Seeing the
festival become
a major event that
nurtures and grows
Pasifika culture is a
real highlight
Using
song, music and performance
to strengthen the identity of Pacific
youth is the aim behind the annual
Pasifika by Nature Secondary Schools
Festival – an aim that is obviously
finding its mark, as the festival grows,
year-upon-year.
Pasifika by Nature secretary Mareta Ford
says, “We believe the festival is unique,
in that it fosters pride and understanding
of our broader Pacific identity, not just
the cultures that the individual students
come from.”
Each of the participating schools gets 20
minutes on stage in which to perform items
from three different cultures. “We’re seeing
Cook Island students learning about and
performing songs and dances from Samoa,
Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati, Tokelau, Hawaii and
Niue, and vice versa,” says Mareta.
This year, 10 schools from Hamilton,
Tokoroa, and Rotorua took part and the
venue, Founders Theatre in Hamilton, was
at capacity.
“We even sold some of the seats reserved
for the performers,” says Mareta. “Now we
have schools from Tauranga wanting to
join in, so we’ll probably have to look for
somewhere bigger.”
Not bad for an event that started 15 years
ago as the initiative of two students who
wanted a platform for Pasifika youth to
perform. From three schools in a school
hall, the event has grown exponentially to
an annual festival with over 400 performers
and 850 tickets sold.
For Mareta, who has been involved since
the outset, witnessing that evolution has
been the best part. “Seeing the festival
become a major event that nurtures and
grows Pasifika culture is a real highlight.”
Trust Waikato donated $6,000 towards
Pasifika by Nature in 2011, which helped
cover venue and other festival costs.
Pasifika
by
Nature
D o n a t i o n S t o r i e s
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