Mr Bole - Launch of the Fiji Delegation to the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts
Jul 11, 2008, 08:27
10TH FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS
ADDRESS BY MR FILIPE N. BOLE, CBE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION,
NATIONAL HERITAGE, CULTURE AND ARTS, YOUTH AND SPORTS
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE FIJI DELEGATION, TO THE
10TH FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS, TO BE HELD IN PAGOPAGO
[20 JULY-2 AUGUST, 2008], SUVA CIVIC AUDITORIUM,
7.00 PM THURSDAY, 10 JULY, 2008
∑ The Chairman and Members of the Fiji Arts Council,
∑ The Chairman and Members of the Organizing Committee for the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts,
∑ Sponsors,
∑ Performers/Participants,
∑ Invited Guests,
∑ Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 10th Festival of Pacific Arts, as most of you are aware, will be held this year in American Samoa from July 20th to August 2nd. This festival, which occurs every four years, brings together all 27 Pacific nations through a philosophy:
“We, the indigenous peoples of the Pacific, assert our cultural identity, rights and dignity. We do so, mindful of our spiritual and environmental origins, through our dynamic art forms and artistic history and traditions.”
At the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts in American Samoa, Fiji will endeavour to deliver to this philosophy with a diverse and exceptionally skilled delegation. Over the past six months the Ministry of Education, National Heritage, Culture and the Arts have worked closely with the National Organizing Committee and the Fiji Arts Council to make a nationwide search for the 90 exceptional individuals who now form the Fiji Delegation.
It has been a difficult task and one that was done with much deliberation, consultation and planning. The time given to this process by the National Organizing Committee, the panels of judges, volunteers and supporters will be remembered and appreciated for years to come.
This morning many of us witnessed the richness of our culture and the standard of our presentation in Samoa, through the Rotuman “Tautoga”, vakamalolo, seasea, wesi, meke iri and meke i wau. The grace with which the dances were performed and the vibrancy of the actions was indeed overwhelming.
And after a perusal of the programme that was sent from Samoa, I noted the inclusion of aerobics. Given the level of energy needed for our dances, I thought this was a good idea, as it would better prepare our performers for the festival. We will have to showcase the best of our people and our country. And indeed we need happy performers who will remain strong on their feet for the duration of the show.
I have been assured ladies and gentlemen, that there is more in the bag and that tonight’s show should bowl us over. I’m sure that we will not leave here disappointed.
However, on a more serious note, let us imagine what Fiji would be like if we do not continue with the traditions and the practices that we all inherited from our ancestors. In short, what would Fiji be like without our culture.
It is our culture that makes us unique, it is our culture that makes us different from any other persons in this world, and it is our culture that gives us our identity, of which we are all be proud! The face of Fiji in this globalised world is actually engraved in the arts and the traditions that were passed down to us.
The cultural ideals of our people are deeply embedded in the cultural practices that we have inherited. And indeed the character, the beauty and the very essence of who we are as a people can only be found in the arts and the culture of our race.
The beauty of who we are has been meticulously and very carefully preserved by those who lived before our time. We have been given the privilege of being proud of our race through their efforts.
The onus is now on us, this present generation, to become custodians of this rich inheritance. The Arts Festival in Samoa has provided us with the opportunity, to show the rest of the world, the beauty of our culture.
And with all the preparations that have taken place in the past year or so, I look forward to being a proud Fijian amongst the other cultures who will be there.
I am confident that the delegation will not disappoint us and that we will return, more enriched and more enthused about who we are and what we are made of as a people of a proud nation.
To conclude, I must also take this time to extend a big thank you to our corporate partners and friends whose contribution has been essential to our selection and preparations for the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts. To Air Pacific, Telecom Fiji and British American Tobacco, thank you. Your contribution and commitment to the Arts reflect your priorities in serving our community and building Fiji through a strong cultural heritage.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Festival of Pacific Arts is a time when our Pacific people come together in a united effort to preserve and protect our diverse and deep cultural heritage. It is also a time when we come together as families to celebrate the talent of our youth, the traditional knowledge of our elders and the unique heritage we all share.
Finally, without further ado, it is indeed my pleasure and honour as the Head of State to the Festival, to now present to the nation, the Fiji Delegation to the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts.
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