Sistas, Let's Talk

All over the world, dating apps have changed the way people get together, but is that happening in the Pacific? Or are there just too many logistical and cultural barriers for online dating to take hold in the region? When Natasha Yalo, a woman from Papua New Guinea living in Cairns, went looking for love on a dating app she found it hard to meet men from her culture. So she decided to try creatin...

The best chance of survival from breast cancer is with early diagnosis, so you can receive life-saving treatment, but this doesn't happen for many Pacific women.  This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 1st March 2023

When the Bougainville conflict erupted in 1988, Rose Pihei was living away from her village on the south of the island. After the conflict – which led to killed 20000 people and saw many more displaced – Rose saw the crucial role women played in rebuilding their communities. Inspired to create lasting change, she co-founded the Bougainville Women's Federation, empowering women and fostering peace...

Women-led tourism operators in the Pacific show how small-scale community-based tourism is possible, even with the most modest of beginnings.  

Having time off after giving birth not only gives new mums time to physically recover and bond with their baby, but it has significant health, economic and community impacts.  

From Miss Papua New Guinea to corporate highflyer, Lisa Linibi says success has only been possible through her parents’ support.   

Grandmothers are not only a great source of wisdom and traditional knowledge, they also play a nurturing and vital role in our lives.  

In December last year, Vanuatu went to the International Court of Justice, which heard a case about climate change for the first time. Meet two of the women who were part of this. 

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

While the film industry is notoriously difficult for women and people of colour to break into, there are female filmmakers from the Pacific using the medium to tell important and beautiful Pacific stories.

Family is so important to across the Pacific, and while many traditions are similar like the feasts, and the singing and dancing, every family has its own special things to look forward to at Christmas. In the last episode for 2024, Sistas, Let's Talk celebrates family gatherings with Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche who is going home to Samoa for the festive season and Aggie Tupou who will celebrate...

For proud Samoan Fa'afafine and trans woman of colour, Amao Leota Lu, Islander food and church hymns kept her connected to her Samoan heritage whilst growing up in Australia. And then there's the heart bells that rang when Amao journeyed back to Samoa after many years away; where seeing her beloved Fa'afafine community proudly represented on billboards and in influential roles across society could...

For arts scholar and curator, Aunty Sana Reana Balai, living as part of the Pacific Island diaspora in Australia offered her new opportunities – and challenges. Carving out a new life abroad where she rarely saw other Pacific Islanders, Aunty shares stories on how she kept herself grounded and connected to culture, whilst removed from her beloved homeland of Buka Island, in Bougainville. And how h...

Matilda Sweman thinks deeply about education. Particularly for girls in Papua New Guinea. That's because she went to school just after her country gained independence, at a time when very few girls were being educated. She went on to become a primary school teacher in the East Sepik region for almost two decades, and now she's an author and a lecturer in teaching at the Papua New Guinea Education...

For many girls in the Pacific, talking about menstruation, sex and childbirth is so taboo that their mothers are not the ones to explain it to them. But understanding sex is vital for so many reasons. If you don't know about sex, you can't know about sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. So how can we encourage people to have more open conversations about sex? This week on Sist...

The Pacific region, has some of the highest rates of gender-based abuse in the world. Far too many women suffer physical and sexual violence at the hands of a family member or a former spouse. But domestic abuse is not just physical. It can come in the form of emotional abuse — like controlling behaviour, isolation, and insults intended to damage a woman's state of mind. This week on Sistas Let's...

You probably know about the last moments of the Rainbow Warrior. But what do you know about the Greenpeace ship's last voyage before it was bombed by the French in New Zealand in 1985? Where had it come from, why was it there and what was it doing? Find out in The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior.

When you educate a woman you educate a nation, however, in many parts of the Pacific it's still difficult to access a good education, because of distance, or the cost, or even family obligations. And when parents have to choose whether their sons or daughters will go to school, girls are still missing out. Fortunately, that is changing as more young parents are graduating from high school and univ...

Debbie Kaore was a well-known athlete in Papua New Guinea, but behind the scenes she was one of the many women in her country going through domestic violence. When her partner hit her with a hot iron she let her friends share a video of her injuries. Debbie tells Natasha Meten on Sistas Let's Talk why she wanted the world to know what she was going through.

Getting to the Olympics is no easy feat. Especially when you're from Pacific Island nations that don't always have the professional sporting facilities and funding to support you in your training.   We meet three women who dedicated their time and efforts to achieve excellence in sport and at the same time, have pushed the boundaries and narratives of the role of women in their countries. Hear fro...

Growing up in the Pacific Island culture, one of the many commandments we have to live by is to respect our elders.  At times this means dealing with certain members of family that we just have to tolerate for the rest of our lives - -  our overbearing aunties. But, of course, we do more than just, tolerate them. We adore them, we look up to them, and we love them. And most of all, we obey them.  ...

The internet and social media have changed our lives in so many ways. It's connected us to communities and family, helped us express ourselves and share our stories. But there’s also a dark side to using social media that can be unsafe for women. Hear how we can use the internet to grow and connect and at the same time tackle online abuse. 

This week we’ve selected some of our favourite episodes that celebrate women taking the lead and doing amazing things for themselves and their communities.

Women are the backbone of society in Papua New Guinea, but when it comes to who has the power to make big decisions, particularly around resources, it's the men who dominate this space. Women are often excluded, dismissed or told to focus on domestic chores. But more and more organisations are actively working with women to empower them with leadership skills to help address climate change.

When Tongan woman Alisi Jack-Kaufusi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 24-years-old, she was in disbelief. The subsequent surgeries and treatments have taken their toll, but, after seven years living with the disease, Alisi is passionate about sharing her story to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer and ensure it gets more resources into research, treatment and prevention.