Lunchtime Lit: False Divides

“While we may talk back to the empire, we can’t talk to each other.” — Lana Lopesi

Histories of colonisation and fragmentation throughout Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa – the great ocean continent in te reo Māori – have threatened the connectedness of Pasifika peoples and their stories.

Writers of the Pasifik diaspora, Marita Davies, Yasbelle Kerkow and Lana Lopesi discuss what it means to come to know each other again in light of imperialist separation. Gather with us as we consider the importance of overcoming false divides through storytelling lineages, healing dialogue and creative solidarity between communities of the Moana.