Ms. Nasuven Enares, is an ambitious and articulate Australian South Sea Islander (ASSI), born in Australia of Vanuatu heritage, from the late Moses Toupay Enares born in Ianurat Village, North Tanna and late Emily May Enares (nee Sendy), whose mother and father were born on West Ambae and Waluriki and were not known to each other before entering Australia.

Nasuven is a successful applicant to present a paper to the Pacific Arts Association, 13th International Symposium on Black birding title of ‘Torn between two Worlds’ Event on March 25-28 2019.

Nasuven is one of the only two surviving 1st descendants of Australia’s ‘Black birding’ era of the late 19th century. Racism was at a high level when she started school, was not allowed to use her cultural name Nasuven and was given ‘Zoe’ instead.

She survived under the watchful eyes of her loving parents. Nasuven is very ambitiously studying a double degree at USP in Port Vila.

However (currently) on deferment, was the National Preisesdnt of the Australian south Sea Islanders United Council from 1991 for six years during which she address the ‘Working Group on Indigenous and Minorities’ at the UN in Geneva on the Plights of ASSI’s and the underrepresented national and peoples organization in the Hague the following year.

The very next year the Australian Government recognized ASSI’s as an ethic group within their own rights and she led a delegation to the National Parliament in Canberra for the announcement where special seats were reserved.

There were over 60,000 Pacific Islands of which 6% were women taken from the southern part of PNG to the archipelago of Vanuatu Islands. Their identicity included Melanesians, Micronesians and Polynesians; all experienced the onslaught of hard labour for little money, unlike white colleagues. Most of the black birding was done by scrupulous Australian including Robert Towns who the town of Townsville was named after. There were no government procedures for the recruiting of the slaves and eventually there were Government inspectors on board the recruiting ships. However they were coerced into recru9ting under UN authorised procedures. Many of the islanders on the journey died from poor living conditions, dysentery, malaria, and insufficient rations of food and clothing.

The islanders who were recruited as indentured labourers, were in fact conned and coerced often by force or against their will once they were on board the sailing ships and taken to the East coast of Australia as virtual slaves who were paid a pittance and they were forced to attend church on Sunday and most of that money was put into the ‘offering plate’. This history can be found in the John Oxley Library in Brisbane Queensland via the web.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST