Celebrating Bislama Week with Leina Isno

To celebrate Aotearoa Bislama Language Week in 2026, Valorie Patrick (host of Yumi Talem radio show on FreshFM) interviewed Leina Isno, Co-Chair of the National Melanesian Steering Committee and founder of the National Aotearoa Vanuatu Bislama Working Group. Key points discussed in the interview are summarised below.

What is Bislama Language Week ? 

The Pacific Language Week series in New Zealand is an initiative of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples and highlights and promotes the diverse languages and cultures of the Pacific Island communities. There are 12 Pacific languages in the series, including Bislama.

In New Zealand, Bislama Language Week is observed to honour and celebrate the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Ni-Vanuatu (local or native from Vanuatu) community, as Vanuatu is home to over 110 distinct dialects. It provides an opportunity for Ni-Vanuatu diaspora in New Zealand, as well as the broader population, to learn about the language, its history, and the cultural practices of Vanuatu.

What is the theme of the Bislama Language Week and what does it mean ?

“Tokbaot klaemet jenis – Hemi tru samting mo yumi mas lukaotem gud laef" which translates to “Talk about Climate Change – it is real, and we must look after life.”

·         "Climate change is real": This statement emphasizes that climate change is a scientifically proven phenomenon. According to the World Risk Report, Vanuatu is ranked as the World’s most at-risk country to natural disasters and extreme weather patterns. Climate change is the greatest ongoing threat to the well-being and livelihoods of the Ni Vanuatu people and their ecosystems.

·         "We must look after life": This part stresses the responsibility we must take to protect the planet and all living beings that depend on it. "Life" here refers to the environment, wildlife, and the human population, all of which are impacted by the changing climate. To "look after life" means to take actions that safeguard our ecosystems, reduce harm to the environment, and ensure a sustainable future.

In recognition of Bislama Language Week, Leina composed the following piece about climate change.

Vanuatu shook – again. A 7.3 quake, no stranger. No Christmas, no bonne année, just 7,000 aftershocks. The Pacific Ring of Fire cracked beneath us; mother nature roared. I remembered Santo, 1990. The earth rumbled like a train. Tisiri lagoon surged. Nuwombxh and Neyarxh trees torn out, Uncle Jesse’s wedding forgotten. We fled uphill, barefoot in our mother hubbards. Chaos. Dust. Fear. At dusk we return to eat golden hybrid yams. Now, during Bislama Language Week, we speak our truth: Climate change is real. This is not legend. Not metaphor. This is lived memory. And we must protect life.

Leina explains:

"The 2025 National Flash Fiction Day (NFFD) in the Dunedin and Otago region called for 100-word pieces on the theme of Climate and Creativity, and I submitted this piece. Fortunately, it was selected for publication. I wrote it knowing that the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Vanuatu on Tuesday 17, December 2024, was still raw and agonising for those of us who call Vanuatu home but were living overseas. The new Ni-Vanuatu students studying at the University of Otago were survivors of this devastating earthquake. They had lived through the trauma in Port Vila, endured thousands of aftershocks, and then faced the daunting transition of leaving home to begin a new chapter in another country. I wanted to acknowledge the difficulty of transition - of leaving family behind in Port Vila while embarking on new journeys abroad.

I also wanted to remember the lives that were lost, while recognising the "new normal" that emerges through the profound adjustments required after disasters of this magnitude. Mental health care would become a priority for many of us, especially for those living in Port Vila.

At the same time, I wanted to shine a light on the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Climate Change and the dedicated Vanuatu scientists working quietly behind the scenes to develop climate-resilient crops that will help sustain our communities after major natural disasters. Their work deserves to be honoured and acknowledged.

I was also thinking about the 2025 Vanuatu Bislama Language Week in New Zealand and its powerful climate change theme, which highlighted the never-ending natural hazards and disasters our islands continue to face. When I read this piece to the Ni-Vanuatu students at the University of Otago in preparation for the first-ever Vanuatu Bislama Language Week, we were all visibly emotional. The piece carried a deep weight, and in that moment I felt I had been able to share both the despair and the hope with the students. Although we were far from home, we were united in mind, memory and spirit."

To listen to the full interview with Leina Isno in Bislama, click here

More about Leina Isno:

Leina Isno is a Ni-Vanuatu writer and health researcher currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Otago. Raised in South West Bay, Malekula, she draws inspiration from her cultural heritage and Vanuatu's landscapes. Leina is a member of the Vanuatu Creative Writing Committee and blogs at www.adenemustribalgirl.wordpress.com , where she shares stories of her Denemus tribe and experiences bridging Pacific and Western Worlds.