Festival of Pacific Arts

Festival of Pacific Islands Arts and Culture
GenrePacific Islands music and dance
DatesQuadrennially
Location(s)Oceania; host location varies
Years activeSince 1972; see table below
WebsiteFestival history,
Current festival (redirect page)

The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC), also known as the Pacific Arts Festival, is a travelling festival hosted every four years in Oceania. It was conceived by the Pacific Community[1] as a means to stem erosion of traditional cultural practices by sharing and exchanging culture at each festival. The major theme of the festival is traditional song and dance.

Organisation

The Pacific Cultural Council (former "Pacific Arts Council" or "Council of Pacific Arts," originally "South Pacific Arts Festival Council")[2] selects the host country and recognises that each participating country desires the opportunity to showcase its unique indigenous culture by hosting the festival. Host selection is based on principles of equity and preference is given to countries which have not yet hosted. The festival host country pays participants' costs of local travel, accommodation, meals, and other forms of hospitality. Entry to all artistic events is free to the public thereby maximising cultural outreach and inclusion.

By its vastness, the Pacific Ocean inhibits social and cultural interchange between the inhabitants of its mostly island countries. The festival, not a competition but a cultural exchange, reunites people and reinforces regional identity and mutual appreciation of Pacific-wide culture. Participating countries select artist-delegates to represent the nation at this crossroads of cultures, considered a great honour.

2008 FestPAC in American Samoa

The 10th Festival of Pacific Arts was hosted by American Samoa from 20 July to 2 August 2008.[3][4] About 2,000 artists attended[5] the 2008 Festival of Pacific Arts from these participating countries:[4] American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.[3] Taiwan was allowed to send a delegation of 80 performers and artists, most of whom were Taiwanese aborigines, to the Festival of Pacific Arts for the first time in 2008.[6]

2012 FestPAC in Solomon Islands

Doreen Kuper was the Chair of the Festival of Pacific Arts that was held in Honiara in 2012.[7][8][9][10] The festival attracted an audience of 200,000 people, with 3,000 performers from twenty-four countries taking part.[11] During her time as Chair, Kuper led calls for the repatriation of art and artefacts to the Solomon Islands from non-Pacific countries.[12]

2024 FestPAC in Hawaii

The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture convened in Hawaii in June 2024. "Ho‘oulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania" served as the theme of FestPAC Hawaiʻi 2024, honouring the traditions that FestPAC exists to perpetuate with an eye toward the future.

In 2018, the Hawaii State Legislature appointed a temporary commission to oversee the planning and implementation of FestPAC Hawaii. Its nine members, appointed by the Governor, state lawmakers and officials, represented the culture, spirit and heart of Hawaiʻi. Many have experienced the power of FestPAC first hand over the years.

Locations

Iteration Year Dates Location Theme and notes
1st 1972[13] 6–20 May Suva, Fiji Fiji "Preserving culture"
2nd 1976[14] 6–13 March Rotorua, New Zealand New Zealand "Sharing culture"
3rd 1980[15] 30 June–12 July Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea "Pacific awareness"
4th 1985[16] 29 June–15 July Tahiti, French Polynesia French Polynesia "My Pacific"
5th 1988[17] 14–24 August Townsville, Australia Australia "Cultural interchange" In this year, Aboriginal Australian playwright and screenwriter Bob Merritt was chair.[18]
6th 1992[19] 16–27 October Rarotonga, Cook Islands Cook Islands "Seafaring heritage"[20]
7th 1996[21] 8–23 September Apia, Western Samoa Samoa "Tala Measina"
8th 2000[22] 23 October–3 November Nouméa, New Caledonia New Caledonia "Words of past, present, future"[23]
9th 2004[24] 22–31 July Koror, Palau Palau "Oltobed a Malt – Nurture, Regenerate, Celebrate"[25]
10th 2008[26] 20 July–2 August Pago Pago, American Samoa American Samoa "Suʻigaʻula a le Atuvasa: Threading the Oceania ʻUla"
11th 2012 1–14 July Honiara, Solomon Islands Solomon Islands "Culture in Harmony with Nature"[27]
12th 2016 22 May–4 June Hagåtña, Guam Guam "What We Own, What We Have, What We Share, United Voices of the PACIFIC" ~ "Håfa Iyo-ta, Håfa Guinahå-ta, Håfa Ta Påtte, Dinanña’ Sunidu Siha Giya PASIFIKU"
— 2020[28] 10–21 June Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaii Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
13th 2024 6–16 June "Hoʻoulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania"

See also

References

  1. ^ Unattributed (8 August 2008). "Secretariat of the Pacific Community". Pacific Community Website (in English and French). Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  2. ^ Unattributed (26 July 2008). "Festival of Pacific Arts changes name". Islands Business. Islands Business International. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2008. This mis-titled article describes adoption of name change, not by the Festival of Pacific Arts, but by its overseeing body, from "Council of Pacific Arts" to "Pacific Cultural Council."
  3. ^ a b Unattributed (1 May 2007). "2008 Festival of the Pacific Arts". Office of Insular Affairs, United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  4. ^ a b Unattributed. "10th Festival of Pacific Arts -- American Samoa -- July 20 - August 2, 2008". 10th Festival of Pacific Arts. American Samoa Office for the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts. Archived from the original on 8 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008. The official web site of the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts.
  5. ^ Secretariat of the Pacific Community (21 July 2008). "Pacific Arts Festival Hours Away From Opening". Pacific Magazine. Trans-Oceanic Media. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  6. ^ "Taiwan gets go ahead to attend Pacific Arts Festival in American Samoa". Radio New Zealand International. 15 June 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  7. ^ "Cultures-Solomon | Doreen Kuper (Ysabel)". 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Solomons Artists Asked To Price Goods Fairly During Festival | Pacific Islands Report". 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Preparations for the Pacific Festival of Arts Well in Progress | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  10. ^ Teaiwa, Katerina (3 July 2014). "Reflections on the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts Honiara, Solomon Islands, 1–14 July 2012". The Journal of Pacific History. 49 (3): 347–353. doi:10.1080/00223344.2014.953665. ISSN 0022-3344. S2CID 162350755.
  11. ^ "A Gathering Like No Other - Solomon Times Online". 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Return of cultural artefacts hailed as way to grow economy | RNZ News". Radio New Zealand. 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  13. ^ "1st Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  14. ^ "2nd Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  15. ^ "3rd Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  16. ^ "4th Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008. Mentions the festival location and date had to be changed due to 1984 political instability in New Caledonia which was originally planned to host.
  17. ^ "5th Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  18. ^ "Merritt, Robert (1945–2011)". Indigenous Australia. 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  19. ^ "6th Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  20. ^ Lyon, Wenonah (1995). "Social Context and the Limits on Symbolic Meanings". Centre for Social Anthropology and Computing. University of Kent. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2008. A scholarly paper about the symbolism of voyaging canoes.
  21. ^ "7th Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  22. ^ "8th Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  23. ^ "8th Festival of Pacific Arts". Pacific Arts Online (in English, French, and Tok Pisin). Artok. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  24. ^ "9th Festival of Pacific Arts". Festivals of Pacific Arts. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  25. ^ Moulin, Jane Freeman (Fall 2005). "Oltobed a Malt (Nurture, regenerate, celebrate)". The Contemporary Pacific. 17 (2). University of Hawaiʻi Press: 512–6. doi:10.1353/cp.2005.0065. Retrieved 9 August 2008. Although access to the full article is restricted through Project MUSE, the free synopsis is useful.
  26. ^ Karen Stevenson (2012). "The Festival of Pacific Arts Celebrating 40 Years" (PDF). Secretariat of the Pacific Community. p. 12. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  27. ^ "11th Festival of Pacific Arts". Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  28. ^ "Hawaii Wins Bid to Host 2020 Festival". Festival. Island Sun Newspaper. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2012.