History and connection in harmony for Theology talk

The sound of Tongan hymns echoed through the University last month as students, staff, and members of the local Tongan community gathered for a special public lecture that was as much about connection as it was about history.

Reverand Dr Paula Onoafe Latu, who is an ordained minister of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga and Principal of Sia’atoutai Theological College, gave a talk titled ‘Church Growth and Development: On the History of Christianity in Tonga’ during a recent visit to Dunedin.

The talk marked an important milestone in the growing relationship between the University of Otago and Sia’atoutai Theological College in Tonga, Theology Department Lecturer and MC of the event Dr Terry Pouono says.

Paula’s visit was one of the first outcomes of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the two institutions on 25 March in order to create opportunities for greater collaboration, partnership, and academic exchange.

Terry says Paula is widely recognised for his scholarship on Tongan Christianity and culture, and his lecture explored Tonga’s Christian history through a distinctly Tongan lens, encouraging audiences to rethink how history is told and whose voices are centred.

It offered a “powerful challenge” to conventional approaches.

“As a church historian, he emphasised the exploration of an alternative, holistic historiography of Tonga's history, rewriting it from the perspective of Tonga's traditional oral culture and the Tongan people's worldview.” – Dr Terry Pouono

“Drawing on his expertise as a horticulturist, he used horticultural analogies to describe the significance of the spread of the gospel in Tonga.”

Terry was particularly struck by Paula’s call to elevate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives.

“As a church historian, he emphasised the exploration of an alternative, holistic historiography of Tonga's history, rewriting it from the perspective of Tonga's traditional oral culture and the Tongan people's worldview.”

The visit also highlighted the significance of the new partnership between the two institutions. Earlier this year, an Otago delegation travelled to Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa to strengthen relationships with Pacific teaching institutions and explore new opportunities for collaboration.

For Terry, the long-term potential is exciting.

“The hope moving forward is that the relationship between Sia’atoutai and Otago will continue to grow through the exchange of ideas and resources, and by opening doors for potential candidates for Masters and PhD studies.”

Terry also hopes the event will encourage more students to engage with Pacific Theology.

“With Dr Latu’s wisdom, I plan to integrate his ideas into my teaching of the CHTH207/307: History of Christianity to the Pacific course in Semester 2.”

–  Talanoa by Pacific Communications Adviser Viena Faiva