Charles wows the crowds with a greeting in Pijin on islands tour
IT IS a language, which at the last count, was spoken by just 24,000 people as their native tongue.
And the Prince of Wales delighted crowds yesterday as he dabbled in Pijin during the final day of his tour of the Solomon Islands.
While at the Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, Charles told the audience: “Me hapi tumas for visiting ples blong yufala”, or that he was happy to be visiting their country.
Smatters of applause turned into cheers as hundreds of people, including schoolchildren, caught on that the Prince was not addressing them in English.
Charles, on his first trip to the Islands, made reference to other members of the Royal Family being made welcome during previous visits, including The Queen and the Duke Edinburgh along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
He also spoke about
A translation of Prince Charles’ message in Pijin on his visit to the Soloman Islands. environmental issues in his speech, highlighting the threat from climate change, pollution, unsustainable logging and overfishing.
Charles underlined the importance of preserving natural environments for future generations.
His last day in the Solomon Islands also saw him skip lunch in favour of meeting guests at a reception in a Honiara hotel and visiting the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, an organisation which works to control tuna fishing and keep it sustainable.
The Prince’s motorcade was given a guard of honour by schoolchildren as it rolled into Honiara airport.
There, he inspected a police guard on the tarmac, and the force band went on to play God Save the Queen and God Save Our Solomon Islands.
Charles then boarded a Bombardier plane for his return to the UK.
The Pijin language is an English-based creole which is spoken in the Solomon Islands.
Figures from 1999 revealed that there were about 307,000 speakers of Pijin, including 24,400 who speak it as a native language.