The Solomon Islands is a country of over 900 islands in the Melanesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The islands have a long history. It is estimated they were first settled as early as 2000 BCE. The islanders were exploited for their labor during the European colonial era and they only recently gained their independence from the British in 1975.


We found this article about tok stori, known as a "culturally accepted method of sharing information, generating knowledge and learning" in the Solomon Star newspaper dated September 22, 2021. The article is by Ruth Maetala and Dr. Michael Spann. Ruth Maetala is the Founder and Managing Director of Dignity Pasifik, a development consulting company founded and led by Solomon Islands women.


In tok stori (a Melanesian term), participants tell stories, build a joint narrative and try to make sense of something in which everyone has an interest. People are regarded as experts in their own lives. When people tell a story, they find an inner social self that connects to other people in the group who then add to the narrative through their experiences. Each person opens up their world to others and shared experiences build understanding amongst diverse groups of people. Collaborative, informal, flexible are some of the adjectives used to describe the method. Tok stori is a form of orality, an ancient means that predates writing by which cultures pass down their language, traditions, history, religion, and identity from one generation through stories, songs, poems, chants, and various ceremonies.


The firm recently organized a tok stori group around climate change issues in the Solomon Islands, an island country that is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The participants included a broad range of professional people from different disciplines including scientists, engineers, and non-government organizations. Professionals are more attuned to working in formal group facilitation settings. It is interesting to note that most Solomon Islanders are used to tok stori in their culture and personal life but not in their professional life.


The tok stori method allowed participants to see how multi-dimensional and interconnected the issues were through the storytelling, shared experiences, and building the narrative. Three issues, in particular, were brought to the forefront: the impact of climate change on women in rural and urban areas and the lack of awareness; the 'gender neutrality' of computer technology to digitally start tok storis throughout the country (men dominated the digital technology and pushed women to the periphery and presumably biased the outcomes) and; the role of indigenous knowledge to build climate change resilience.


Tok stori and, perhaps, other forms of orality may provide potential breakthroughs in stalemated and polarized political environments, a condition we are seeing too often around the world. Climate change is a very complex, multi-faceted, and interconnected issue that will require countless discussions and decisions to be made if we are to see any progress to arrest its progression. Exploring every potential tool for a constructive dialog may be helpful, whether it be for local governments at odds with particular issues or neighborhood or community groups trying to find a path forward and heal divisions. Sadly, the world has been rife with angry rhetoric. Is it time to seek peace and stay in the solution?


Originally published November 16, 2021.