During the opening of the Regional Youth Ecumenical Council (REYC), Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) General Secretary Rev James Bhagwan encouraged youths to adapt, evolve and grow while retaining what was good and true from their indigenous spirituality and culture.

In his speech, Rev Bhagwan challenged them to envision a future for the Pacific region and collaborate to build a dynamic Pacific, where culture is evolving without limitations placed on it. “How can we leapfrog from pre-modern to postmodern, from pre-contact oral culture – where we sing, we dance, we weave, into a world where we are now coding?” he asked.

He recommended thinking critically and creatively about inherited ideas and conventions, and considering how to take indigenous knowledge, ancient principles and wisdom into the future.