Konai Helu Thaman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 (age 76–77) Nukuʻalofa, Tonga |
| Occupation | Poet and academic |
| Nationality | Tongan |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of the South Pacific. |
Konai Helu Thaman (born 1946) is a poet and academic from Tonga.
Career
Between 1969 and 1972, Thaman was a teacher in Tonga.[1] She has worked at the University of the South Pacific since 1974 and currently holds a Personal Chair in Pacific Education and Culture, a position she has held since its establishment in 1998.[2] She has also held management positions at the university including Director of the Institute of Education, Head of the School of Humanities, and Pro-vice-chancellor.[3][4]
As an academic researcher, Thaman has been widely published, with a focus on education (including indigenous and teacher education), curriculum development, and sustainable development (with a focus on the Pacific context).[4][5]
Thaman has held several positions with UNESCO. Between 1998–2006 she was the UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education and Culture. She is currently a Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development and member of the Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.[4][3]
Works by Thaman have been used in primary and secondary education across the Pacific region.[4]
Selected poetry by Thaman was included in UPU, a curation of Pacific Island writers’ work which was first presented at the Silo Theatre as part of the Auckland Arts Festival in March 2020.[6] UPU was remounted as part of the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington, New Zealand in June 2021.[7]
Her poems have been translated into multiple languages, including German by Renate von Gizyckia, in the collection of poems titled Inselfeuer (Reihe Literatur des Pazifik, 1986).[4] Her poems are also in several anthologies including Fire in the Sea: An Anthology of Poetry[8] and Art and Nuanua: Pacific Writing in English since 1980.[9]
Published works
Poetry collections
- Songs of Love (Mana Publications, 1999)
- Kakala (Mana Publications, 1993)
- Hingano (Mana Publications, 1987)
- Langakali (Mana Publications, 1981)
- You the choice of my parents (Mana Publications, 1974)
Honours
- National honours
Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III, Grand Cross (31 July 2008).[10]
References
- ↑ "About Dr Konai Helu Thaman". Fiji Sun. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ↑ "Professor Konai Helu Thaman". The University of the South Pacific. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- 1 2 Crossley, Michael; Hancock, Greg; Sprague, Terra (2015). Education in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. xviii. ISBN 978-1623567859.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Konai Helu Thaman". Pacific Community. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ↑ "Konai Helu Thaman". Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ "UPU". SIlo Theatre. March 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ↑ "UPU". Kia Mau Festival. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ↑ Honolulu Academy of Arts (1996). Fire in the Sea: An Anthology of Poetry and Art. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 120. ISBN 978-0824816490.
Konai Helu Thaman 1946.
- ↑ Wendt, Albert (2013). Nuanua: Pacific Writing in English since 1980. Auckland University Press. ISBN 978-1869405731.
- ↑ "Royal orders presented at Palace". Matangi Tonga. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
Further reading
- Women in South Pacific literature: An interview with Konai Helu Thaman, World Literature Written in English (1978), Volume 17, Issue 1, pp. 263–267