Introduction
Elsie: Halo olgeta, I’m Elsie, welcome to the RoundTable Podcast. We’ve created this space for Ni-Vanuatu women to speak freely on issues affecting us today. Let’s navigate life in the islands together. Join me as I speak to a new guest every episode and ask the questions you’ve always wanted to ask. Ale yumi storian. This project is made possible with the support of the We Rise Coalition and PACMAS.
TRANSLATIONS: Hello everyone, I’m Elsie, welcome to the Round Table Podcast. We’ve created this space for Ni-Vanuatu women to speak freely on issues affecting us today. Let’s navigate life in the islands together. Join me as I speak to a new guest every episode and ask the questions you’ve always wanted to ask. Let’s discuss. This project is made possible with the support of the We Rise Coalition and PACMAS.
Interview Introduction
Elsie: Ufala saveh she lo 2023, ministry blong intenal afeas mo ministry blong education oli bin givim wan niu civic education curriculum e ko long 27 senia secondri skul long Vanuatu?
These materials have been developed in all three of our official languages. French, English and Bislama. Now these sources were developed with the understanding that the more people engaged with the electoral sector, especially young people, the more understanding there is around their electoral rights and responsibilities and eventually the stronger Vanuatu’s democratic processes will be. When I was in school, we didn’t have anything like this, so its pretty cool that this initiative has been put in place but even now I am still learning so much about civic education and why it is important for everyone. Especially why women need to engage more, not only with civic education but with political participation.
Today, we are fortunate t have someone joining us, who can give us a little more insight on this subject. Our guest today is Anna Naupa, a former board member for Sista, long time gender advocate in Vanuatu and has managed several genders-based violence programs as well as advanced women’s rights in relation to customary land in Vanuatu. She and her husband Nick share 3 children together, she has researched Vanuatu’s politics for the last 15 years and this is one of the reasons we have invited her to join me on this episode.
Hi Anna, thank you for joining us on this episode, I am so excited to have you here to unpack this topic.
Translation: Did you know that in 2023, the Ministry of internal affairs and the Ministry of education had given a new civic education curriculum to 27 senior secondary schools in Vanuatu?
These materials have been developed in all three of our official languages. French, English and Bislama. Now these sources were developed with the understanding that the more people engaged with the electoral sector, especially young people, the more understanding there is around their electoral rights and responsibilities and eventually the stronger Vanuatu’s democratic processes will be. When I was in school, we didn’t have anything like this, so it’s pretty cool that this initiative has been put in place but even now I am still learning so much about civic education and why it is important for everyone. Especially why women need to engage more, not only with civic education but with political participation. Today, we are fortunate t have someone joining us, who can give us a little more insight on this subject. Our guest today is Anna Naupa, a former board member for Sista, long time gender advocate in Vanuatu and has managed several genders-based violence programs as well as advanced women’s rights in relation to customary land in Vanuatu. She and her husband Nick share 3 children together, she has researched Vanuatu’s politics for the last 15 years and this is one of the reasons we have invited her to join me on this episode.
Hi Anna, thank you for joining us on this episode, I am so excited to have you here to unpack this topic.
Anna: Thank yu tumas Elsie Kompalongi It is great to be back here in the Sista offices and on the podcast.
Translation: Thank you so much Elsie Kampolongi It is great to be back in the Sista offices and the podcast.
Elsie: So, we both know how important it is for voters to have access to reliable, trustworthy information. In your understanding, opinion and maybe experiences, why is civic education important?
Anna: Okay, thank yu tumas, firstly sorry tumas Elsie, you did not learn about civic education at school. Mi mi skul lo Central afta mi kolo Malapoa. So always in Port Vila, on the Island of Efate from seh ol ples weh mami mo dadi blo mi oli stap wok and I learnt about civic education at school so certainly, there’s something e brokbrok lo system blong yumi lo Vanuatu sipos mi mi lanem taem mi mi pikinini and then Elsie and it’s great that Ministry of Education and Internal affairs, olsem yu talem, oli stap karem bak civic edukasen lo 27 skuls lo Vanuatu.
Civic education is not only about learning it at school. Its an important place of course, that’s how I learnt it. Its how you did not learn it, but it is also about learning it from our friends, our family, our parents first and foremost. Sipos yumi stap luk ol parens blong yumi, ol anti blong yumi, comuniti blong yumi oli stap tek part lo laef wan ples, beh hemia nao, yumi stap lanem civic edukasen. Particularly, for a young country like Vanuatu, and I should say, I co-authored Vanuatu’s first ever national history curriculum where we looked a lot at our political history because civic education is about the life beat of a nation and the political system it chooses and how civic the citizens themselves take part in this. Its an essential part of a democracy weh Vanuatu hemi wan democratic nation and so yumi , kat, yumi harem fulap toktok , yumi experiencem plante seh e kat laef long comuniti wetem ol chiefs blong yumi, wetem ol pastors blong yumi, but we also have a government and we have a government that operates under democratic structures and institutions and that’s what civic education is about.
It teaches us the life of the institutions of our country and that’s why its so important in Vanuatu. From seh, you don’t learn, not everybody gets to be in government, or see government or touch government services but we have to understand system weh e stap. Olsm yumi need blo andastan system blo jej. System blo kastom. So that’s the same thing, civic edukasen hemi blong andastanem system blong gavman and because Government provided us with health, education services, roads and so on, we need to understand that system so that we can also understand our part in that system. So that’s why it’s so important.
Translation: Okay, thank you so much. Firstly, I am very sorry Elsie that you did not learn about civic education at school. I went to school at Central School and then Malapoa. So always in Port Vila, on the Island of Efate because of the places my mother and father were working and I learnt about civic education at school, so there is certainly a breakdown in the Vanuatu system if I learnt this as a kid and then Elsie and its great that the Ministry of Education and internal affairs, as you said, are bringing back civic education to 27 schools in Vanuatu.
Civic education is not only about learning it at school. It’s an important place, of course, that’s how I learnt it. It’s how you did not learn it, but it is also about learning it from our friends, our family, our parents first and foremost. If we look at our parents, our aunties, our communities all take part in life together, that is what we learn in civic education. Particularly, for a young country like Vanuatu, I should say, I co-authored Vanuatu’s first-ever national history curriculum where we looked a lot at our political history because civic education is about the life beat of a nation and the political system it chooses and how the citizens themselves take part in this.
It’s an essential part of a democracy, Vanuatu is a democratic nation and so we have and hear a lot of different expressions, experiences that show we have life in our communities with our Chiefs, with our pastors and we also have a government that operates under democratic structures and institutions and that’s what civic education is about.
It teaches us the life of the institutions of our country and that’s why it’s so important in Vanuatu. Because you don’t learn, not everybody gets to be in government, see government or touch government services but we have to understand the systems in place. The way we need to understand the church system. The custom system. So that’s the same thing, civic education is to understand the system of governance and because the Government provides us with health, education services, roads and so on, we need to understand that system so that we can also understand our part in that system. So that’s why it’s so important.
Elsie: Thank you, that’s super interesting and I love how you unpacked it layer by layer. I’ve already learnt so much. I think in the election report in 2020 a recommendation was made that gender issues and specifically support to women be mainstreamed throughout all activities under the Vanuatu Electoral office which leads me to my next question. What do you think Civic education’s role is in promoting women’s political participation?
Anna: So first and foremost, civic edukasen weta yu lanem lo skul o lo haos, o lo comuniti. First and foremost, the best form of civic education is role modelling. Now, if we want to see more women’s political participation at the highest level, yumi mas luk tu lo comuniti and I think we can agree, we see women in our community, oli stap leadem ol samting inside lo jej, oli stap lidim ol kakai or wanem lo side blo kastom ol ceremonies , you see women, you know, flying planes. You see them in a whole range of roles. So to me that’s a really valuable part of just looking at our society and seeing how societi blong yumi e stap wok. Time yumi wantem luk lo side blo politics wetem ol woman, it’s a different picture. So the question is why is it a different picture when we go from everything else, then to politics. So lo ples ia nao, civic education hemi save give hand blo andastandem hao system blong yumi e wok. So to get into politics, you have to be successful lo wan nasenol elektsen or wan provincial eleksen or wan local gavman eleksen spos lo level blo municipality or province and blo ko insaed lo ol election olsem yu mas undastandem electoral system. So civic education e save Givhan blo explainem process blo electoral system, from wanem yu jat right blo vote lo age 18 years old.
You know interesting fact, originally, the voting age blong Vanuatu was going to be 21.But, led by the youth wing of the VanuakuPati at the time lo 1970 weh Hilda Lini hemi settem up, hem nao e pushum pushum blo tekem voting age e kam lo 18 and so hemi impoten blo andastandem ol process ia. Time yu 18 yu kat right blo vote but then how do you register, wanem yu save mekem. Because all of that helps you give a choice and a voice in how we might get to see more women leaders reflected into the politics, weh yumi luk vinis oli stap lo schools, hospitals, flying planes. So I think civic educations will really help there, the other part is, civic education alone, bah yumi mas traem blo lukluk tingting blong man lo saed blo woman e save ko lo politics or no and now I just wanted to share some quick stats if that’s okay.
Lo 26 April… e bin launchem wan niufala ripot wan niufala survey long Vanuatu oli callem Pacific Attitudes Survey Vanuatu, hemi wan fesfala survey lo Vanuatu weh e stap lukluk lo tingting blong man mo woman. It was a survey conducted with people aged 18 and over to understand, their political attitudes. Why 18 and over? From seh 18 hemi voting age, oli wandem andastandem ol tingting blong olketa weh oli stap vote or oli stap lo age blo vote. And they asked them. How interested are you in politics? What was interesting was, men 78% of men were interested, very high. The seniors, like ol olfala blo 60 years above were really interested, like 80% but women were not. There were only 56% of women were interested in politics according to this survey from Torba kasem Tafea, the survey of 1,333 people. And youth, lo age blo 18 kasem 29, 61% oli interest lo politics, its not terrible rates like 50%, 60% but it’s not a lot. So part blo civic education, impoten pat blo hem, hemi blong encouragem tingting seh no politics hemi impoten, e save Givhan lo development lo laef blo wan country. That’s what Civic education can help do.
The next bit is, time yumi luk importance blong hem, hoa nao blong putum ol woman e save ko insaed long politics and so the same survey asked the question, do you think that a woman could become a Prime Minister of Vanuatu? And, the response to that, so firstly, they said do you think women, so the response to should a woman become Prime Minister of our country, 74% of the survey participants said yes, right, so e kat tingting she yes of course ol woman e save ko long ol political position and should women be involved in politics as much as men, again, full country e respond, 86% e talem seh yes. So, question is, spos country e biliv seh ol woman e save mekem. From wanem Yumi no stap luk lo practice.
Ill hand it back to you.
Translation: So first and foremost, whether you learn civic education at school at home or from the community. First and foremost, the best form of civic education is role modelling. Now, if we want to see more women’s political participation at the highest level, we have to see this in our communities too and I think we can agree, we see women in our community, lead inside our churches, lead at gatherings or food preparations and at custom ceremonies, you see women, you know, flying planes. You see them in a whole range of roles. So to me that’s a really valuable part of just looking at our society and seeing how our society works. When we want to look at politics, particularly women’s involvement, its a different picture when we go from everything else, then to politics. This is where civic education can come in to support our understanding of how the system works. So to get into politics, you have to be successful in a national election or a provincial election or that of a local government if at the level of the municipality or province and to get into an election you need to understand the electoral system. So civic education can help in explaining the process of the electoral system like why we have the right to vote at 18 years old.
You know interesting fact, originally, the voting age of Vanuatu was going to be 21. But, led by the youth wing of the VanuakuPati at the time in 1970 that was set up by Hilda Lini, she pushed and pushed to take the voting age t0 18 so it is important to understand this process. When you are 18 you have the right to vote but then, how do you register, what can you do? All of that helps you give a choice and a voice in how we might get to see more women leaders reflected in politics, the women we already see in schools, hospitals, and flying planes. So, I think civic education will help there, the other part is, civic education alone, we have to look at people’s thoughts on whether women can go into politics or not and now I just wanted to share some quick stats if that’s okay.
On the 26th of April a new report was launched based on a new survey carried out in Vanuatu called the Pacific Attituded survey Vanuatu, it is the first survey in Vanuatu that looks at men and women’s thoughts. It was a survey conducted with people aged 18 and over to understand their political attitudes. Why 18 and over? Because 18 is the age when you become eligible to vote, the survey wanted to understand the thoughts of those who vote and those who are at the age to vote. And they asked them. How interested are you in politics? What was interesting was, men 78% of men were interested, very high. The seniors, like old men aged 60 years and above were really interested, like 80%, but women were not. There were only 56% of women were interested in politics according to this survey from Torba to Tafea, the survey of 1,333 people. And Youth at the age of 18 -29, 61% were interested in politics, it’s not terrible rates like 50%, 60% but it’s not a lot. So, part of civic education, the important part of civic education is to encourage the thought that politics is important, it can help development in the life of a country. That’s what Civic education can help do.
The next bit is, when we look at the importance of it, how can we put more women in politics and so the same survey asked the question, do you think that a woman can become Prime Minister of Vanuatu? And, the response to that, so firstly, they said do you think women, so the response to should a woman become Prime Minister of our country, 74% of the survey participants said yes, right, so there is a consensus that yes, women should be involved in politics as much as men, again, the full country responded, 86% said yes. So, the question is, if the country believes that women can do it. Why do we not see this in practice?
Ill hand it back to you. Elsie: Thank you so much for sharing the stats, that’s really interesting, you were reading that 74% said…
Anna: Yes, that a woman should become Prime Minister of our country.
That to me, is like a high percentage.
Elsie: And that to me is like a high percentage and I’m like, but then why, why isn’t that…there’s no, there’s no action behind it.
Anna: So I think lo ples ia,lo kwestin blong yu she hao nao civic edukasen e Givhan. So Civic edukasen e stap blong explenem system yu say okay, that electoral system, this is how you vote, this is how we get candidates and political parties and independent. So that’s the sort of, explainem process mo structure. Other part like I said, is the attitude and the values. So the other element of civic education weh e might yu saveh karem lo skul beh yu saveh karem lo house too mo lo comuniti is importance blong yu tek pat because if 74% of the surveyed people across the country said women should become Prime Ministers but it doesn’t happen in practice, then how are people actually exercising their rights to vote to make it become a reality. So, they might oli bilivim beh sipos yumi no vot o yumi vot follem bilif blo yumi then mi no stap luk.
Translation: So, I think here, where you ask how civic education can help. Civic education is there to explain the electoral system. It explains how you can vote; this is how we get candidates and political parties and independent. So that’s the sort of support it can provide in explaining the process and structure. Other part like I said, is the attitude and the values. So, the other element of civic education that you can get from school but you can also get from your home and community is the importance of taking part because if 74% of the surveyed people across the country said women should become Prime Ministers but it doesn’t happen in practice, then how are people actually exercising their rights to vote to make it become a reality. So, we might believe this but if we do not vote or we don’t vote according to that belief we have then I dint see it.
Elsie: I think, if this survey had been done when I was in high school, it probably would be the same. I do believe a woman could become Prime Minister, should be part of the Parliament and the Government but I think because I was never taught about civic education in school it was never really something that we spoke about at home so I never really understood the importance and its only when, I’m 26 now, that I’m realizing how important it is and why I need to understand civic education. All the processes behind it. So, another interesting recommendation that was made in the election report of 2020 was that efforts need to be made to establish a Facebook page to reach the younger voting population, to establish a voter awareness committee, to fine tune and disseminate key election messages and to also set up a free call Centre.
What are your thoughts on this and if these resources or platforms were set up, do you think they would be utilized by the younger population, particularly young women?
Anna: I think the more information that is out there blong Givhan long ol pipol blong undastanding blo democratic participation blong olketa so that they can participate in our democracy. The more that’s out there the better. So all those things, mi agri fulwan, that’s great. The thing that I think is more than just a Facebook page for information, information is power, e gud blo kat. But again as Ive stressed in this discussion is, civic education, one, is about knowledge. Knowledge blo kat infomesen, hao blong vot, wanem nao yumi vot from, kaen olsem ia. The other part is your behaviour, why should you even turn up to vote? Do you want to? Do you really feel passionate about this issue? E stap long yumi wan nomo yumi saveh answerem kwestin blong yumi wan.
And again, this survey that ive refered to, the Pacific attitudes survey for Vanuatu launched in April 2024, it asked people about the 2022 national election and it said in the last elections, because these are 18-yeasr-old and older who participated in the survey, did you attend a campaign rally? Only 59% of people went to a campaign rally to understand what their future parliamentarians might be focused on. That’s not a lot. Did you try to persuade others to vote for a particular party? So, when you think about it and you know that ol olfala oli mo interest lo politics bitim ol yangfala mo ol woman, you see that there is, we start to see a divorcing in our civic life where yumi jes no tek pat o kat interest nating. That might be changed with a bit of information like a Facebook page, but there has got to be something else that compels you to be an active citizen in our own country. So, if I could ask you Elsie, what makes you want to vote in any election and we wont talk about the referendum yet, I know that’s another question, but what makes you want to vote?
Translation: I think the more information out there will help people understand the importance of our democratic participation so they can participate in our democracy. The more that’s out there the better. So, I agree with all those things fully; that’s great. The thing that I think is more than just a Facebook page for information, information is power, it is good to have. But again, as I’ve stressed in this discussion, civic education is about knowledge. Knowledge to have information, how to vote, what are we voting for, those kinds of things. The other part is your behaviour, why should you even turn up to vote? Do you want to? Do you feel passionate about this issue? It us up to each of us to find the answers to each of our questions.
And again, this survey that I’ve referred to, the Pacific Attitudes survey for Vanuatu launched in April 2024, it asked people about the 2022 national election and it said in the last elections because these are 18-yeasr-old and older who participated in the survey, did you attend a campaign rally? Only 59% of people went to a campaign rally to understand what their future parliamentarians might be focused on. That’s not a lot. Did you try to persuade others to vote for a particular party? So, when you think about it and you know that older people are more interested in politics than young people and women, you see that there is, we start to see a divorcing in our civic life where we just do not take part or have an interest at all. That might be changed with a bit of information like a Facebook page, but there has got to be something else that compels you to be an active citizen in our own country. So, if I could ask you Elsie, what makes you want to vote in any election and we won’t talk about the referendum yet, I know that’s another question, but what makes you want to vote?
Elsie: So, I have only just registered this year to vote. So, when I turned 18, didn’t register, didn’t vote in the 2022 election. Only because I didn’t see the need or the importance because of what I had already seen with the past government. I felt like, how is my vote going to change anything, but it has only been, I guess last year and this year, being in the space I am currently in, here at Sista, that I’ve come to understand now and feel more passionate about wanting to vote to help create that change.
I can’t just sit there and you know, say whatever about the current government situation but have not voted and so I feel like I understand it better now and so I see the importance and I want to vote and be part of it.
Anna: Thank your for sharing that journey because, I ask the question not to put you on the spot but blong yumi tarem blong andastandem how do you actually get civic…you can have information, you can have education on how the process works but sipos yumi no wokbout yumi wan blong yumi mekem then bah e neva kat woman e kam Prime Minista olsem 74% blomg kaontri e stap talem seh hemi possible. And so that’s a really key part and I think part of that challenge for many of us whether yumi gro up, challenges that in our communities the order, the world order is different. It’s the order of the Chief or the order of the church leader. There is no space for the political order which is what our country runs on. Together with churches and Chiefs yes, but we have adopted a west minster parliamentary system that requires a particular democracy that includes elections and they only, you get the leaders that you vote for.
So hemi wan challenge, so as you said, sipos yu tingse vot bah hemi no count bah hemi no minim wan samting afta yu no tek pat. Beh the reality is that if we look at how our country is able to provide schools and services and what not, a lot of that is coming also from our churches, some, ino evriwan and from Government, and if we want better education and health care services for example, better , you know. Who does the Air strips and the wharfs, its often the government in partnership with Chiefs to access land, its not the church. Who does the schools, maybe the government and the church its not the chiefs, so evri ples gavman e stap kam blong wok wetem jej mo jif system beh time kavman system e no strong, how do you change it?
So I think that’s why I ask like the civic education and women’s political participation whether you olsem wan woman, wan youth, wan yangfala , it is about what is important to you and then knowing that are least because of that bit of education that says you have a right to vote, and you can vote according to these set of rules that we have as a country, yu saveh changem wan samting. Its always wan smol sid that starts and grows into a beautiful big tree so your vote always counts.
Translation: Thank you for sharing that journey because I ask the question not to put you on the spot but for us to try and understand how we get civic…you can have information, and you can have education on how the process works but if we do not work towards doing it then there will never be a Woman becoming Prime Minister that 74% of the country is saying is possible. And so that’s a key part and I think part of that challenge for many of us is whether we grow up, challenges that in our communities the order, the world order is different. It’s the order of the Chief or the order of the church leader. There is no space for the political order which is what our country runs on. Together with churches and Chiefs yes, but we have adopted a west minster parliamentary system that requires a particular democracy that includes elections and they only, you get the leaders that you vote for.
So, it is a challenge, so as you said, if you think your vote won’t count, it will not mean anything and then you don’t take part. But the reality is that if we look at how our country is able to provide schools and services and whatnot, a lot of that is coming also from our churches, some, not all and from government and if we want better education and health care services for example, better, you know. Who does the Air strips and the wharves, its often the government in partnership with Chiefs to access land, it’s not the church? Who does the schools, maybe the government and the church it’s not the chiefs, so everywhere the Government is present to work with Churches and Chief systems but when the Government system is not strong, how do we change that?
So, I think that’s why I ask like the civic education and women’s political participation whether you as a woman, as a young person…it is important for to you and then knowing that are least because of that bit of education that says you have a right to vote, and you can vote according to these set of rules that we have as a country, you can change something. It’s always a small seed that starts and grows into a beautiful big tree so your vote always counts.
Elsie: Thank you so much Anna, that was a lovely little metaphor that you ended with. As we both know, now is a really important time in our country, we are currently in the month of may and voters that will affect the way of how our democracy is run , this will have an influence in our next general election not just for women and you g people but for the country so now more than ever, factual and unbiased information is critical. So I just wanted to know where you look for information, not only on voting but also the current referendum and what are some features to look for in these reliable sources, is there anything specific that you think our listeners should know?
Anna: Yeah, thank you and I think blong talem Elsie, the Vanuatu Electoral office has an excellent website I encourage everybody blong kolo website sos yu kat interent connection. The website has all the information you need, you can check your registration, you can check seh yu rejista long stret polling station blong yu o nokat because of course you might be moving between Islands and places so yu mas updatem so long dei blo vote yu no mestem Janis blong yu, exercisem raet blong yu blong vot mo sakem tingting blong yu lo topic blong referendum. So, I think to me the nambawan place is the Vanuatu electoral office. They have a facebook page too.
There are also traditional media outlets are really important such as the Vanuatu Television and Broadcasting Corporation the Vanuatu Daily Post, the Buzz FM , FM107, those four are the trusted media entities in the country. They’re important time yu lukoutem infomesen blong eni samting. Why do you go to the traditional media sources? From seh oli kat ol professional standards. If there’s a correction or an error, they’re always corrected quickly, they don’t do tok pleple or kiaman toktok which we see a lot of on social media weh e stap confuse tumas man. So mi for wan mi no rili likem ol social media entities that claim to be news outlets of dialogue lives or all of these because theyre really about commentary, and commentary is okay but that’s not information so yumi mas klia, yumi nidim infomesen weh e stret. Commnetary ol man oli save sakem e ko ko beh hemi no stret infomesen, hemi jes tingting blong ol differen man and that’s okay, we are a free country, freedom of information. But, if you want trusted information, Vanuatu electoral office wetem ol traditional media outlets because they all work to a professional code weh oli no allowed blo kiamenem pablik.
Translation: Yeah, thank you and I think Elsie, The Vanuatu Electoral Office has an excellent website. I encourage everybody to got to the website if you have an internet connection. The website has all the information you need, you can check your registration, you can check which polling station exactly you are registered at or not because of course you may be moving between islands and places so you may need to update this information so that on voting day, you do not miss out the chance to exercise your right to put down your thoughts on the topic of referendum. So, I think the best place is the Vanuatu Electoral office. They have a Facebook page too.
There are also traditional media outlets are really important such as the Vanuatu Television and Broadcasting Corporation the Vanuatu Daily Post, the Buzz FM , FM107, those four are the trusted media entities in the country. They’re important when you are looking for information on anything. Why do you go to the traditional media sources? Because they have Professional standards. If there’s a correction or an error, they’re always corrected quickly, they don’t spread false news or misinformation which we see a lot of on social media that confuses a lot of people. For me personally, I do not really like social media entities that claim to be news outlets of dialogue lives or all of these because they’re really about commentary, and commentary is okay but that’s not information so we have to be clear, we need correct information, it is just the opinions of different people. That is okay, we are a free country, freedom of information. But, if you want trusted information, Vanuatu electoral office and the traditional media outlets because they all work to a professional code where they are not allowed to lie to the public.
Elsie: Thank you, I think Ill just add on as well. We have been, at Sista, we’ve been going through the civic education booklet that the Vanuatu Electoral office have created. These booklets can be found online, on their websites, completely free so if again, you have access to the internet, these would be good resources for you to download and read through to get a clear understanding on civic education and all the processes behind it. So Anna, to wrap up this episode, we have been trying this new thing with this series, asking each guest to describe in three words what their journey has been like as a proud ni-Vanuatu woman navigating life in Vanuatu,
Anna: So always unpredictable, always a leap of faith, always the loving support of my family and friends.
Elsie: Thank you very much, thank you Anna for joining me for that interesting conversation on the importance of voting.
Anna: Thank yu tumas, thank yu tumas Sista.
Translation: Thank you very much, then you very much Sista
Elsie: As always, we love to leave you with good information to take away from each episode.
- Knowledge is power, ensure you are going to the professional media outlets in Vanuatu for information regarding elections. The Vanuatu Electoral office website has educational information about civic education and I highly recommend that you take a look. Download a free copy for yourself and get informed.
- As Anna mentioned in this conversation, our behaviour plays a crucial role when it comes to civic education. We need to be showing the importance of participating in these democratic processes. Voice blong yu hemi impoten, vot blong yu hemi impoten (your voice is important, your vote is important) It matters and in the long run, will contribute to the development of our country.
We’ve got lots of other resources and links which you’ll find in our show notes. That brings us to the end of another episode. We hope this conversation has been beneficial to you. As always, thanks for listening to the round table.
Conclusion
Elsie: Make sure to check us out on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok as Sista Vanuatu and our website sista.com.vu. This is Elsie, from the RoundTable. If you want to hear from The RoundTable podcast, make sure to tune to the next episode.
