Hawaiian & Pacific Collections

bro’Town , New Zealand’s first prime time animated series, is often referred to as a Pacific-spin on such U.S. staples as The Simpsons and South Park -- and it has elicited much the same reaction: Some find it wildly funny, others mildly offensive. What is often lost in the debate is the fact that the cartoon draws on the Samoan comedic tradition of fale aitu. Dr. Caroline Sinavaiana (UH-M Dept. of English) will explore these connections (and more) during a brown-bag discussion on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 12:00 - 1:20 p.m. at East West Center's Burns Hall Room 2118. For more info, click on image at right.

The University of Hawaii Library (along with the rest of the UH campus) will be closed during the first two weeks of the winter interim, from December 18 through January 2. To ensure that no overdue fines are incurred during this period, the standard two-week loan period for Hawaiian and Pacific Collection materials will be modified: All books that are checked out or renewed between December 4 and December 20, 2010, will be due on January 3, 2011, when the library reopens.

The award winning documentary Jamaica for Sale is screening on Friday November 19 at 5:30PM in Warren Auditorium at the Hawaii Pacific University Downtown Campus. The film documents the environmental, economic and social impacts of unsustainable tourism development, and is highly relevant to Hawaii and the Pacific. (UH students, faculty and staff who can't make it to the screening can also check the film out from the Wong Audio/Visual Center at Sinclair Library. Click here to view the Voyager record and submit a request for the film.)

In May 2010, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville held elections for President and the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, in August 2010, the Solomon Islands held national parliamentary elections. During this brown-bag seminar, Gerard Finin, Karen Knudsen, and Scott Kroeker, all of the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center, will discuss their experiences as part of a multi-national election observation mission. For more info, click on image at right. Thursday, 18 November 2010 Noon to 1:30 pm East-West Center Burns Hall, Room 3012

Dr. April Henderson and Dr. Teresia Teaiwa will talk about their PhD program in Pacific Studies and what it is like to live and study in the vibrant capital city of Aotearoa New Zealand.   Date: Monday, 8 November 2010 Time: Noon to 1:30 pm Place: UHM Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)   For information, please call the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at 956-7700.

Dr. Teresia K. Teaiwa will deliver the opening keynote address for the Center for Pacific Islands Studies annual conference on Thursday, November 4, from 4:15-5:30 p.m., with a reception and book launch to follow. For more information, click on the image at right.

In conjunction with the annual Center for Pacific Islands Studies conference, an exhibition is being mounted at the Arts At Marks Garage. The show opened on Nov. 2 and runs through Nov. 27. For more information, click on image at right.

The Center for Pacific Islands Studies annual conference begins this week. Several pre-conference events are also planned. For a complete list, click on image at right. For conference information, click here to visit the Celebrating Connections website.