Title: PEACE BUILDING IN THE PACIFIC REGION : the search for solutions

Abstract: [ Abstract not available ]

Title: Approaches to inter-group conflict resolution in Fiji

Abstract: This paper utilises inter-group theory to propose resolution of inter-group conflict between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. It is argued that a three-pronged approach is required to enhance better inter- group relations. First, a national identity that is widely embraced by the community is needed. The People’s Charter for Change has proposed ‘Fijian’ as a common name: this idea has been vigorously contested by indigenous nationalists whereas Indo-Fijians see ‘Fijian’ as a vehicle for reclaiming their social identity in the country. Second, it is argued that there is a need for the establishment of some form of truth and reconciliation structure, aimed at reconciling the perpetrators and the victims of political crimes within the country and providing amnesty for those telling the truth while compensating the victims. It is argued that previous attempts at reconciliation via the Racial Tolerance and Unity Bill ended in a disaster necessitating a more structured, culturally sensitive approach. Third, it is argued that there is need for the implementation of multiparty governance through multiparty committees that could be customised to cement consensus democracy in the country. Fiji has had experience in the past with multiparty committees, and similar structures can be incorporated within the parliamentary system to manage inter-party and inter-group conflict.

Title: Peace and conflict reporting : strategies for knowledge sharing in Africa and the Pacific

Abstract: Journalists are enjoined to be truthful, fair, accurate and balanced in their reporting but whether they can do so in reporting conflict situations remains debatable. While some, in particular peace journalism advocates, argue that journalists can contribute to peaceful settlement of conflicts by the way they report on conflicts, others disagree. This study investigates Nigerian press coverage of the ongoing Niger Delta conflict, to determine the extent to which the press reflected balance in news reports, the amount of coverage given to the two sides in the conflict (the Nigerian government and the Niger Delta activists), and the range of sources used in reporting the crisis. At two levels, the study found evidence of bias. First, the press gave a greater amount of coverage to the government side than to the activists. Secondly, the press cited government sources more often than sources relating to the Niger Delta activists. The paper draws a parallel between the struggle for environmental and petroleum resources in Nigeria and similar conflicts in the Pacific, notably the 10-year-old conflict in Bougainville over resource ownership and control, and the issues that underpin the Solomon Islands ethnic conflict. It argues that experiences and lessons learnt in those conflicts could be mutually beneficial to journalists in Africa and the Pacific in terms of sharing knowledge and strategies for reporting conflicts

Title: Making a case for peace journalism in Fiji

Abstract: In a nation’s struggle for peaceful resolution to political conflict, reconciliation and good governance, the media is a watchdog, a source of information, education and inspiration as well as an outlet for self expression. The news media play a crucial role in peace processes but can also get caught up in the conflict. As the news media in Fiji struggles with its own history of reporting conflict in Fiji and with a repressive environmecnt under the Public Emergency Regulations and the Media Decree, this article strives to make a case for peace journalism for Fiji as a way forward for both the news media and the nation of Fiji .

Title: Conflict reporting in the South Pacific, why peace journalism has a chance

Abstract: Peace journalism is hardly a new concept, Galtung and Ruge having provided a key conceptual underpinning in 1965 and in later studies. However, while it flourished significantly in parts of the globe in the 1990s, notably the Philippines, albeit frequently referred to there as ‘conflict-sensitive journalism’, it has only relatively recently become an approach seriously considered as applicable in a South Pacific context, especially in the wake of the Bougainville civil war and the Solomon Islands ethnic conflict. With other political upheavals such as four coups d’état in Fiji in two decades, paramilitary revolts in Vanuatu, riots in Tahiti and Tonga, protracted conflict in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands, and the pro-independence insurrection in New Caledonia in the 1980s, conflict resolution poses challenges for the region’s journalists and their education and training. Peace journalism is one approach that can arguably make sense of a region that has become increasingly complex, politically strained and violent, yet the concept is generally eschewed by mainstream media as a threat to the core values of ‘traditional journalism’ itself. This article examines conflict trends in the South Pacific, discusses the concept of peace journalism and argues that journalists can take a more constructive approach to reporting conflict in the region

Title: Values education : hope for a better future in the Pacific region

Abstract: In recent times, there has been an unprecedented increase in the incidence of violence and conflicts around the world. The Pacific region is no exception. Often referred to as a paradise, some island countries have in recent years experienced unrest that has caused huge economic damage and claimed lives. This paper emphasises the need for the education system to respond to these trends in the region. It advocates the teaching and learning of values in schools as a strategy for achieving long-term harmony in the Pacific. The transfer of values in everyday lives requires reorienting the school curriculum to ensure emphasis on education using school-wide approaches.

Title: Women's collective creativity : playful and transgressive processes for building peace in Fiji : a story from women's action for change

Abstract: This paper explores the arts as a means of re-claiming, sharing and strengthening women’s storytelling, peace building and gender equality work in Fiji, through a case study of the work of the community organisation Women’s Action for Change. It will describe various aspects of the provocatively named ‘F word’ theatre production, an innovative and participatory process of collective creativity and community empowerment. WAC’s feminist peace building praxis places creative and process-centred work firmly at its centre, and honours the ongoing activism of women and girls in Fiji who are working creatively on social transformation, towards gender equality and social justice. This is a story of women purposefully and creatively making transgressions across social and cultural boundaries, claiming new spaces and possibilities for themselves and for Fiji, and playfully encouraging others to do the same.

Title: The role of the media in conflict prevention and peace building in Tonga

Abstract: [ Abstract not available ]

Title: Transcend Pacific/Oceania : a philosophy and network for peace by peaceful means

Abstract: Conflict in the Pacific/Oceania region is complex, with multiple fault lines present that reflect ongoing structural and cultural violence, including social and economic class, gender and generational issues that marginalise youth. Approaches to dealing with conflict are many and varied. This article briefly discusses one approach to dealing with conflict, the TRANSCEND approach to peaceful conflict transformation (Galtung 1999), and how it may strengthen non-violent conflict transformation across the region. TRANSCEND is at once a philosophy of peace and one way of enacting peace. As a philosophy, TRANSCEND is an approach to transforming conflicts in a non-violent way. As a way of enacting peace, TRANSCEND is a peace and development network for conflict transformation by peaceful means. The paper concludes with some possible starting points for a TRANSCEND peace and development network in the Pacific/Oceania region.

Title: Peace journalism, media objectivity and Western news values in fragile Pacific Island states : reflections from Pacific Island journos

Abstract: The news media’s role in Pacific Island societies, its handling of conflicts, peace journalism and notions of media objectivity are some issues and concepts explored in this paper. Given the political upheavals, coups and civilian uprisings seen in some island countries recently, the applicability of conflict-driven Western media values in a fragile region is at the heart of discussions. Seven senior journalists, a media academic and a PhD in Media responded to questions on topical issues surrounding media’s role in conflict-prone societies

Title: Tonga : in search of the Friendly Islands

Abstract: [ Abstract not available ]

Title: Volume 31, 2011 - Contributors

Abstract: [ Abstract not available ]