Konai Helu Thaman

Konai Helu Thaman (born 1946) is a poet and academic from Tonga.

Konai Helu Thaman
Born	Konai Helu 1946 (age 73–74) Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
Occupation	Poet and academic
Residence	Tonga
Nationality	Tongan
Alma mater	University of Auckland; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of the South Pacific.

Background

Thaman was born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, in 1946.[1] Growing up she attended the Free Wesleyan Primary School, Tonga High School, and Epsom Girls' Grammar School in Auckland, New Zealand. In 1972 she met her husband Randy Thaman and traveled with him to the United States where she undertook her post-graduate education.[2] She has received a BA in Geography (University of Auckland); Teaching Diploma (Auckland Secondary Teachers’ College); MA in International Education (University of California, Santa Barbara) and a PhD in Education (University of the South Pacific).[3][4]

Career

Between 1969 and 1972 Thaman was a teacher in Tonga.[2] 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.[4] 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.[5][3]

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).[3][6]

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.[3][5]

Published works

Works by Thaman have been used in primary and secondary education across the Pacific region.[3] Her collections of poetry include:

• 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)

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).[3] Her poems are also in several anthologies including Fire in the Sea: An Anthology of Poetry[7] and Art and Nuanua: Pacific Writing in English since 1980.[8]

References

1. Benson, Eugene (2004). Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. Routledge. p. 644. ISBN 978-1134468485.
2. "About Dr Konai Helu Thaman". Fiji Sun. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
3. "Konai Helu Thaman". Pacific Community. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
4. "Professor Konai Helu Thaman". The University of the South Pacific. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
5. Crossley, Michael; Hancock, Greg; Sprague, Terra (2015). Education in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. xviii. ISBN 978-1623567859.
6. "Konai Helu Thaman". Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
7. 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.
8. Wendt, Albert (2013). Nuanua: Pacific Writing in English since 1980. Auckland University Press. ISBN 978-1869405731.

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