Festival of Pacific Arts 2012

Above: Photo's from 2008 Festval of the Pacific Arts held in American Samoa. Photos by Qiane Corfield-Matata

About the festival

In July 2012 a Creative New Zealand led delegation of Māori and Pacific artists will attend the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

The Festival of Pacific Arts (FOPA) is held every four years and is the premier arts and culture event for the Pacific region bringing together more than 2000 artists and other cultural practitioners.    This is a government-to-government initiative with Te Waka Toi, the Māori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand responsible for New Zealand’s representation.

As the indigenous people of Aotearoa, Māori have extended the invitation to attend from the Festival of Pacific Arts Committee to New Zealand-based Pacific artists.

Applications to be a delegate have now closed.

Theme of the 2012 Festival of Pacific Arts

The Festival of Pacific Arts, since it began in 1972, has a theme agreed by the hosting country. This year the theme is "Culture in Harmony with Nature".

The theme is the starting point to inform and guide the artists and others is their approach to the festival.

Dennis Marita, Artistic Director of the Festival of Pacific Arts 2012 describes the significance of the theme. “We call on our Pacific neighbours and the world beyond our shores, to join hands in the fight to preserve our environment from the destructive nature of globalisation, and to maintain our cultural values and heritage as our strength to reconnect ourselves more harmoniously with our natural environment.”

Promotional video for the 2012 Festival

Background

The Festival of Pacific Arts was created in 1972 to prevent the erosion of traditional and customary practices and this remains its primary objective. 

The festival is produced to bring 27 Pacific Island countries and territories together to exchange ideas, knowledge, skills and techniques. It is a celebration of our sameness and difference as peoples of the Pacific, the aho (strand) that weaves everyone together is the art, culture, language and artists from each country.

The Pacific Island countries and territories that participate are the Solomon Islands, American Samoa, Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia & Torres Strait Islands, Belau (Palau), Cook Islands, Easter Island, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Kanaky ( New Caledonia) , Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

Jon Tamihere, Project Manager – Festival of Pacific Arts 2012 (Aotearoa delegation)

Jon Tamihere is the Project Manager for the Festival of Pacific Arts 2012 Aotearoa delegation to the Solomon Islands. In a nutshell, this involves getting the delegation of more than 100 people there, ensuring participation goes well, and getting everyone home again. Not a small task!

Jon brings to the role more than 18 years of experience in event and tour management, creative consultancy, production, team building, advertising and arts promotion, and communications.
Proving he is the right man for the job, Jon says, “event project management requires the attention-to-detail of a brain surgeon, the planning of a military strategist, the flexibility of a gymnast, the patience of a saint, the innovation of a scientific genius, the empathy of a poet, and the coordination of a juggler ... I love it”.

If you have any queries about the festival or New Zealand delegation please contact:

Jon Tamihere, Project Manager, Festival of Pacific Arts 2012
jon.tamihere@creativenz.govt.nz