USP festival fosters appreciation of arts, culture and heritage

Handicraft vendors during the Ocean Heritage & Arts Festival at Laucala campus in Suva yesterday. Picture: RUCI VAKAMINO/WANSOLWARA 

By  LAISEANA NASIGA

In honour of the late Professor Epeli Hau’ofa, the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies celebrated the works of art, culture and heritage through the opening of the “We Are The Ocean Heritage & Arts Festival” at the University of the South Pacific in Suva yesterday.

USP’s Pro-Chancellor Winston Thompson says heritage festivals brings people together all over the world and provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the safeguarding of culture.

“This festival provides such an opportunity to rethink the journey taken so far and to really look closely at the heritage and creativity that is unique to the Pacific Islands,” he said.

“This festival is part of the University’s 50^th Anniversary celebratory activities and draws on the anniversary theme ‘Celebrating the Pacific, Shaping its Future’. It also draws inspiration from the once popular USP Pacific Week celebrations which the University student associations used to facilitate.”

Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies director Dr Frances Koya-Vaka’uta, also shared the importance of the arts festival in showcasing Pacific Island creative arts and talent.

“We knew that we were expected to deliver through arts and we wanted to showcase the passion and talent that exists in our diverse region. Sadly, the arts are not well understood or appreciated in the islands and artists who would like to earn a sustainable livelihood from their creative works struggle to make ends meet,” she said.

“The irony of this is that there is an abundance of natural creativity and talents in our islands which present untapped opportunities for our young people. Globally, the creative industries are said to be fast growing economies but in the Pacific, we do not have systems in place that support this growth.

“This coupled with the lack of political will, limited investment and resources and untrained sector practitioners makes for very weak cultural economies and creative industries. But, things are changing.”

To contribute to the development and strengthening of culture, arts and heritage in the Pacific, Dr Koya-Vaka’uta says the Oceania Centre’s current Pacific Studies programme would offer new degree programmes come 2019.

“I am so happy to announce that as of 2019, the center’s Pacific Studies Programme will offer for the first time a BA major in Pacific Studies, heritage and the arts enabling higher education pathways in heritage studies, visual arts, dance and music, and expressive arts as a teaching subject in teacher education,” she said.

“We will also offer professional certificate in heritage management for culture and environmental sector practitioners. These new programmes complement existing postgraduate and graduate research programmes on offer.”

Dr Koya-Vaka’uta also made special tribute in her speech to the late Professor Hau’ofa.

“The festival pays tribute to our Oceania ancestors whose stories sustain our identity and connectedness to the land, sky and sea. It also pays tribute to our scholarly ancestors including our founding director, the late Professor Epeli Hau’ofa, whose spirit remains in these walls and in the arts that we create.”

The week-long festival will include food and arts stalls, art workshops and demonstrations; artists talks and evening performance.

* Laiseana Nasiga is a final-year journalism student at The University of the South Pacific in Suva.