Nanau, Gordon and Dorovolomo, Jeremy and Fitoo, Billy and Miniti, Patrick (2024) The potential for sports to stimulate national unity in Solomon Islands. In: Towards a Pacific Island Sociology of Sport: Seeking New Horizons. Emerald Publishing Limited, England. ISBN 978-1-83753-087-8
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Solomon Islands plunged into a deadly inter-wantok conflict in 1998 (Nanau, 2011) that continued for 5 years until the Pacific Islands Forum requested the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to intervene. Thousands were displaced and at least 200 lives lost in this conflict. We call it an inter-wantok tension because it involved wantok groups (language and kinship groups), which has become known in Solomon Islands as ‘the Ethnic Tensions’ or simply as ‘the Tension’. The conflict deeply divided the country along wantok lines while appealing to artificial provincial identities created by the modern nation state. The country is still recuperating from its effects, and in this context, how can Solomon Islands promote unity, equality and peaceful coexistence? This question formed the basis of our research. We investigated sports as a neglected path to genuinely encourage patriotism and social cohesion in the country. We generated primary data with the aid of the Nominal Group Technique (NGT), a consensus building tool. This chapter reports the research findings and suggestions on how sports can be used to help unite the nation and promote national identity. These include short-term measures, medium-term strategies and inclusive approaches to encourage and nurture patriotism and social cohesion in post-conflict Solomon Islands. The research project investigates, firstly, policy statements and implementation in sports development in Solomon Islands. Secondly, it determines the role sports could play in advancing national consciousness in a culturally diverse and fragmented society. Thirdly, it recommends strategies through which sports could be harnessed to promote patriotism, peace-building and unity.
| Item Type: | Book Chapter |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure |
| Divisions: | School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education (SPACE) |
| Depositing User: | Nirma Narayan |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Jan 2025 23:01 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Aug 2025 23:36 |
| URI: | https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/14767 |
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