PhD Pilot Study – Buka, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea

Day 5 – Sunday, 24 October 2010

Today's surprise power cut lasts more than 10 hours, from 8am - 6:15pm. It has nothing to do with Ahsley's work laying the cable, but to me it's another reminder that electric power is essential if local communities are to be "empowered"... I also interview Theresa Jaintong from the National Council of Women, a senior woman leader. Like Paul Tobasi, she also strongly resists the characterisation of people displaced from the effects of climate change as "refugees". Her strong preference is to call them by a more neutral term, namely "displacees" or "displaced people". As I listen to her views I learn a lot from her about what she thinks could or should be the role of national governments, humanitarian organisations and civil society. She also highlights her "number one priority" concern: protecting the displaced people's cultural identies from outside influences "before, during and after the move".

Buka, Bougainville: I interview Theresa Jaintong from the National Council of Women, a senior woman leader. She strongly resists the characterisation of displaced islanders as "refugees" and is happy to say so on video camera as well.