FROM NAHA TO PhD: DR. JOSEPH DANIEL FOUKONA

Dr. Joseph D. Foukona

By Derek Futaiasi

Canberra, Australia

On 13 July 2018, at a graduation ceremony at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Joseph Daniel Foukona walked onto the podium and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). He looked dignified in his graduation regalia.

This was the culmination of a long and arduous journey that started many years ago for this Solomon Islander from Lau Lagoon in the Malaita Province. 

I have known Dr. Foukona – or Joe as he is keenly known by friends – since our childhood days growing up at Naha II in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. With other kids our age, we were often the neighbourhood menace. I vividly remember one day when we were playing under a cherry tree at Wayne Ghemu’s family backyard. Stephen, a I-Kiribati boy, climbed to the top of the tree. Joe threw a rock to Stephen. He failed to catch it, so it came tumbling down and landed on my head. As I yelled in pain, the other kids scattered back to their houses. 

We were a close-knit bunch and our paths later crossed again when, at different times, we went to USP’s Law School at Emalus in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Those criss-crossing paths have helped define who we have become. 

             After Naha, Joe went on to St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School where he topped the Form Six class in 1995 and was crowned the school dux. That year, he also represented St. Joseph’s as an exchange student at Marcellin College in Melbourne, Australia. 

            He then went on to Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) where did Foundation Studies before going on to USP’s Laucala Campus and then to Emalus Campus where he studied law.

            In 1999, Joe went to the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) as an exchange student. While at UPNG, he joined the Manus Chauka football (soccer) team that won the university football competition that year. 

            In 2000, he moved back to Emalus Campus to pursue a Masters degree in law (LLM), graduating in 2001 after producing a superb LLM thesis focusing on customary land management in Solomon Islands.  

            He was then awarded the Angelo South Pacific Foundation Scholarship to do a second LLM at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) in New Zealand. This was a partial scholarship. So, Joe had to work as a tutor to cover his living expenses. He was also awarded the VUW Weir House Graduate Scholarship, which covered his accommodation.

            After New Zealand, Joe returned to Honiara, and after unsuccessful attempts to secure a job with the public service, he ended up working with the Solomon Islands Christian Association Peace Office (SICAPO) beginning in early 2003. 

            With SICAPO, he was one of the first Malaitans to visit various parts of Guadalcanal after the conflict. In February 2003, for example, he travelled with Dr. Tarcisius Kabutaulaka and a film crew to Avuavu on the Weather Coast.  This was prior to RAMSI’s arrival. He also toured other provinces, using the church and wantok networks to tok storiwith people about the idea of establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). This work was later drawn upon by the Solomon Islands Government when it established the TRC in 2008. 

            In 2004, Joe went back to USP to complete the Professional Diploma in Legal Practice (PDLP) program and after which he was offered a teaching position at the USP Law School.

            It was there that our paths crossed once again. Now, I was one of his students. And although we were childhood friends, when it came to my studies, Joe maintained a high standard of professionalism. 

            But he was also the foundation of our Solomon Islands community at Emalus. His house was the place to gather for important events such as the Independence Day celebrations. It was also where Hubert Fugui, Daniel Danisulia, Eran Soma, Stanley Hanu and Henry Ofu practiced their ‘holy’ heavy-metal music, which they performed at one of the Scripture Union events, mesmerizing the crowd that gathered. For us, the former St. Joseph’s Tenaru students, Joe’s house was the place to gather, tok storiand reminiscence about our high school days and raise funds for our old school. Those social gatherings were also opportunities for Joe to encourage us in our studies. 

            By then, Joe was already nurturing his own academic career for bigger things – he was researching and publishing, especially on land issues in Solomon Islands. So, even before he started the PhD journey, Joe was already emerging as bustling scholar.

            But Joe kept connected to Solomon Islands and to his home in Lau, Malaita. I remember in 2010, accompanying him to Takwa where we tok storiwith people about land issues, dispute resolution, etc. 

            Over the years, Joe has been involved in various work relating to land issues in our country. Many of these were organized either by the Solomon Islands Government or development partners. In March this year, for example, the Guadalcanal Province invited him to participate in the Guadalcanal Land Summit. He also worked with Dr. Tarcisius Kabutaulaka in developing the Anti-Corruption Strategy that accompanies the Anti-Corruption Bill, which the Solomon Islands National Parliament will soon deliberate on. They have also done collaborative work on customary land reforms in Solomon Islands. Over the years, Joe has also worked with the Bina Harbour Working Group, led by Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources  

            In 2011, Joe was awarded an Australian Leadership Award to pursue a PhD at the Australian National University, a prestigious institution and among the top 20 ranking universities in the world. At ANU, Joe did tutoring, giving guest lectures and joining groups such as the ANU Bee Society, while at the same time pursuing his PhD. Based on his teaching philosophy and record, he was awarded a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), a British Professional Institute that promotes excellence in higher education. 

Dr. Joseph Foukona and his supervisor, Prof. Chris Ballard

            Joe’s doctoral thesis is titled, “Land, Law and History: Actors, Networks and Land Reform in Solomon Islands”. According to his supervisors, it is a “magisterial review of the long history of attempts to ‘reform’ traditional lands in Solomon Islands, a process often synonymous with conversion to a western title system and loss of access for Indigenous Solomon Islanders - and one that is ongoing today.”

            While I am yet to read Joe’s PhD thesis carefully, I am assured by the words of one of his examiners who described his thesis as, “by far the best.” 

            Joe, you have set the bar high. You have become a shining example of hard work, determination and success in this pursuit. In the midst of all that, you continue to be humble, simple, unassuming and soft spoken.

            As a former student in your law classes at Emalus, it is a privilege and honour to bask in your success as I begin my own academic journey to that PhD destination. Thank you for the beacons and signposts. 

            The falling rock from that cherry tree at Naha has landed successfully on ANU’s graduation podium.