Dear Matafele Peinam
By Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
Marshallese poet Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner spoke on behalf of civil society during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Summit in New York City in September 2014. Watch the clip from the United Nations below and then check out her blog at https://jkijiner.wordpress.com/
Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner speaks to the world’s leaders about climate change at the United Nations. Photo: UN
Kathy is a poet, writer, journalist and teacher, currently working as an instructor at the College of the Marshall Islands.
In recent years she has given numerous performances of her various works, including the poems Tell Them and Lessons from Hawaii, around the world.
In her blog, she writes: “My poetry mainly focuses on raising awareness surrounding the issues and threats faced by my people. Nuclear testing conducted in our islands, militarism, the rising sea level as a result of climate change, forced migration, adaptation and racism in America – these are just a few themes my poetry touches upon. Besides these, I also use poetry as a means of understanding the people and the world around me.”
Dear Matafele Peinam is now her most famous work … so far.
