Grace Mera Molisa

Grace Mera Molisa (17 February 1946, Aoba Island – 4 January 2002, Port Vila) was a Ni-Vanuatu politician, poet and campaigner for women's equality in politics. The Australian described her as "a vanguard for Melanesian culture and a voice of the Vanuatuans, especially women".[1] She has also been described as one of the Pacific's "leading public intellectuals and activists".[2]

Molisa's education began at her village school on Aoba Island, and continued at the Mission School at Torgil. From there, she went on to attend Queen Victoria Māori Girls' School in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. After leaving school, Molisa attended Auckland Teachers' College and returned to her old school at Torgil as a teacher. She became the first Ni-Vanuatu woman to head a large, senior co-educational boarding school when she was appointed Headmistress of Ombabulu School.[3] Later, Molisa was the first woman from her country to gain a university degree, a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of the South Pacific in 1977.[1]

Molisa was an Anglican. She spoke five languages.[1]

A 2004 book entitled Profiles of Pacific Women, aimed at "paying tribute to Pacific women who have paved the way for gender equality and human rights", included a tribute to Grace Molisa.[4]

  1. ^ a b c "Voice of Vanuatu's women" Archived 17 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Australian, 1 February 2002
  2. ^ Slatter, Claire, "Treading Water in Rapids? Non-Governmental Organisations and Resistance to Neo-Liberalism in Pacific Island States", in Firth, Stewart (ed.), Globalisation and Governance in the Pacific Islands, Australian National University, 2006, ISBN 1-920942-97-1
  3. ^ Macdonald-Milne, B. & Thomas, P. (eds)(1981), Yumi Stanap: Some People of Vanuatu. Institute of Pacific Studies, Suva.
  4. ^ "New book celebrates Pacific women who fought for equal rights". RNZ International. 8 March 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2011.