West Papua's ongoing struggle for independence is the longest and most violent independence struggle in Oceania. In this episode, we speak with Raki Ap and Koteka Wenda, two West Papuan activists who are spokespeople for the Free West Papua Campaign. They share their personal and family stories of struggle, their dreams of a free West Papua, and why this struggle is important to the region.

Climate change is the most important existential threat to the Pacific Islands, and Pacific Islanders have actively campaigned to address climate change issues, taking leadership at international forums such as the United Nations Conference of the Parties.

In this episode, we talk with Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, one of the most well-known Pacific Islander climate activists. She uses poetry, film, and other media to create awareness about the impacts of climate change in her home, the Marshall Islands, and the Pacific Islands region. She currently serves as Climate Envoy for the Marshall Islands Ministry of Environment and is an alumna of the CPIS MA program. You will hear two of her poems in this episode.

We close the episode with a group poem written by current CPIS students Carol Ann Carl and Taylor Bungelkelau Vitarelli.

Part 2 of a talk story about oral history with three leading scholars: Nepia Mahuika (Massey University), Davianna Pōmaikaʻi McGregor (UH Mānoa), and Ty Kāwika Tengan (UH Mānoa).

"Oral History in the Pacific" features our three guests in conversation about storytelling practices in their home communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and Hawaiʻi. In Part 2, they share about how they came to oral history and reflect on building relationships in, across, and in spite of institutions.