MEDIA & PUBLICATIONS

Browse through some links to stories about Kalo and her personal journey across the Pacific to connect with the land, people and spirits of her ancestors, as well as links to some of her professional and creative works.

21 Aug 2020

THE GUARDIAN: THE RETURN OF SHELL MONEY

‘New normal’ under Covid-19 restrictions has seen a resurgence in traditional farming practices, bartering and the use of tabu
by Kalolaine Fainu in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea

29 April 2020

THE GUARDIAN: WE WERE BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL

PNG Health Minister Jelta Wong had been in the job for just a few months when the coronavirus outbreak reached PNG

10 April 2020

THE GUARDIAN: 'WE HAVE NOTHING': PNG'S BROKEN HEALTH SYSTEM

In a country where nurses are forced to use rice packets as gloves and laundry detergent as disinfectant, there is terror at the arrival of coronavirus

2019

ICDP: THE FORGOTTEN VOICES OF OCEANIA

As the founding director of the Pasifika Film Fest, it has been my long-term objective to create a Pasifika Film Industry that brings the stories of the ‘South Seas’ to the cinematic screen. I believe the time is right for the forgotten voices of Oceania to be heard, with the Australian Government’s push to secure soft power in the region underlining the Pacific’s awakening from decades of disregard.

2020

SPIO: WE HAVE A NEW GENERATION OF STORYTELLERS

Kalolaine “Kalo” Uechtritz Fainu, an avid advocate for Pacific representation in film, shares her motivations for creating the Pasifika Film Fest and offers tips for aspiring Pacific filmmakers

2020

PACIFIC BEAT: KALO'S JOURNEY BACK TO PNG

Kalolaine Uechtritz Fainu is a Tongan-Australian woman who grew up around Pacific communities in Australia but, she always felt a calling to Papua New Guinea's East New Britain province.
Since the late 19th century until 1990, generations of her family lived in East New Britain and the stories of their lives have been embedded in family lore.

2020

ABC: DEATH BROUGHT KALO TO PNG

"In Papua New Guinea, the catchcry is 'expect the unexpected!'"
It's a familiar concept for Kalolaine Uechtritz Fainu, a Tongan-Australian woman who grew up around Pacific communities in Australia.
Still, she didn't realise how accurate the phrase would become when she arrived in East New Britain province in PNG last year for what she thought would be a three-month stay.