'Blackbirding, South Sea Islanders and Seasonal Workers: Historical Memory and Contemporary Justice across the Pacific'

'Blackbirding, South Sea Islanders and Seasonal Workers: Historical Memory and Contemporary Justice across the Pacific'
Principal speaker

Ralph Regenvanu MP

Presented by: The Hon Ralph Regenvanu MP, Member for Port Vila and Minister for Lands, Geology and Mines, Government of Vanuatu and Mr Nic Maclellan, Journalist and Researcher in the Pacific islands.


This year is the 150th anniversary of the colonial labour trade known as blackbirding, as industries like sugar and cotton were built by islanders recruited – or kidnapped – from across Melanesia. Between 1863 and 1904, more than 60,000 Melanesians were brought to work in fields and farms. After Federation, thousands of these Pacific workers were deported under the White Australia Policy, while some settled across Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Today the descendants of the indentured workers – the Australian South Sea Islanders (ASSI) – are organising to recall their history and claim their rights. In recent years, as Australian-born islanders seek to learn about their cultural heritage, they have been building links with family and communities in Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Solomon Islands.

As a new generation of Pacific workers arrive in Australia under the Seasonal Workers Program, what can we learn about the cultural ties that bind Australia with neighbouring Pacific countries? Join us in conversation with Ralph Regenvanu and Nic Maclellan, to discuss the legacies of blackbirding and new opportunities to link communities across the Pacific region.
 

Event categories
RSVP

RSVP on or before Monday 12 August 2013 , by email n.vary@griffith.edu.au , or by phone 37354252

Event contact details
  • Location GOMA- Cinema B, Stanley Place, South Bank | South Bank campus
  • Time 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm
  • date Friday 16 August 2013