Tourism and Culture Minister leads the delegation, bringing traditional gifts – shell money and a tomoko war canoe to host government
The Solomon Islands faced significant challenges in their journey to participate in the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC) in Hawai’i. The Solomon Islands is sending an 85-member delegation to the festival, with the majority of the group departing last Saturday for Fiji. There, they underwent the rigorous process of applying for visas to enter Hawai’i, a state of the United States of America.
The government is investing $3 million for the Solomon Islands to participate in FestPAC, with $2 million allocated for travel expenses alone. Leading the delegation was Tourism and Culture Minister Choylin Douglas. Representing the Solomon Islands government, Mrs. Douglas brought traditional gifts for the hosts, including shell money known as ‘tafuliae’ and a tomoko war canoe. Accompanying her were her husband, Reginald Douglas, a protocol staff member from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade and Culture Director Dennis Marita. The rest of the delegation is expected to arrive from tomorrow onwards.
Most of the other Melanesian delegates, including those from Fiji and Papua New Guinea, have already arrived in Hawai’i. However, New Caledonia is not sending a delegation due to internal issues affecting their country and Vanuatu has also withdrawn its participation from FestPAC just a few weeks before the festival’s start.
The world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific culture commenced with a vibrant display of color, song and dance, welcoming over 2,500 delegates from 25 nations to Hawai’i.
In the weeks leading up to the event, participants traveled across the moana (ocean) to reach Hawai’i for the festival.
The festivities began with the Waʻa Arrival Ceremony, where thirty traditional canoes brought representatives from various Pacific nations to Kualoa Bay on Oʻahu, symbolizing unity. Volunteers, many from community waʻa clubs, assisted in carrying the canoes as they arrived at Kualoa Beach.
The international delegates were warmly welcomed by Hawai’i, the host of FestPAC 2024, through ceremonial chants and demonstrations of cultural wa’a practices. The canoe arrival ceremony not only marked the start of the festival but also embodied the spirit of unity among the Pacific nations.
FestPAC, held every four years in a different Pacific Island nation, was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic but has now resumed with Hawai’i hosting for the first time. The festival aims to strengthen cultural ties among Pacific Island nations, bringing together artists, leaders, scholars and performers to celebrate the richness of Pacific arts and culture.
