Nora Vagi Brash

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Nora Vagi Brash (14 December 1944 – 23 April 2024) was a Papua New Guinean playwright and author. She was born in Dagoda, in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, the daughter of Egi Vagi, a London Missionary Society evangelist.

She studied at Port Moresby Teachers’ College, graduating in 1965, and later attended the University of Papua New Guinea. Brash began writing when she was about seven years old, inspired by her father and grandmother. She worked as a primary school teacher and became active in the theatre, writing scripts for puppet shows and eventually serving as artistic director of the National Theatre Company until 1978.

Brash wrote plays for stage and radio in English, Tok Pisin, and Hiri Motu. Her work often satirized the conflicts between urban and rural life during Papua New Guinea’s modernization. Notable works include Which Way, Big Man? (first performed in 1976) and Taurama (1985), a historical drama set in the 16th century that blends dance and traditional ritual. She also wrote poems, including Song of the Winds, and published a collection of poems in 2011.

In 1966 she married Elton Thomas Brash, an Australian who was vice-chancellor of the University of Papua New Guinea; he died in 1998. They had two children and adopted five more.

Nora Brash died at Port Moresby General Hospital on 23 April 2024, aged 79. She received the Independence Medal in 1985 for her work as a playwright, was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007 for services to the arts and education, and was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 2018 for her contributions to local culture and heritage.