Sistas, Let's Talk

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 16th March 2022 While the rates of HIV infection are coming down in most parts of the world, the opposite is happening in Papua New Guinea. PNG accounts for 95 per cent of the HIV cases in the Pacific, and young women and girls make up almost two-thirds of new infections. But HIV is no longer a death sentence and there are...

Rates of Teenage pregnancies in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are above the global average, but girls in these countries also face being shamed, abused or disowned by their families if they become pregnant.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 29th November 2021 Polygamy is still practiced in parts of Papua New Guinea, but many women say it needs to be stopped. Hilda Wayne hears the stories of women and girls affected by the practice.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 6th July 2022 Many Pacific Island women who want to study have to leave their homeland and move to countries like Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. And while there are many opportunities to earn money and build their skills overseas, there are some women determined to bring their skills home and support their communities.

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.

What does it mean to have a best friend and why are friendships between women so valuable? Sistas Let's Talk explores the beauty and joy of female friendships in a conversation with two of Radio Australia's funniest women, Stories from the Pacific host Bobby Macumber and the host of Pacific Pulse and Pacific Soul, Melissa Maykin.

This edition of Sista’s Let’s Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 31st August 2023 Are more and more Pacific women getting off the sidelines and into the game? What drives them? How is sport an escape from the challenges they face as women? How important is it for girls in the Pacific to get involved in sport? We meet women from a range of countries, clubs and initiatives to learn about...

"No one will appoint you unless they see the value you bring." That's what Susil Nelson-Kongoi wants more women to tell themselves when they start to feel impostor syndrome take hold.

PNG Women's Doctor, Lynda Sirigoi, comes across a common problem – many of her patients simply don't know about their own female anatomy and how it works. In the Pacific, these open discussions can be hampered by taboo or religion. But without them, women and girls can face anything from being unprepared for their first period, to making uninformed decisions when it comes to health and reproductiv...

In many communities the bride price tradition has evolved from exchanging commodities like food, pigs and shell money, to giving Kina, Vatu or Dollars. In some recent cases, bride price payments have exceeded K400,000. When the amount of money is at this level, what does it mean for the woman? Is there still a place for this custom today? And if it is here to stay, what needs to change?

Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn Dunlop is an Emeritus Professor at Aukland University of Technology and was the institute’s founding teacher of Pacific Studies. Tagaloatele has been an academic for more than 35 years, with research spanning across development, gender equality and youth equity. Among her long list of professional achievements, Tagaloatele was one of the commissioners on Samoa's nationa...

Climate change has seen entire coastal communities relocate, from Cateret Islands in Bougainville to the village of Vunidogoloa on Vanua Levu, Fiji.

Less than 9 per cent of national parliamentarians in the Pacific are women, but in the business sector women are rising to the top.

What's it like to be the only woman on board a fishing vessel, miles from land and away from your family for weeks?

From Nafanua, the Samoan goddess of war, to ending a civil war in Bougainville – the power of women is without a doubt embedded in Pacific history. But when you hear the word ‘chief’, do you still think of a man? Let’s blow the stereotype out of the water and meet the women across the Pacific who hold this rank and those who have stood in their traditional power, despite the impacts of colonisatio...

What do you know about perimenopause? I would guess not very much. And that’s because we never speak about it – and that’s not just in the Pacific. It’s worldwide. But Sistas, Let’s Talk is going to break it down for you and find out everything you need to know about the changes our bodies can go through in the lead up to menopause…. As well as why it’s so important to know about them.

In the Marshall Islands, a baby turning one is a big celebration. It’s known as the kemem. The occasion is usually marked with a big gathering with lots of food and entertainment, perhaps a live band or a DJ along with traditional singing. There can be themes, rides and t-shirts bearing the baby’s face plus gifts for all the guests. But this tradition comes from an important place. Sistas, Let’s T...

When Moemoana Schwenke took to the stage for her talent at Miss Samoa 2023, she had the crowd roaring. Not only did she perform the siva afi – a fire knife dance normally performed by men – but she did it to The Prodigy’s Fire Starter – and she told the legend of Nafanua, the Goddess of War. This is what you call breaking stereotypes. But she’s not the only young Pacific woman doing this on the pa...

Changes to Australia’s PALM scheme have been life-changing to many families across the Pacific. We’ve heard from women who have made the sacrifice for their families, signing up to contracts that can be as long as three years. For those in Australia, it is often a culture shock, lonely and isolating. But what is it like for those left behind? Pacific governments have raised concerns about the brai...

Work programs like the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme promise opportunities that can be really appealing.

As more people move away from their villages, from their extended families, from their elders, what happens to that special relationship between a grandmother and grandchild? 

Most women suffer from period pain, but the majority simply push through it. How different would women’s lives be if they gave period pain the care and treatment it deserves. 

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.

Dame Meg Taylor and the artist inspired by her legacy 

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.