Source: Government of Western Samoa
KEYNOTE ADDRESS Minister of Education & Culture Hon. Aiono Alec Ekeroma
Reverend Dr. Latu Latai, thank you for leading us in prayer.
Chair of Council, Professor Letuimanu’asina Emma Kruse Vaai;
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tuifuisa’a Amosa;
President of the Pacific History Association, Dr Togialelei Safua Akeli Ama’ama and your executive;
Distinguished keynote speakers, members of the Pacific History Association, scholars, students and friends
Talofa lava and welcome to Samoa.
It is my pleasure to open the 26th Pacific History Association Conference here at the National University of Samoa. As Minister of Education, I am proud that Samoa can host a gathering that places Pacific history and Pacific thinking at the centre of discussion.
Our theme, Le Solosoloū – Resilience in the Face of Adversity, speaks deeply to who we are as Pacific peoples. It comes from everyday life quiet, steady perseverance, the willingness to keep going when the load is heavy. It is what our parents do, what our teachers and researchers do, and what our elders do to hold families and villages together.
History helps us make sense of that resilience. When our young people study history, they don’t simply memorise timelines. They learn how previous generations responded to war, colonisation, epidemics, cyclones, economic hardship and political change. They discover that Pacific peoples debated, resisted, adapted and strategised and this builds confidence that they too can shape the present.
History gives our students three gifts: the language to describe their world; habits of questioning and evidence weighing; and a sense of place in family, village, nation and region. These are not extras they are core to quality education.
A key challenge for us is reframing history through Pacific lenses. For too long our stories were written from outside, judged by external ideas of progress and modernity. When we centre our languages, memories and concepts, we enrich global knowledge and remind the world that Oceania has its own theories of land, leadership, kinship, faith and justice.
This means taking seriously the oral histories in our families, villages and diasporas. Elders’ stories of voyages, land disputes, church conflict, political rallies and migration rarely appear in official archives, yet they allow us to retell colonial histories from our own vantage points. They show our youth that their ancestors were thinkers, innovators and leaders.
Samoa is part of a region already living with climate impacts. Our elders remember storms and droughts and how communities relied on traditional knowledge. Today the seas rise higher, cyclones intensify and saltwater enters freshwater places. These are not just statistics they are stories of cemeteries washed away, gardens flooded and villages weighing relocation.
Traditional knowledge our place-based wisdom about land, sea, weather, food and relationships is central to resilience. It is visible today when fishers read the currents, when families plant hardy crops and when villages use mangroves to protect their shores.
History also works in conversation with science. Records of cyclones, droughts, epidemics and coastlines, together with stories of healers, clinics and modern technologies, help shape new tools that reflect Pacific priorities. Collaboration between historians, scientists, health workers and engineers strengthens our regional responses.
For those of us in government, history is not optional. Policies that ignore culture might look tidy on paper, but they rarely last. They often repeat old mistakes because they do not understand how institutions evolved or why past reforms failed. Policies grounded in local stories and values connect with people and endure.
At the same time, we must face the sources of adversity environmental damage, inequality, gender-based violence, political instability, climate change and the loss of knowledge. These challenges are rooted in historical decisions about land, power and voice. Pacific political and gender histories help us see whose labour sustained communities, whose voices were silenced and how power shifted across time. These insights are essential for debates about constitutions, elections, land rights and gender equality.
This is why this conference matters. Over the next few days, you will explore climate and environmental history, cultural heritage, education, gender, power and peacebuilding. These discussions help shape our understanding of resilience and inform planning for our shared future.
One of the strengths of this gathering is the mix of people historians, artists, curators, teachers, students, community leaders and policymakers. This blend keeps history alive and ensures it informs public debate and everyday decisions. It brings research into classrooms, villages and workplaces.
History education is especially vital for our youth. If curricula present the Pacific only through the lens of other people’s empires and wars, our students will struggle to see themselves as agents of change. When history begins from our islands, oceans, movements, struggles and creativity, young people see that they inherit a legacy of leadership and innovation. They also learn the skills democratic societies rely on: critical thinking, recognising bias, listening across differences and holding power to account.
I acknowledge our keynote speakers:
• Emeritus Professor Malama Meleisea, whose scholarship shapes how we
understand Samoa and the Pacific;
• Sir Robert Igara, who will reflect on fifty years of PNG independence;
• Maluiao Leua Latai, whose creative work shows that art is also a form of history;
• And Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of SPREP, who will challenge us to align
history education with Pacific knowledge systems.
I also thank the historians, researchers and teachers whose commitment ensures Pacific stories are studied, taught and shared. And I acknowledge the Pacific History Association, the Faculty of Arts at NUS, sponsors, partners, staff and volunteers. The work behind this event months of planning, writing, revising and fundraising is itself an expression of Le Solosoloū.
My hope for this week is simple: that the conversations here travel into classrooms, village meetings, ministries and regional forums, and that you use this time to build meaningful relationships across generations, disciplines and countries. These networks are themselves part of Pacific resilience.
I leave you with two questions:
How can the histories shared here be made useful for our students, teachers and communities?
And how can research shape policies grounded in Pacific values rather than external models?
If this conference moves us forward on these questions, it will have served our region well.
In closing, let us continue recording the stories of our elders, teaching our children that their languages and customs are strengths, and making our churches, women’s committees, youth groups and school councils living spaces of history. If we connect the knowledge of our universities with the wisdom of our villages, Le Solosoloū will remain a living practice that carries us through the storms ahead.
On behalf of the Government and people of Samoa, I am honoured to declare the 26th Pacific History Association Conference officially open.
Manuia le fono – fa’afetai tele lava.
December 5, 2025