Unity in Diversity
A Call to Action by our Pacific Leaders
Words stumbled, faltering in their attempt to convey the depth of emotion that settled over the Victoria Lounge of Fiji’s Grand Pacific Hotel on the morning of 28 February 2024. In the eyes that had held smiles amid the formalities of the inaugural planning meeting for the Pacific Traditional Leaders Forum, tears now glistened in their place; and the moment of farewell hung heavy in the air. But it was the excitement of rediscovering connections and the warmth of new friendship founded on bonds of the past that held strong hopes for the future.
As Fiji’s Turaga na Vunivalu, na Tui Kaba, Ratu Epenisa Cakobau, Māori Kīngi Tūheitia Potatau TeWherowhero VII, Māori Princess Te Puhi Ariki Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō, Samoa’s Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Tupuola Tufuga Efi, and representatives of Hawai’i’s Prince David Kaumūali’i Kawānanakoa bid each other farewell that morning, they did so in anticipation of meeting again in June for the Pacific Traditional Leaders Forum 2024.
It has been forty years since a meeting of Pacific traditional leaders took place, the last being in 1984 when leaders from Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and New Zealand had gathered to discuss shared issues and concerns unique to the region. The meeting held between Majesty Taufa’ahau Tupou IV King of Tonga; His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, of Samoa; Ratu Sir Kamisese Kapaiwai Tuimaculai Mara, Tui Nayau of Fiji; and Sir James Clendon Henare of Aotearoa, New Zealand, Knight of the Realm, resulted in the Polynesia Heritage Trust Act of 1984.
Leaders talanoa
In the decades that have passed since that meeting, the Pacific region has faced a range of challenges, including climate change, environmental degradation, economic development, and globalisation. These challenges have placed increasing pressure on traditional leadership systems, as communities seek to adapt to a rapidly changing world while preserving their cultural identity and values.
The Pacific Traditional Leaders Talanoa 2024 – initiated to chart a course for the gathering of traditional leaders from various Pacific Island countries to celebrate the region's rich cultural heritage and traditional leadership – presents an opportunity to bring the inherent intergenerational perspectives and wisdom of traditional leaders into some of the compelling issues confronting people of the Pacific region today. The event included inaugural planning between Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji, Hawai’i, and Samoa that took place from 26 – 28 February in Suva, Fiji, and culminates in the Pacific Traditional Leaders Forum (PTLF) that will be held during the 13th FestPAC.
From 26 – 28 February 2024, the leaders engaged through talanoa in formal and informal spaces, participated in traditional ceremonies, observed protocol, and called in on dignitaries and other traditional leaders of the land. They discussed the role of traditional leadership and its legacy, and shared conversations on issues of relevance to their specific contexts, while aspiring to find commonalities on their issues. They spoke to matters relating to decolonisation, climate change and cultural identity, and heard from HRH Princess Te Puhi Ariki Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō who stressed the importance of youth and young emerging traditional leaders who will take on the role of traditional leaders. The leaders also had a special opportunity to rekindle strong traditional links; laying the groundwork for the broader engagement of traditional leaders at the Pacific Traditional Leaders Forum 2024 that will be a highlight at the 13th FestPAC.
The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture
The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, or FestPAC, will take place in Honolulu, Hawai’i from 6 – 16 June 2024. A dynamic showcase of Pacific arts and culture, the origins of the festival trace back to the 1970s when the need to preserve and promote Pacific cultural identities was realised. The festival was first held in Fiji in May 1972, and is today considered the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific islanders. Over the years, the festival has evolved to also serve as a platform for contemporary Pacific Island artists to express their creativity and address contemporary issues. A key objective of the festival is to promote cultural exchange and understanding among the participating countries, providing opportunities for artists and cultural practitioners to share stories, learn from each other, and forge lasting connections. Supported by the Pacific Community (SPC), FestPAC serves as a reminder of the common heritage that binds Pacific Island countries and highlights the importance of safeguarding and celebrating their heritage.
“FestPAC is an important event in the Pacific Culture Calendar bringing together national culture agencies, cultural communities, heritage artisans and contemporary artists and development partners. It is a vibrant hive of activities unlike any other festival or art event of this magnitude. Although there is a lot of interest in the festival from international agencies, at its heart, FestPAC is a Pacific-led and -driven event, for and by the Pacific,” said Dr Frances Vaka’uta, Team Leader of Culture for Development under SPC’s Human Rights and Social Development (HRSD) Division.
While FestPAC is held every four years, it has been eight years since the last festival hosted by Guam in 2016; the hiatus being the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognising that Pacific Island countries needed time to recover from the economic and social impacts of the pandemic, new dates were set for 2024 which also maintains the four-year cycle between each festival.
It is expected that over 2500 Pacific delegates will convene in Hawai’i for the 13th FestPAC.
Ho’ulu Lahui: Regenerating Oceania
As the Pasifika family prepares for a long-awaited reunion in June, in seeking to honour the traditions that FestPAC upholds, Hawai’i has themed the 13th FestPAC ‘Ho’ulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania’. Meaning “to grow the nation”, ‘Ho’ulu Lāhui’ is also a tribute to the last king of Hawai’i, King David Laʻamea Kalākaua, who ruled as sovereign of the nation of Hawaiʻi between 1874 and 1891.
“As we hope to continue our trend in our ascension out of the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘hoʻoulu lāhui’ challenges us to continually aspire to the grace and splendour of our ancestors. ‘Regenerating Oceania’ asks us to reflect on the capacity and indeed the ability for the people of our sea of islands to thrive and to flourish in the 21st century and beyond,” said Dr Aaron Salā, 13th FestPAC director.
Maintaining the values that guided the South Pacific Arts Festival Council at the inception of FestPAC in 1972, Dr Aaron said the Hawai’i Commission had adopted the values in their consideration of content for the 13th FestPAC. “Those values continue to hold true today,” he said.
One Pasifika
The gathering of Pacific traditional leaders in February 2024 speaks to the FestPAC value of fostering a greater sense of unity throughout our Blue Pacific, in the hope that by coming together to talk about shared challenges – unique to our region and her peoples – we will move forward in unity as one Pasifika. Speaking to the importance of the traditional leaders talanoa, the Turaga na Vunivalu Ratu Epenisa Cakobau said, “The significance of this talanoa for traditional leaders and its importance has yet to be realised.” Over the course of just three days, traditional bonds were rekindled, and new friendships forged beyond the formalities with which traditional leaders initially greeted each other.
As we count down to June 2024 for the 13th FestPAC, our traditional leaders have set the pace, reaffirming the Pacific way by strengthening regional unity, solidarity, and co-operation; evoking a timely reminder that we are one people, connected by the ocean, cultures, and the mana of Pasifika. This is our call to action.
