Festival to preserve Pacific culture
By NAOMI FAIK SIMET
EACH year the United Nations selects themes to address pressing global issues as a means to draw attention for local and international actions.
The United Nations through UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) have declared 2008 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
Indigenous languages contribute to Papua New Guinea’s diverse intangible cultural heritage. Currently there are over 850 languages found in PNG belonging to different cultural groups.
Language is the essence for cultural identity and expression. It is a vehicle for transmitting traditional knowledge. When a particular language is lost there is no way of retrieving it unless the language is learnt and passed on through generations.
Language is an element of its own but is also a property of a cultural performance and other related ceremonial activities.
Many traditional songs and dances performed in PNG consist of lyrics which are sung in local vernacular. These performances add to the preservation and promotion of many of our existing languages. Performances expose the diverse languages by different cultural groups. We need to preserve our languages to maintain our identity.
Papua New Guinea will participate in the 2008 International Year of Indigenous Languages through the staging of various activities emphasising the importance of indigenous languages through schools and education institutions as well as awareness related programs through mass media for all sectors of the community.
A working committee has been established comprising representatives from the PNG National Commission for UNESCO, Department of Education, University of PNG, National Literacy Awareness Secretariat, Bible Translation Association, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Institute of PNG Studies and the National Broadcasting Commission.
The committee has so far identified several activities to commemorate the International Year of Indigenous Languages this year.
These activities are National Book Week (August 4 - 8), National Literacy Week (September 8 - 12), National Education Week (October 6 - 10), Senior Education Officers Conference in May, the Waigani Seminar and the UPNG Open Day in August.
During the staging of these activities, there will be awareness on the importance of indigenous languages through presentation of research papers and display of language information from various institutions.
School students and the general public will be encouraged to participate in the following activities; school debates, school quizzes, cultural day, vernacular poem recitals, local language short story publications, poster competition, slogan competition and radio play/ theatre drama.
The working committee meets once a week and is making progress in their plans to celebrate, appreciate and maintain our indigenous languages.
The activities of the International Year of Indigenous Languages will be formally launched on Thursday April 10 at the State Function Room at Parliament House.
The launching for this occasion is made possible through the support of the Minister for Community Development, Dame Carol Kidu.
The Ministry of Community Development has so far pledged their support towards this year’s activities.
AMERICAN Samoa has had a long history of influence from the outside world, during which its cultures have undergone tremendous change.
Like many of its Pacific neighbors, the Festival of Pacific Arts is important to them as it will provide them an opportunity to see other cultures of the Pacific, and reflect on the similarities as a way for them to regenerate their own cultures.
For this reason they have chosen the phrase, SU’IGAULA A LE ATU VASA, as the theme of the festival.
This phrase literally means, ‘threading the garland of the islands of the ocean’.
In this context it is translated as ‘Weaving the Oceanic Ula’(lei in Hawaiian) or ‘Weaving the Ula of Oceania’.
Governor Togiola T Tulafono, highlighted the importance of Pacific cultural interconnectedness when he opened the 21st Meeting of the Council of Pacific Arts. “Around the Pacific, each of us has some sort of important ula of our own indigenous flowers and leaves woven and worn to signify something important in our respective cultures. The Festival of Pacific Arts symbolizes coming together to weave the ula of the Pacific (our traditional cultures) from our important flowers (the arts, crafts, customs, languages and practices). As we intertwine and sew together the Pacific ula, by the demonstration of dances, crafts sand arts, we wear it by the experience of observation and appreciation of our old cultural ways. Old ways which constitute our history and our heritage which must be appreciated,” he said.
The Governor further stated “Our history is about our old ways which are at the root of our being. This is the heritage that we inherited and it is our duty to preserve, nurture, develop and pass them on to the next generation of our respective countries”.
Taking into account the inevitability of social and cultural change, Governor Tulafono said; “ Development of culture necessarily takes into consideration the fact that we live in a changing world and the culture must necessarily evolve. But I should caution here, that as we speak of developing culture, we must first recognize that without language it is not possible to develop a culture. For without the language, what we will be developing is a different culture. It will be the culture of the language that we speak. I have said before that language is the oil that keeps the wheels of culture turning”.
“As I have warned the “Fale’ula o Fatua’iupu” (Samoan Language Commission) on June 20, 2005 during their conference here in American Samoa, that we must be aware of the influences which are taking over our Samoan language. We can accept change and evolution because it is necessary to do so in order to keep pace with changes in our environment. But we must be committed also to keeping the “old ways”, rooted in our history, in order to keep our customs and cultures alive and relevant. In any living culture change is inevitable. It is our duty to make the change consistent and relevant to or way of life and our indigenous cultures”.
In his reference to ensuring that the young take delivery of their cultures and carry them into the future, the Governor said’ “It is necessary to educate our children in the history of our cultures in order for them to appreciate the transition and transformation. The worst thing we can leave behind is a generation of historically illiterate children. It is our duty to keep this from happening to the Pacific children. If it happens, we will have failed in our duty as parents, leaders and people. It means, another culture will take over our people. Don’t let it happen. This Council can be the vehicle to drive this development in the Pacific”.
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