Picture: PRIANKA SRINIVASAN. Retrieved from fijitimes.com
The seventh Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival (MACFEST), which was postponed due to the pandemic, has returned to the Pacific region and spirits are high.
Melanesia is a subregion of the Pacific to the north and north-east of Australia that stretches from the island of New Guinea to the west as far as the Fijian islands to the east.
The event unites singers, dancers, scholars and art exhibitors in a shared vision — to foster and preserve Melanesian identity into the future.
‘You cannot find our dancing anywhere else’ A traditional welcome by the Malvatoumauri and Vanuatu chiefs set the scene last week at the official opening with Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau and Melanesian officials in attendance.
MACFEST began in 1998 and is co-run by the host country and the Melanesian Spearhead Group in a bid to platform participating nations and territories.
They include, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Kanaky/New Caledonia, as well as delegates from the Torres Strait and West Papua.
This year the festival’s theme is “Rebuilding my Melanesia for our common destiny”, highlighting the importance of Pacific regionalism and cooperation.
Chief Moel Joen from Malekula, Vanuatu’s second-largest island north of Port Vila, said Melanesian culture was unlike any other.