“We are all connected, parents, babies, oceans and the earth. When we forget that, everything suffers”
As we celebrate Human Rights Day, it is timely to reflect on this message from the documentary Pacific Mother, which premiered at the opening of the 4th Pacific Human Rights Film Festival this year.
The film explores notions of equality, rights, responsibilities and opportunities for people of all genders, and the importance of community and our indigenous knowledge.
It is also a reminder of the power of storytelling, through films and other medium, to engage Pacific audiences on issues of human rights with an aim to educate and empower people for positive change.
Films have the power to ignite feelings and emotions.
They open people’s minds to new perspectives and have a profound impact on how people think.
The Festival also creates safe spaces for discussions around the important issues portrayed in the films which can sometimes be considered taboo in some Pacific cultures.
It is important for us as Pacific Islanders to recognise that although human rights are often viewed as a Western concept, the values and principles underpinning them – collective and individual wellbeing – are deeply rooted in Pacific cultures and traditions.
Concepts like fairness, equality, protecting the vulnerable, dignity, respect, and active participation have been embedded in our societies for generations, woven into the social fabric of our communities.
These values are evident, for example, in our spiritual beliefs and sacred relationships, which uphold the dignity and interconnectedness of all members of our communities.
For instance, the value of respect is upheld across our Pacific cultures in concepts such as Veidokai and Veivakarokorokotaki in Fiji, Fa’aaloalo in Samoa, Faka’apa’apa in Tonga, Wahu in Pohnpei, Ahkfuhlact in Kosrae, Fairo (the way of life that is rooted in respect) in Chuuk, and Asirow in Yap, the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as Kautiej in the Marshall Islands.
This year, 20 Pacific films were screened around the central theme of ‘Oceans and Land’ to over 2,500 people in Fiji, Hawaii, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga, during at the 4th Pacific Human Rights Film Festival which ran from 30 September to 27 October.
This demonstrates the extending reach of the Festival and its uniqueness as a free, educational and more truly regional initiative.
Audience members reflected that the range of topics covered by the films – from childbirth to the use of technology, to climate change, and the importance of preserving nature – revealed to them that human rights permeate, and can positively enrich, all aspects of our lives and communities.
Despite progress by Pacific Island countries to uphold commitments related to human rights, there still exist socio-economic, political and cultural inequalities and rights violations due to inadequate capacity, lack of human rights institutions, power imbalances, exclusion, and discriminatory norms, attitudes and practices.
Our region has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence, the lowest rates globally of female parliamentarians and 15 percent of the populations have some form of disability, many of whom are marginalised and often excluded and unable to access essential services such as water and sanitation and health and education services.
The films screened this year highlighted many of these long-standing issues and also explored emerging trends, such the worsening situation for persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) in a year which has seen efforts at the government level to ban LGBTQ advocacy.
This is not only a threat to freedom of expression and our custom of telling stories but also suggests we are failing to heed the message from Pacific Mother – “we are all connected… when we forget that, everything suffers”.
The Pacific is built on a history of oration and storytelling. It helps us share our lived experiences and collectively decide how to chart the best paths for our future happiness and prosperity. It gives voice to those who might otherwise be marginalised.
Without creating space for dialogue and storytelling, we risk further marginalising large sections of our societies, sowing the seeds of division and inequality.
The continued challenges we face, as well as emerging trends, demonstrates the need now, more than ever, for us to draw on our storytelling heritage and the power of films to build a stronger, more resilient Pacific.
The growing talent of Pacific filmmakers to tell important stories that resonate with everyone is evident.
We look forward to next year’s Pacific Human Rights Film Festival reaching an even larger audience across the Pacific with brand new Pacific stories to continue breaking down human rights barriers.
Let us harness the power of contextual storytelling and talanoa to drive positive action around human rights.
*Human Rights Day 2024 Op-Ed
By Miles Young,
Director of the Human Rights and Social Development Division
Pacific Community (SPC)
