Epeli Hau’ofa Memorial Lecture 2024: “The Ocean Is Us” with Reverend James Shri Bhagwan
The Australian Association for Pacific Studies (AAPS) is delighted to announce that the video documentation and written transcript of the AAPS Epeli Hau’ofa Memorial Lecture 2024 titled “The Ocean Is Us” delivered by Reverend James Shri Bhagwan is now available online.
The transcript of the speech is also available here via the Pacific Conference of Churches.
More details of the event below:
The Australian Association for Pacific Studies, the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education and the Australian Museum present:
The Epeli Hau’ofa Memorial Lecture 2024: The Ocean Is Us with Reverend James Shri Bhagwan
This year’s Epeli Hau’ofa 2024 Memorial Lecture, Reverend James Shri Bhagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches and a passionate advocate for climate justice, ocean and coastal protection, and gender justice, shares his insights on the Blue Pacific Continent. Through the conceptualisation of the need for an “Ocean of Peace”, Reverend Bhagwan explores the physical, ecological, strategic, and spiritual dimensions of the Pacific region, engaging in intimate talanoa to delve into what it means to be of and in the Pacific in the 21st Century.
Speaker:
Rev. James Shri Bhagwan is the General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, the Oceania region’s peak ecumenical organisation representing churches from 20 Pacific Island Countries and territories, including the land now called Australia. As a great-grandson of labourers brought to Fiji under the British Indenture System, social and ecological justice are key areas of Rev. James’ Christian activism. He is an avid stand-up paddler and volunteer crew member, chaplain, and trustee of the Fijian Traditional Voyaging canoe, the Uto Ni Yalo, and heavily involved in coastal and ocean protection and climate justice, as well as gender justice work.
Additional details:
This event was co-hosted by the Australian Association for Pacific Studies, the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education and the Australian Museum. The lecture occurred on Thursday evening, 4 April 2024 at the Australian Museum on unceded Gadigal land of the Eora Nation. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.
Vinaka vakalevu to Gadigal elder, Uncle Allen Madden of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council for your wonderful Welcome to Country. Thanks especially to our amazing co-hosts, ‘Alopi Latukefu and Corinne Fagueret at the Edmund Rice Centre, and Melissa Malu, Mel Piu, Myles Maniapoto and Elijah Lemusu at the Australian Museum. Thanks to Bayvick Lawrence at Bayvick Designs and Joseph-Zane Sikulu for the beautiful staging, and to Akil Ahamat for video documentation of the lecture. Finally, thanks to all of the AAPS executive members particularly Victoria Stead, Katerina Teaiwa, Talei Luscia Mangioni, Romitesh Kant and Sarouche Razi for your ongoing support in administration and organising over the past year.