LE'O E PEAU: Towards Cultural and Cognitive Democracy in Development in Pacific Islands Communities

During the past decade, much have been said about, and implemented in the name of, good governance, democracy and human rights in Pacific Islands Nations (PINs). External financial agencies are keen to provide assistance to PINs, and higher educational institutions and consulting agencies are keen to assist donors and island governments implement projects aimed at 'reforms' and 're-structuring', fashionable activities in many parts of the Pacific region today. However, differences between the assumptions, value underpinnings and knowledge processes of the formal sector and those of most indigenous island populations have rarely been addressed, often leading to failure and frustrations on the part of helping agencies on one hand, and negative impact on Pacific peoples' cultural identities and heritages on the other. The paper will discuss the challenges that cultural and cognitive democracy poses for donor agencies as well as the Academy and makes a case for the acknowledgement and valuing of indigenous perspectives and knowledge in the discourse about islands in general and those in the South Pacific in particular. A case is made for a serious consideration of (Pacific) island people’s knowledge systems and their views of globalised concepts such as development education and environment as a necessary step towards achieving cultural and cognitive democracy in the development discourse ISLANDS of the WORLD VIII International Conference “Changing Islands – Changing Worlds” 1-7 November 2004, Kinmen Island (Quemoy), Taiwan 2-1-A-4 37 Introduction you say that you think