Kautoke & Taukave (2026). Paper: Pacific Dialogue (Talanoa) At The International Maritime Organization, Journal Of Cultural Economy

The latest paper from MCST’s legal researcher John Kautoke and artist John Taukave.

This is an edited and abridged transcript of the presentation by John Fatuimoana Kautoke and John Taukäve at a workshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the participants responded to Stuart Kirsch’s (this issue) position paper on compliance capitalism and global supply chains. Kautoke represents the Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) and sits with the delegation of the Kingdom of Tonga at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Taukäve also represents the MCST at the IMO. Kautoke and Taukäve showed us how they introduced the Pacific speech genre of talanoa, which facilitates dialogue and encourages open exchange (see Kirsch 2020, 2021), to discussions at the IMO about regulating the impact of the shipping industry on the climate. They began by inviting everyone at the workshop in Ann Arbor to participate in a kava ceremony, which involves sharing a beverage made from the powdered root of the plant Piper methysticum.