Stories From The Pacific

When Lesley Wengembo was just 10 years old, he picked up a pencil and drew a portrait of his grandfather. His grandfather looked at it and made a prediction that would shape the young Lesley's life forever. Years later, Lesley received an invitation that could have launched his career onto the world stage. He packed his bags, left Papua New Guinea and flew to Sydney. But that's when everything changed.

Monica Paulus is a human rights activist and co-founder of both the "Highlands Women Human Rights Defenders Network" and "Stop Sorcery Violence". Monica is a protector of women accused of and affected by sorcery and witchcraft accusations. Hailing from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea from the village of Aregol, Monica takes us on a journey through her life – sharing the struggles, hopes and her fight against sorcery accusations and the extreme violence that follows such accusations.

Katerina Teaiwa’s family was forced from their home of Banaba in Kiribati when almost the whole population was displaced and relocated to Rabi Island in Fiji in 1945, to make way for more mining. From 1900, the UK, Australia and New Zealand mined phosphate for 80 years to use for fertiliser. Today, Katerina’s scholarly and artistic work highlights the history and current situation of Banabans, which she describes as fragmented and resilient culture. And despite the trauma caused to an entire population, there are talks to mine Banaba again. This week's episode of Stories From The Pacific is a repeat of the show broadcast on 13th September 2023

Lydia's story of her marriage with her first husband details 12 years of significant abuse, but she's using it to educate others who may be experiencing something similar.

Hina Cross was seven years old when the last of the 193 nuclear bombs was tested in French Polynesia in 1996. But she never learned about it in school. After being diagnosed leukaemia at the age of 24, Hina began to realise the full extent of the fallout. Now an Anti-Nuclear Activist and newly appointed Member of Parliament in Tahiti, Hina aims to unveil the country’s true history and give Polynesians the chance to tell their own stories. This week's episode of Stories From The Pacific is a repeat of the show broadcast on 12th July 2023

Wendy Mocke, a Papua New Guinean actor, playwright and screenwriter, has spent six months hosting Stories From the Pacific. She wraps up her time in this special send-off, reflecting on the journey by revisiting powerful moments from each guest. Wendy shares their words of cultural wisdom and offers an intimate glimpse into lives and communities across the Pacific she asks each of them this question: “What’s one thing about your culture or community that isn’t widely known or celebrated, but you wish the world understood?”

Stories From TheWhat does it mean to grow up between two worlds? For Elvina Poki Ogil, one world is a village in Papua New Guinea, where the mountains know your name. The other is a city in Australia, where people try to define you without ever learning where you come from. It’s this in-between space that Elvina knows well. She’s a corporate lawyer, a podcast host, and someone who doesn’t shy away from hard truths, whether it’s colonial legacy, structural inequality, or the quiet ways culture erodes when no one is looking. But ask her how she identifies, and she’ll tell you: “I’m a member of my father’s tribe, first and foremost.” Pacific

Stories From The Pacific

Ronny Kareni was raised in Papua New Guinea, part of a generation of West Papuan families who fled across the border seeking safety. And ever since, he's used every space — on stage, in community, in policy rooms — to make sure West Papua is seen and heard. He talks about the work, the weight, and the will it takes to carry a fight that's ultimately about sovereignty, survival and the power of music to move hearts where politics cannot.

Stories From The Pacific

Stories From The Pacific

For Kathy Martin, maps aren't something you find on your phone. They're inherited; passed down in the way your aunty cuts fish or says your name like it's always belonged to the land. From Piis-Paneu in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, Kathy grew up knowing that place wasn't just something to chart — it was something to feel. Her earliest memories are of travelling between islands like the ocean was a highway guided by language, memory, and the people who raised her. Culture wasn't taught. It was lived. Kathy came from a community where every adult looked out for every child, where stories were shared like food, and where language didn't just communicate — it anchored identity. She carried that with her. From teaching at her former high school to working across the Pacific helping schools support Micronesian students and families, to stepping onstage as a storyteller. In this episode, Kathy shares how Micronesian children are raised in community and why that matters. Why culturally safe education begins with language and belonging. And what it meant to step onstage and speak a truth too often overlooked: that culture is not small, and neither is Micronesia. This is a story of voice, vision, and the kind of maps we carry long before we ever draw our own.

Illustrator Jaelyn Biumaiwai has spent most of her life navigating that question. Raised on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, Jaelyn’s story is about piecing together identity when the world doesn’t offer you the full picture. Growing up in a twin bubble, surrounded by family, she didn’t always have the words — or community — to help her feel grounded in her Fijian identity. That journey she’s had to seek out, reclaim, and learn to carry in her own way. Now, through bold and beautiful illustrations, Jaelyn brings her culture to life, not just for herself, but for others still searching too. In this episode, we talk identity, cultural reconnection, and the joy of finally seeing yourself, and helping others do the same.

Stories From The Pacific

Gazellah Bruder has carved out a powerful path as an artist, storyteller, and advocate. Her work boldly centres women, mothers, survivors and warriors, while tackling big themes like colonial legacy, environmental loss, and gender-based violence. With more than 50 exhibitions across Papua New Guinea and around the world, she has become one of the Pacific's most fearless and influential voices in contemporary art. Now featured in the upcoming exhibition "Invisible Lines", Gazellah continues to challenge, provoke, and inspire. Turning creativity into a tool for truth and transformation. In this 2-part series, she joins us to share her journey, her practice, and the powerful stories behind her art. Part 2

Gazellah Bruder has carved out a powerful path as an artist, storyteller, and advocate. Her work boldly centres women, mothers, survivors and warriors, while tackling big themes like colonial legacy, environmental loss, and gender-based violence. With more than 50 exhibitions across Papua New Guinea and around the world, she has become one of the Pacific’s most fearless and influential voices in contemporary art. Now featured in the upcoming exhibition Invisible Lines, Gazellah continues to challenge, provoke, and inspire. Turning creativity into a tool for truth and transformation. In this 2-part series, she joins us to share her journey, her practice, and the powerful stories behind her art.

Stories From The Pacific

Aselu Vaguna O'Brien is a draftsman, climate advocate, and a man of many talents—though if you ask his friends, he's also just 'Strawberry,' the guy who won't stop talking about rugby or his love for fresh fruit. Born in Fiji and raised in Tuvalu, Aselu's journey has taken him from engineering to media, from construction sites to mapping coastlines that are disappearing before his eyes. Today, he's using technology to document Tuvalu's changing landscape and fighting to ensure his homeland has a future.

Gemma Bird Matheson is an actor/writer/producer of South African and Papua New Guinean heritage. Self-identifying as a queer, Papua New Guinean Christian, Gemma's journey has been an interesting one, particularly when it has come to selecting roles that she can see herself in and relating to. She was a finalist for the 2018 Heath Ledger Scholarship and starred in AACTA and International Emmy Nominated ABC series Content, which also won a prolific Rose D'Or award. She has become an example of Pacific excellence outside the islands and with a wild journey of a life story (that is continuing to unfold) to share, Gemma shares some of her experiences with Stories From The Pacific.

For Thomas Manglona, journalism is life. Hailing from the island of Rota, Thomas is a native Chamorro multimedia journalist, whose work in covering government, social justice and environmental issues for TV, has solidified him as a trusted and respected figure within his local community. For Thomas, he has always loved journalism and storytelling and he has always known what the final goal would be. The founder of the Pacific Islander Journalism Taskforce, Thomas' work has extended into the advocacy space, where he champions journalists and coverage across the Oceania region. Today Thomas shares more on the journey he has taken through his career and the next step he takes into the future.