Jully Makini (also known as Jully Sipolo) (born c. 1953 (age 64 in 2017)) is a

Solomon Island Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

er poet, writer and

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

. The author of poems such as ''Civilized Girl'' (1981) and ''Praying Parents'' (1986), in June 2017 she received the

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

from the

US Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

for her work in promoting women's rights in the Solomon Islands.

Career

A native of Gizo in Western Province, and graduate of the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public university, public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and ...

, she began a career in writing after attending the Solomon Island Women Writers' Workshop in 1980. The following year she published the poem ''Civilized Girl'', which is a light-hearted critique of women becoming westernized in the islands. In 1983, as an editor with the University of the South Pacific Solomon Islands Centre, she was involved in publishing the first anthology of women's works ever published in the islands, ''Mi Mere''. In 1986 she published the poem ''Praying Parents'', and later in 2007 she authored ''Flotsam and Jetsam''. Makini is noted for her work in advocating women's rights in the Solomon Islands, a country where violence against women is still a taboo issue to discuss in society. She has used her writing work to convey her message to people in remote areas. In the capital of

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lie ...

she has taken an active role in leading various women's groups and promoting sustainable development. She moved back to Gizo in 2008, where she has helped establish the Gizo Family Support Centre, a local NGO, with UN Women Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Pacific Fund funding. In June 2017 she received the

from the

for her work in activism, and she has been cited as one of "70 Inspiring Pacific Women" by Pacific Community.

Works

;as Jully Sipolo * ''Civilized girl: poems ''. Suva, Fiji: South Pacific Creative Arts Society, 1981. * (ed. with Afu Billy and Hazel Lulei) ''Mi mere: poetry and prose by Solomon Island women writers''. Honiara: University of the South Pacific, Solomon Islands Centre, 1983. * ''Praying parents: a second collection of poems''. Honiara, Solomon Islands: Aruligo Book Centre, 1986. ;as Jully Makini * (ed.) ''Na buka vivinei malivi pa zinama roviana'' (Roviana custom stories book). Solomon Islands : Western Province Government, 1991. * ''Flotsam & jetsam: a third collection of poems''. Suva, Fiji: IPS Publications, University of the South Pacific, 2007. * ''Cartes postales des îles Salomon''. Rochefort: Les Petites allées, 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makini, Jully Solomon Islands women writers 21st-century Solomon Islands people 20th-century Solomon Islands people Solomon Islands poets Solomon Islands women's rights activists Living people People from the Western Province (Solomon Islands) 1950s births Women poets 20th-century poets 20th-century women writers 21st-century poets 21st-century women writers University of the South Pacific alumni