Category Archives : 1000.Oceania


Dewe Gorode (New Caledonia)

 “To release stress, I love to return to my Rivermouth village on the coast. I work in the fields, growing yams, vegetables and flowers.” Poet, teacher, politician – Déwé Gorodé is a leading independence activist in the French Pacific territory of Kanaky/New Caledonia. For over 30 years, Déwé has contributed to peace building and self-determination: […]

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Carmen Bigler (Marshall Islands)

 “The walap, the traditional sailing canoe, is central to Marshallese village life, to the unity and integrity of a community. The whole village comes together to build one; we work as one.” Carmen Bigler has worn many hats in her long career. She was the first Marshallese woman to obtain a degree and the first […]


BETTY BLAKE (Tonga)

    “E pau ke fai . . . he’ikai toe toloi – Commiserate through action.” Betty Blake, the only legal rights training veteran in the Kingdom of Tonga, is an intense bundle of energy packed into a 61 centimeter frame. The retired primary school teacher turned human rights activist, mother of five grown children, taught […]

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Mayana Zatz (Brazil)

“For having worked with people that suffer because of severe diseases, my values have changed a great deal. I learned that peace, harmony and health are the most important things in life.” Mayana Zatz (1947) is an international reference in the study of human genetics. With around 200 scientific essays published in international magazines, she […]


Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta (Australia)

“We are only the caretakers of the country. If we look after it, it will look after us. Government has big money to buy their way out – but big happiness that we won against government.” Half a century ago, members of Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta survived atomic testing in the South Australian desert. In […]


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Alexandra Gater (Australia)

“I dream of the day when my people will be acknowledged, accepted, and not judged by the color of their skin.” Reverend Alexandra Hazel Gater (59), a prominent member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island community in Brisbane, is an Anglican priest and chaplain at the Brisbane Women’s and Sir David Longland Correctional Centers. […]


Zohl de Ishtar (Australia)

“Women, cherish yourselves and engage in acts of passionate resistance and resilience for this can create a force so potent that it banishes the darkness and brings peace back into the world.” An Irish-Australian lesbian, Zohl de Ishtar works with indigenous women in indigenous-led and initiated projects at community and international levels. She has campaigned […]

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Jo Vallentine (Australia)

“We did the lovely elm dance about gratitude, sending healing energy to a place or to people to cut through the violence. In no time the atmosphere shifted, the hostile energy just evaporated.” Jo Vallentine is a Quaker, peace activist, and social justice advocate who made history in 1984 when she was elected to the […]


Stella Cornelius (Australia)

“How many needed to make a world of peace, justice, and human rights? Just one more, you! Strength comes from kindness and concern for future generations, not from waging war and military might.” Born in 1919, Australian Stella Cornelius has devoted a lifetime to peace, conflict resolution, and social justice issues. Her unique contribution to […]

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Faith Bandler (Australia)

——————————————– Update: Faith Bandler Vale Faith Bandler passed away on February 16, 2015 at the age of 96 and will be remembered as a tireless advocate for the rights of South Sea Islanders in Australia. Her family was offered a state funeral for her.     http://theconversation.com/vale-faith-bandler-anti-racist-intellectual-and-activist-37623   http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/02/14/state-funeral-offered-bandlers-family ——————————————– “We can change anything. We […]