture shock, lonely and isolating. But what is it like for those left behind? Pacific governments have raised concerns about the brain drain and there are the personal costs too. We hear anecdotally of women being abandoned by their husbands – or those husbands finding another partner overseas. In Fiji and Vanuatu, there are reports of children being abandoned. So while there may be money flowing in, what are the societal and economic impacts at home? And what are communities doing to ensure the PALM scheme doesn't drive families apart or leave communities and local businesses in the lurch? 

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

Facing stigma can be one of the hardest battles for single mothers, along with financial hardship and lack of family support.Being accepted by their family or community can make a huge difference for single mothers.On Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to mothers who have raised their children without a partner and want to share their stories so that women like them don't have to feel so alone.

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?