"Em i Graun Blong Yumi " : This is our Land

Abstract

Filmed in the Solomons, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea, "Em i Graun Yumi" highlights the work of Sei Akson Tim in the Solomon Islands, Wan Smol Bag Theatre in Vanuatu, and Raun Isi Theatre with the National Theatre of Papua New Guinea. Environment is the key theme that runs through the video. In Vanuatu, it looks at the endangered Koroliko; a seabird that is hunted for food and how responsible people wish to ensure it's survival. In the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, we see theatre bringing a better understanding of the consequences of agreements between communities and logging projects operated by foreign companies. The objective is to bring popular theatre to the attention of people in the Pacific who may wish to take up the tool of theatre and use it. It has also provided an opportunity for people in the region to describe the issues which most affect them, which we hope will provide an international audience with a better understanding, thereby assisting people and organisations committed to change in the Pacific to get access to appropriate resources for their work.