Solomon Officials witness unveiling of 50-year old FestPAC History
Solomon Islands Officials have attended the unveiling of the PILINA Exhibition over the weekend as part of the Pacific crusade to safeguard pacific cultures from erosion.
Director of Culture Dennis Marita and senior Cultural practitioner Henry Isa represented Solomon Islands at the event alongside other Pacific Islanders hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).
Speaking at the occasion, Dr Frances Vaka’uta of SPC said Cultural safeguarding is crucial and FestPAC serves
Visitors to the PILINA Exhibition
as a platform not only to celebrate and share Pacific cultures and traditional knowledge but also to ensure that our diverse cultural practices continue to thrive for future generations.
The Pacific Community (SPC) unveiled the PILINA Exhibition at the Hawaii State Art Museum, marking a significant milestone in the 50-year history of the Festival Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC).
PILINA, a retrospective multimedia exhibition, takes its name from the phrase Ko Kākou Pilina, symbolizing the collective relationships and communal values of Pacific cultures.
It revolves around the broad theme of cultural wealth, articulated through various Pacific languages: Kateira bon kaubwaira (Kiribati), Men ko bwinnid (Marshall Islands), Kastom, kalja mo tradisen (Vanuatu), Masuru (Vella, Solomon Islands), Koloa (Tonga), Measina (Samoa), and Taonga (Aotearoa/New Zealand).
Dr Vaka’uta, Co-Curator of the exhibition and Team Leader for Culture for Development at SPC, shared insights into the exhibition’s core message: “PILINA reinforces the idea of our relationships as the source of our heritage, and by extension, our legacy and wealth. The phrase He Waiwai Nui Ko Kākou Pilina encapsulates this: our relationships are our greatest wealth.”
The 50th anniversary exhibition runs from 7 June to 31 December 2024.
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– Government Communication Unit